Within our fit family we have so many incredible professionals who offer their input and advice for the good of our crew. One of these amazing individuals is Becky Vadala, MPT at NovaCare in Blairsville, PA. She specializes in outpatient physical therapy and sports injuries.
"I am so excited that so many have joined Haley's amazing group and are working so hard to achieve their goals and live a healthy lifestyle! In order to help you succeed at meeting your goals, you need your body to stay healthy. A GREAT way to help treat your sore muscles in addition to foam rolling is to stretch!
I treat a lot of injuries that could have been prevented with daily stretching. It is beyond frustrating when an injury prevents you from working out. Here are some tips to help you with stretching. I know so many of us are really busy. So, try to incorporate it into your daily routines and you will be more likely to stick with it! For example, I stretch every morning while I blow dry my hair. I do a calf stretch, quad stretch, and hamstring stretch (I just put my foot up on the toilet and lean my chest forward). I hold each one for 30 sec. That's only 3 minutes and then my hair is mostly dry! Find what works best for you: while brushing your teeth, waiting for the microwave, waiting at the copier!
It is also great to stretch before bed, especially if you sometimes have back pain when you first lay down (called a postural dysfunction)."
Here is a stretching routine that Becky recommends before bed. She says, "You can even scroll through your phone or watch tv while u do these. The key is to hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds for it to be effective."
HAMSTRING STRETCH
You can lay in bed and use a towel to stretch your hamstrings (leg straight up)
IT BAND STRETCH
Lay in bed and use a towel like the previous stretch, but this time bring the leg up and across your body making sure to keep the leg straight
HIP FLEXOR STRETCH
For this stretch you can lay in bed and, making sure you are secure, lower one leg down to the floor (as shown) and pull the opposite leg into the chest.
PIRIFORMIS STRETCH
The last stretch is the piriformis stretch. You can lay in bed and cross one leg over the opposite leg. Then pull the base leg into your chest.
"You will find that you will sleep better and wake up not nearly as sore!
If you are noticing neck pain or headaches, make sure you stretch your neck but, also incorporate stretching your pectorals (chest) muscles. Place forearms on the door frame (at or lower than shoulder level) and GENTLY lean forward. This will help to open up your chest!"
Becky wanted to provide one last tip for our fit family:
"It is very common to complain of tightness or back pain when you go from a sitting position to a standing position. Think about when it takes you a couple minutes to fully stand erect or you can't take a full stride your first couple steps. Lots of times this is due to tightness in your iliopsoas muscle. This muscle goes from the front of your upper leg through your pelvis and then attaches to your back). To help this (or prevent this), make sure your stretch your quad (front thigh muscle) and hip flexors!
I want us all to stay healthy and active so, STRETCH, STRETCH, STRETCH (and drink lots of water to flush out those toxins)!"