How to improve your flexibility in winter: 5 tips from a personal trainer

By MiNDFOOD

How to improve your flexibility in winter: 5 tips from a personal trainer
Ben Lucas, Director of Flow Athletic and Flow Athletic TV shares his tips for improving flexibility during the colder months. 

With many of us stuck at home these days, we may be moving less and sitting more as we are not running errands and heading to meetings and offices like we used to.

Consequently this can leave your body with niggles and tightness that we may not have had before such as tight hips, sore shoulders from hunching and the like. Throw winter into the mix as well and you have some extra stiffness in your joints to add to the equation.

However, by putting a focus on improving your flexibility, you can greatly reduce the risk of injury and pain.

You can also improve your posture, joint mobility, strength, physical performance and your overall health, as aches and pains can also add inflammation in the body which can affect your mind, mood and gut health.

Here are a few exercises that can help assist your flexibility:

Downward dog: A great yoga-based exercise that can stretch out the back of your legs, your arm, shoulders, waist, delts and quads etc. This is a great all over body stretch.

Sun salutations: This is the yoga move where you stretch your arms out wide to meet above your head. Then putting your hands into prayer position, swan dive back forward. Again, a great all over exercise to get the blood flowing and the move stretched.

Warrior pose: another great yoga exercise. This one essentially looks like a lunge, however your body is side on and your back foot is at 45 degrees. Have your arms should be strong with one out in front of your body and one behind. Alternate between this pose and reversing your warrior, where you put your back arm to the hamstring of your back leg and stretch back.

Lying twist: Lie on you back, with your legs out straight. Bend your left leg and twist it over the right for a glute shoulder and truck twist. Do this on both sides.

Arm circles: make sure your shoulder joints are warm before doing this one.

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