GOOD MORNING STRETCH FOR WOMEN STRUGGLING WITH MENOPAUSE!

Good Morning Sunshine’s!

Forgo those early morning aches, pains and inflammation that many women experience during the menopause years!

Believe it or not, exercise can relieve many of those symptoms by simply incorporating a bedroom routine of 7 to 10 minutes BEFORE you start your day.

Simply set your clock earlier and get it out of the way. Stretching improves the range of motion and will remedy the stiffness in the joints and you will be calmer and more limber to conquer your to-do lists!

Follow this routine designed for all fitness levels!

Toes- flex your toes 10 times on each side.

Ankles – rotate your ankles clockwise 8 times and then counterclockwise 8 times - repeat on the opposite leg. Remember, what we do to one side, we must do to the other side. Our bodies have muscular imbalances and we need to strengthen both sides of the body to reduce injuries and balance issue as we age.

Knees – Sit up in a chair, back supported, and raise your leg until they are level with the knees (or as high as you can without lifting your buttocks off the chair). This is supposed to be comfortable, you should not feel any strain . Count 4 reps up and hold 4 reps down - repeat on the opposite leg.

Hips: Stand up straight, as if your back was supported against a wall, knees soft. Push your right hip out towards the wall to gain a nice stretch. Hold for 10- 20 seconds. Repeat on the opposite side.

Get a nice flow of motion as if you were dancing and repeat both sides 5 times.

Waist: Keep your lower body stationary and twist your torso from side to side (think like a washing machine agitator) 10 times.

Shoulders: With arms bent, have fingertips touch your shoulders, make circular motions with the elbows. Repeat clockwise and counterclockwise 10 times on both sides.

Wrists: Flex and extend your wrists repeating 10 times both clockwise and counterclockwise.

Fingers: Flex your fingers, open your hands wide, and close fingers with thumb on the outside of the fist. Repeat 10 times.

Eyes: From a sitting position, look straight ahead. Shift eyes back and forth and up and down. Repeat 10 times.

Entire body: Lastly, lightly jump and down, roll your shoulders and flex and part of your body that still holds tension. Breathe and release all stress.

You are now ready to begin your day!

Be consistent with this work out. Start slowly and work up to 5 times a week for 10 minutes a day! You will feel and see the results putting aging at bay!