Move gently and patiently. This should feel relaxing. You should never feel any strain or pressure during this session. This should take about 5-10 minutes and can be done every day. Before breakfast is a good time; attach this to your coffee or tea habit if you can.
For each joint, try to stretch a little bit further on each rep or rotation. Once you hit the same range 2-3 times in a row, move on to the next joint. Don’t do repeated reps at your end range. Do one side at a time so you can focus on the range of motion of each joint.
Instructions:
Toes – scrunch together and open apart. 10-20 reps
Ankles – rock side to side, planted on ground. 5-10 reps
Ankle circles – foot in the air and toes pointed. 5-10 reps each way
Hula hoop hip circles – Keep feet planted and move hips in a circle. 10-20 reps each way
Hip rotations – plant foot and pivot at your pelvis. 3-5 each way per leg
Shoulder shrugs – arms at sides, move one shoulder in a circle. 5-10 reps each way
Large arm circles – both arms at once is OK. 5-10 reps each way
Elbow circles – arm in front of you and shoulder relaxed. 5-10 reps each way
Wrist circles – make a fist. 10-20 reps each way
Fingers – firm fist to fully opened. Don’t flick, just open and close. Your age in reps.
Front high kick – keep other foot planted. Up to 10 reps
Side high kick – keep other foot planted. Kick to side at 90. Up to 10 reps
Sit down in pancake/straddle, twist torso left and right with arms out. Up to 10 each way
Sit down in pancake/straddle, bend torso left and right. Up to 10 each way
Combination:
I recommend doing this every day, some time in the morning. In his landmark book Stretching Scientifically, Thomas Kurz recommends doing it before you eat. That’s entirely up to you 🙂