Stress Less Exercises

What a month this has been.  Who would have dreamed on the 1^st of March we would be quarantined in our houses by the 24^th? As a health care provider, I am still able to remain open and treat clients who continue to need care.  Many people are working from home, kids are stuck at home with alternative types of school for the rest of the year and food, cleaning supplies and toilet paper are in short supply.  March comes in like a lamb and out like a lion? Yes, indeed.

I kept trying to think what I could do to help people with COVID-19.  Well, I do know that stress is high and will be ever increasing as we spend more time together at home, see incomes drained and stocks drop. I’m thankful for faith, family and social media and the ability to Facetime, Skype or Zoom and laugh at the many memes.

What I decided I could offer are a few exercises that help lessen stress and help you take a few deep breaths. These are easy exercises, that will get your body to move and stretch.  I would also recommend getting outdoors 15 to 30 minutes a day and enjoying springtime flowers and warmer temperatures.

Spinal twist. Lie on the floor with your arms out at a 90-degree angle from your body, like you are making a “T”. Breathe in and bend your right knee to your chest and grasp it with your left hand.  As you exhale, let your knee move across to the left side of your body. As it moves across, focus on the elongation on your right side from your shoulder to your hip. Make that side as long as possible, without pain, and try to keep both shoulders against the floor, relaxed. Turn your head to the right and enjoy the stretch. Take 3-5 more breaths, going a little further with each exhale. Repeat to other side.

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Thoracic Rotation. Lie on your left side with a pillow supporting your head, with your left arm extended out and your right hand on your chest.  Bend your hip and knees about 90-degrees, so they are at a right angle to your body.  Inhale, then as you exhale, let your hand on the chest guide you as you try to roll your spine into the floor.  Don’t lead with your elbow.  Keep it relaxed and down, letting the hand on the chest move you. See how far you can roll back and try to touch your right shoulder back onto the floor and then open the right arm. Let your head rotate with you. As you inhale, bring the elbow back in and roll back to the start position. Do 3-5 rounds, slowly.  The mid-back or thoracic spine gets very stiff, especially with prolonged sitting. Repeat on the other side.

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Child’s Pose. Get on your hands and knees with hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.  Make sure your hand is open wide; your thumbs should be pointing to each other. Inhale and push down on your hands and round your back up towards the ceiling and then exhale and sit back onto your heels, keeping your hands stretched out in front of you. Let your head rest on the floor. Take a couple breaths here moving back more with each exhale.

Next, move your hands to the left and your hips to the right feeling the right side of your body lengthen and your left side shorten, making a “C”. Again, breathe in and expand and exhale and stretch more opening the space between the hips and the palms. After 2-3 breaths, go back to center and then to the opposite side. 

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Banana Peel. Lie on your back with arms overhead and legs extended out long.  Place a pillow under your knees if your back is uncomfortable.  Move your hands to the left and then move both feet to the left, keeping your shoulders on the floor and your hips equal pressure on the floor. Don’t let your back arch. This will make your right side elongate and your left side shorten, like a banana or letter “C”. Cross your right ankle over your left to increase the stretch.  Now take an inhale and feel the length and exhale and try to stretch further. Your body should be against the floor, neither side lifting. After 2-3 breaths, repeat on the other side.

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Sphynx shoulder rotation. Lie on your stomach propped on your forearms, with your legs straight.  If this bothers your back, place a pillow under your abdomen. Pull your abdominals away from the floor or pillow and think of letting your tailbone go long towards your heels. Your head should be in line with your body, not hanging down. Your forearms should be parallel like the number 11.  Breathe in as you press up into your forearms, letting your shoulder blades separate from each other, without rising toward your ears.  Exhale as you turn your head to the right like you are going to look under your right armpit.  Feel your right shoulder blade go down and in toward the spine and the left blade go up and out. Feel the left side get long and the right curve in. Inhale, and return to the start position, exhale and repeat to left.  Take 3-5 breaths back and forth. As this gets easier, see if you can feel the stretch all the way to your toes.  As you rotate right, your left shoulder blade moves up and out and your left leg moves down.

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I hope these exercises help you release a little stress.  Rotation exercises are great for getting some spinal mobility which can help you lessen the sympathetic nervous system (stress) and increase the parasympathetic (relaxation). They can also be good for your organs and helping increase blood flow.  Don’t push into pain with any of these exercises. As you inhale let your body lengthen and then you can stretch just a little more as you exhale.

These days will pass, and we will look on them and be able to say, “Remember when …” just as my mother talked about the Great Depression. Keep connected to others, get outdoors, make time for some meditation or prayer, find a new hobby, read a book, avoid too much sugar, help others out, breathe and we will learn new ways to live 6 feet apart! If your pain is increasing, call or text and we can schedule a visit.

Stay well, Judy