Stretch away the Holidays!

The holiday season is exciting, comforting, and can also be stressful.  With the added stress, our bodies start to tense and tighten in areas such as hips, shoulders and upper back.  This added tightness can cause unwanted pain, which can be alleviated through mindful movement and stretching.  Take a few minutes from your holiday hustle to complete these moves.  Give yourself the gift of a relaxed and open upper body!!

Theraband Stretch:

  1. Start with the band in each hand, hands wider than your shoulders.
  2. Slowly start to lower the band behind your back keeping your arms straight and without popping your ribs.
  3. Take the band all the way to your hips stretching open your chest and shoulders.
  4. Slowly lift the arms back to your starting position.

Open Chest Wall Stretch:

  1.  Start with your arms in a goal post position placing your arms and upper back against the wall.
  2. Slowly draw your elbows towards your hips trying to keep our hands and arm against the wall.  Only go as low as you can keep the arms flat without popping the ribs.
  3. Slowly return to your starting position.  You can also start with hands above head for a more advanced version.