12 STRETCHING EXERCISE

Here are more than 12 streching routines that will take 10 minutes a day or less. They will show that getting fit is easier than you think. Some of these stretches may get rid of a swayback or potbelly. Others are easy and helpful ways to alleviate neck and back pain. By streching regularly, your body will feel more relaxed and ready to take on everyday tasks.

LEGS Hamstring stretch

1. Sit up on the floor or in your bed.
2. Extend your leg. Fold in your right leg so its foot oints toward your right knee.
3. Lean forward, reaching your arms above your back straight. Don't overreach to touch your toes. Hold for 15 to 20 seconds.
4. Extend your right leg, fold your left, and repeat.

LEGS Butterfly stretch

1. Sit with your feet touching in front of you.
2. Hold your feet, leaning your elbows into the inside of your knees.
3. Push down gently on your knees until you feel a strech in your groin. Hold for 5 seconds.

LEGS Thigh stretch

1. Stand facing a wall at arm's length. Place your left hand on it for support.
2. Lift up your left foot behind you, and grab it with your right hand.
3. Pull your left foot toward your buttocks, and hold for 30 seconds.
4. Let go of your left foot, switch hands and feet, and repeat with your right leg.

LEGS Calf stretch

1. Stand about a foot away from a wall. Lean against it with your forearms, and rest your head on your hands.
2. Step forward with your right foot, bending that leg. Keep your left leg straight.
3. Lean forward until you feel a tug in the back of your left leg. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds.
4. Switch legs and repeat.

1. Lie on your back on the floor or in your bed.
2. Fold your legs on top of you so your knees touch your chest.
3. Grab your knees, and pull them down uintill you feel a stretch in your lower back. Hold for 30 seconds

BACK Pelvic tilt

1. Lie on your back on the floor or in your bed.
2. Bend your knees, and plant your feet about one foot away from your buttocks.
3. Press the small of your back toward the floor, and tighten your abdominal muscles. Use your hips, not your legs. Hold for 5 seconds, then relax.

NECK Head tilt

1. Sit up in a chair or in your bed
2. Look straight ahead. Relax your shoulders.
3. Tilt your head to the right, leaning your ear toward your shoulder. When you feel a gentle stretch in your neck, hold for 10 seconds.
4. Straighten your head, then repeat to the left side.

NECK Shoulder roll

1. Sit in a chair or your bed with your arms at your sides.
2. Shrug your shoulders upward without bending your elbows.
3. Rotate your shoulders forward in a circle. Then rotate them backward.
4. Repeat each direction at least five times, making each circle bigger than the last.

1. Stand up, or sit up in a chair or in bed.
2. Reach your arms over your head as far as they can go, and interlace your fingers.
3. Turn your palms upward. Gently push ypur arms back and up. Hold for 15 seconds.

UPPER BODY Upper body twist

1. Stand up and place your hands on your hips.
2. Twist your upper body to the left as far as it can go, leaving your legs facing forward. Hold for 5 seconds.
3. Repeat to the right.

UPPER BODY Arm twist

1. Sit or stand up.
2. Reach your right arm across your chest in front of your left shoulder.
3. Place your left hand on your right elbow and gently push. You'll feel a stretch in the back of your shoulder. Hold.
4. Switch arms and repeat.

UPPER BODY Shoulder rotation

1. Lie on the floor or in your bed with a pillow beneath your head. If you have back problems, put a rolled towel underneath your knees.
2. Lay your arms out perpendicular to your body, and bend them up at the elbows so they look like goalposts.
3. Rotate your arms forward, moving your hands to the floor near your waist. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.
4. Rotate your forearms up and then backward, moving your hands toward the floor near your head. Hold.