According to a recent Gallup poll, nearly half of Americans experience stress on a regular basis. If left untreated, the condition can increase your risk of stress. heart diseasehigh blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and other medical problems.
There are a number of simple ways to impact of stress — starting with stretching.
“Your muscles tend to contract and tighten when you're stressed, which causes all sorts of aches and pains,” Walter Gjergja, the Switzerland-based co-founder and chief wellness officer of Zing Coach, a personalized fitness app, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
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According to Gjergja, stretching causes the muscles to stretch and relax, which releases built-up tension.
“It also increases blood flow to your muscles, which brings oxygen and nutrients and removes metabolic waste products from your body — and with it, the pain and stiffness,” he said.
Walter Gjergja, the Switzerland-based co-founder and Chief Wellness Officer at Zing Coach, developed a simple three-minute stretching routine especially for Fox News Digital. (Walter Gjergja)
Gjergja, who is trained in mindfulness and meditation, has developed a simple three-minute course stretching and stretching exercises exclusive to Fox News Digital.
A GUIDE TO BASIC STRETCHES FOR BETTER OVERALL HEALTH
“If you feel your stress level rising, don’t just sit there and wait for your muscles to tense up,” he said. “A few minutes of stretching is often enough.”
7 Stretches to Relieve Stress and Tension
Hold each exercise for 20 to 30 seconds before switching sides or moving on to the next exercise, Gjergja advised.
1. Neck stretch
Gently tilt your head to one side and bring your ear toward your shoulder until you feel a stretch in the side of your neck.
For the neck stretch, gently tilt your head to one side and bring your ear toward your shoulder until you feel a stretch on the side of your neck. (Walter Gjergja)
2. Shoulder Stretch
Place one arm across your body and gently press it against your chest with your other hand until you feel a stretch in your shoulder.
To do the shoulder stretch, place one arm across your body and gently press it against your chest with your other hand until you feel a stretch in your shoulder. (Walter Gjergja)
3. Cat/cobra stretch
Start in a push-up position with your wrists parallel to your shoulders. Take a deep breath and lift your head, shoulders, and abdomen up while keeping your pelvis flat on the floor. Hold, allowing your spine to stretch.
Start in a push-up position with your wrists parallel to your shoulders. Take a deep breath and lift your head, shoulders, and abdomen up while keeping your pelvis flat on the floor. (Walter Gjergja)
Then exhale and bring your upper body into a tabletop position, arching your back.
Take a few minutes to move back and forth between these two poses, synchronizing each movement with your breathing.
Then exhale and bring your upper body into a tabletop position, arching your back. (Walter Gjergja)
4. Spinal rotation
Sit on the floor and stretch your legs out in front of you. Bend one knee and cross it over the other leg, placing the foot flat on the floor.
Rotate your torso toward the bent knee, keeping the other arm close to your body.
Sit on the floor and extend your legs out in front of you. Bend one knee and cross it over the other leg, placing the foot flat on the floor. Twist your torso toward the bent knee, using the other arm to hold it close to your body. (Walter Gjergja)
5. Forward fold
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and bend your hips forward, allowing your upper body to hang toward the floor.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and bend your hips forward, allowing your upper body to hang toward the floor. (Walter Gjergja)
6. Hip and Posterior Chain Stretch
Sit down and form an L-shape with your legs.
As you press the bent knee toward the floor, open the hip and reach forward toward the extended leg.
Sit down and make an L-shape with your legs. As you push your bent knee toward the floor, open your hip and reach forward toward your extended leg. (Walter Gjergja)
7. Kneeling Quadriceps Stretch
Start in a kneeling position with your legs pressed together, sitting on the heels of your feet.
Place your hands behind you, parallel to your shoulders, lean back and push your hips forward while keeping your buttocks firmly on your heels.
Begin in a kneeling position with your legs pressed together, sitting on the heels of your feet. Place your hands behind you, parallel to your shoulders, then lean back and push your hips forward while keeping your buttocks firmly on your heels. (Walter Gjergja)
4 professional tips for more effective and enjoyable stretching
“What is good for the body is usually also good for the mind,” says Gjergja.
“Stretching allows you to escape from your thoughts for a moment and reduces the amount of cortisol that normally builds up when you are stressed.”
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“It also stimulates the release of endorphins, the happiness hormone, which helps you feel happier. happier and healthier.”
“What is good for the body is usually also good for the mind.”
To help you get the most out of your stretching session, the wellness expert offers the following tips.
1. Don't hold your breath
Take a deep breath and focus only on the inhalation and exhalation, instead of the worries playing in the back of your mind.
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2. Don't rush
If you experience muscle soreness, Gjergja recommends taking it easy and using a smaller range of motion, gradually increasing as the tension decreases.
3. Don't forget to drink enough
A sip of water between each exercise can prevent creaking joints, the expert says.
4. Relax
Approach stretching as you would meditation. Gjergja suggests putting on some calming music and focusing on your body, not your thoughts.
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After completing these pieces, Gjergja said, “Your body and mind will to feel better in no time.”
“A tense mind cannot 'live' in a relaxed body – so by reducing physical tension we induce simultaneous mental relaxation.”
