Three stretches to get you out of the bed

Even if you wake up say at 5 in the morning, or for that matter whatever time you do, if you are like me your body doesn't want to move about when you wake up. It feels like there is an invisible elastic band that pulls your 'chassis' back to bed resisting your efforts to move.   If this is you, then I will share three stretches that I do while still in bed after which the body doesn't feel bound to the bed anymore.  This is not like a whole regimen of stretches taking 20 or 30 minutes. These are three very simple stretches taking about 2 or 3 minutes at the most.


Spinal rotation or twist

Start with lying on your back with face upward (supine position)

1. Keeping your legs in front of you bend your knees so they point upward to the ceiling
   
2. Extend your arms sideways parallel to the shoulders keeping the shoulders in contact with the floor or bed. You could chose to extend your arms only up to the elbows with your hands folded and resting on your chest if there is not enough room to extend both arms fully sideways.
3. Gently drop your knees to the right side with your head turned towards your left and hips in contact with the floor as much as possible. You should feel a nice stretch in your lower back and spine. Hold that position for 10-15 seconds. Return to original position and do the same on your left side. 
4. Repeat this stretch on both sides two or three times

Prone twist

The prone twist is a mirror image or inverse of the spinal rotation. You start in a supine position - lying on your belly - and a similar twist now focused on the upper body to open your shoulders.  See the following YouTube video by Rebecca Pacheco -

Prone twist with Rebecca Pacheco

I really like the way this twist opens the shoulders and spine.  Repeat two or three times.


Child pose

By now you must be able to sense that your body is feeling more free to move. You are almost ready. The last one is the famous child pose.

1. Sit on your heels with shoulders above your hips. Keep knees at hip width.
   
2. Rest your forehead on the floor.
3. Bow forward and place your chest gently on the thighs.
4. Extend your arms gently forward 
5. Relax and let gravity gently stretch your inner thighs, hips, lower back and forward.
6. Hold position for 10-15 seconds

If you feel especially tight around the hips or inner legs you could stick a pillow under your torso or lower body lengthwise to help the muscles relax.

Spending a couple of minutes first thing in the morning on these three stretches will give you a good start off the bed.  Try it out. If you feel tightness around any of the larger muscle groups such as the outer hip (IT band) area or hamstring after a long run the previous day, you could add a couple of simple stretches to get them loosened a bit.  However, don't go overboard at this point. Any complex stretches should be kept for later when the body is properly warmed up.

If I can run, u can run