Healthy Living
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Stretching in the Shower: 3 Reasons You Should Try It!
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I recently read a suggestion about stretching your muscles in the
shower after your workout (if I could remember where I read this, I
would tell you, but I read so many articles and magazines I
can't keep them all straight!). Anyway, I decided to give it a
go because a few months ago I jumped into the shower right after
exercising and completely forgot to stretch. I stretched as soon as
I hopped out of the shower and really enjoyed it because my muscles
were still loose from my exercise and they were nice and warm. I
got so much out of the stretching that I decided to make it a
permanent fixture in my routine. I purposely wait until post-shower
to stretch and/or do yoga now. So I tried actually stretching in
the shower after reading the suggestion I mentioned above and
love it too! Here's why:
1. Your muscles are already warm for exercising and the
steam from the shower warms them up even more so you can go even
deeper into your stretches!
2. Stretching feels even better when you let the warm water massage
your back and neck at the same time.
3. It saves time! I am usually just standing around in the shower
waiting on my conditioner to set, now I stretch too!
Some safety tips:
1. Don't attempt this if your shower is even a tiny bit
too slippery, you have trouble balancing, or if you've had
problems falling in the shower before.
2. If you aren't comfortable touching your toes or moving your
legs around, try stretching your arms and neck.
3. Make sure you have something nearby to hold onto, showers with
bars are great!
4. Don't try at all if you have a teeny tiny shower!
Brandi Hamrick, life coach
www.brandihamrick.com
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Related: yoga, wellness, stretching, fitness, exercise
