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Stretch yourself!

Feel the benefit of starting your day with a few gentle moves

Following this short routine is a great way to get back into activity, something which is key to good physical and mental health. A few small few stretches to ease you into the day might just be the beginning of  a positive change in your life...

Loosen up!

Starting your day with a good stretch can be a great way to begin getting more active. As well as moving more and burning some calories it can help you to feel more alert, ease tension and stiffness and improve your mood! The best way to start is to begin with stretches that can be done lying down, moving onto seated stretches on the edge of the bed and finishing with some stretching stood up. Follow this small five minute routine put together for us by Active Dorset to get yourself started!

Lying down

  1. Extend your arms over your head and point your toes away from you feeling the stretch in your whole body. Take 3 deep breaths.
  2. Bend both knees. Bring one knee up to your chest making sure to keep your head and neck still. Take 3 deep breaths. Repeat with the opposite knee.

Sitting

  1. Adopt a sitting position on the edge of the bed. With feet parallel and shoulders back, rotate your upper body to one side as far as is comfortable without moving your hips. Repeat the movement on your other side. Repeat 6 times on each side taking a deep breath on each side.
  2. Staying in the sitting position move your shoulders back and place your hands on your hips. Push your chest up and out taking 3 deep breaths.
  3. Staying in the sitting position link hands and extend your arms out in front of you at a shoulder height. Look down and slightly round your back taking 3 deep breaths.

Standing

  1. Starting in the sitting position stand up. With feet parallel and shoulder width apart lower yourself slowly and with control until you touch the bed. When you are ready stand back up. Perform 8 slow and controlled squat movements pausing on the bed if you need to.
  2. Walk on the spot for 30 seconds raising your heels up while bending and unbending your elbows whilst keeping them by your side.
  3. Place your hands on your hips. Cross your right leg in front of your left while raising your left arm and reaching towards the right. Hold the pose for 3 deep breaths and repeat the movement on the opposite side.
Enjoyed these stretches? Discover other ways to ease into activity by getting in touch with our friendly team.

 

 

 

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How does this work?

The tailored approach LiveWell Dorset uses to come up with solutions to the things that are stopping us achieving our goals, is based upon work done by University College London developing the COM-B model of behaviour change. In this model, all behaviour is influenced by understanding a person’s capability to change, their opportunity to change and their motivation to change. By understanding which of these is the biggest barrier to change, we can tailor support accordingly. This model of behaviour change is at the centre of the support we offer, online and in person.

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