I did it!: can daily stretching exercises make you more flexible?

It’s time for a try-out week again. This time I’m giving stretching a go. It doesn’t sound that exciting at first, but I have good reasons for this extended week. Because regular stretching exercises are underestimated, even though they unexpectedly do a lot for health and well-being.

The list of benefits of regular stretching is a long one. For example, a few stretches before exercising are always advisable to prevent injuries. But that’s not all – not by a long way. If you stretch regularly, you’ll stay more flexible. This is hardly surprising either. But it doesn’t just apply to old age: if you take preventative measures when you’re young, you’ll benefit greatly later when your whole body is more active. But it’s never too late to start. In addition, regular stretching is good for your entire body and, on top of that, it’s good for your state of mind.

So that’s reason enough to really take it easy for a week. My plan: do a 10-minute stretch session in the morning as soon as I get up. I hope that this will help me wake up quicker and prepare my muscles and ligaments well for the day. If the exercises also improve your mood, this potential morning grouch, wouldn’t mind.

I look for exercises that target all major muscle groups to make my entire body flexible. As with my try-out week for back health, it’s not difficult to find suggestions for this – the internet is full of instructions. I’m always looking for new inspiration for a bit of variety and maybe discover new exercises.

Day 1: Yoga morning routine – gently stretching into the day

For a relaxed start to my try-out week, I choose a 10-minute yoga routine to stretch and mobilise. Despite having done some yoga, as a precaution I choose a video (in German) that’s suitable for beginners. This way I don’t get into contortions right at the start, which I neither can nor should do if I want to carry on stretching throughout the week.

I like this type of video instructions: short and concise. I don’t have to think, and while I’m trying to twirl about on my yoga mat as elegantly as these supposedly perfect influencers, time flies by in the blink of an eye.

I’m very happy with my choice. Like after some short meditation in the morning, relaxation sets in and my body actually feels more awake and refreshed. Great, this is a good start. I’m almost a little sad that that was my goal for the day. But nothing should stop me from just doing another round later.

Day 2: Illustrated stretching to combat stress

«Nothing should stop me from doing another round». Ha. The entire day had stopped me; there was simply no time left for a few extra stretches. Nevertheless, the pleasant, relaxed feeling from those few minutes of yoga stretching in the morning carried through the whole day. I’ll do them at lunchtime this time.

For the second day I chose very simple (perhaps slightly more boring) exercises, with a series of images (website in German) as a template. I follow the instructions, but quickly realise that I find the video version more suitable. It’s more strenuous with the written instructions, and no one tells me exactly how to contort myself. During the fourth exercise, an exercise ball suddenly comes into play, as if everyone has one lying around in the living room. I actually own one (from the time when I bounced the baby to sleep all night long). It has long since been banished to the basement. So, I stop my stretching exercises and dig it out of one of the back basement cupboards. After 20 minutes spent dusting, looking for a pump, inflating it and making space, I’m finally able to finish today’s stretching session.

Gym balls

Schildkröt Gym ball 65 cm

65 cm

49

Gym balls

Schildkröt Gym ball 65 cm

65 cm

49

For a single exercise, the whole basement clearing effort would probably not have been worthwhile. However, I’ll benefit several times over the course of the week from the fact that the big ball is now rolling around the living room again. I sit on it again and again for a few short stretches. Not to mention my son’s delight about the oversized play equipment.

Days 3 and 4: Moving on with tried and tested instructions

I feel like my previous stretching is already making itself felt. I feel good, my whole body is actually more flexible. For the next two days I’ll be going back to what I’m familiar with: the Liebscher & Bracht videos. They explain calmly, precisely and step by step how you can do something good for your body. I used one of the videos during my [back health try-out week (https://www.galaxus.de/en/page/i-did-it-what-happened-after-a-week-of-daily-back-exercises-28613) and also found them helpful for other issues.

Today I’m choosing a 15-minute programme for every day (video in German). I’m guided through the exercises at a suitable pace and the video explains how each stretch affects my body. I’m happy with it and decide to do the same video again on day 4.

Day 5: Intuitive stretching

Today I want to move my daily stretching outside for a change. This is much easier without a computer in front of you, so I decide to stretch the most important parts of the body without any instructions. You can find an overview and detailed instructions here (in German), for example.
I stretch my:

• Neck (head up, shoulders down, head to the side, pull arms down)
• Chest (arms to the sides at a 90° angle, slight pulsating movements backwards)
• Back (from back week: the child’s pose)
• Hip flexors (one-legged knee stand, push pelvis forward and down)
• Quads (standing on one leg, bend the other leg, pull the heel towards the bottom)
• Hamstrings (slightly bent stance, one leg forward supported on the heel, tilt the pelvis forward, slowly straighten the knee)
• Calf (wide lunge, support in front on a bench or tree in my case, shift weight to the front leg, press the heel of the other foot down)

Day 6: Stretching until I do the splits?

As I near the end of my stretching week, I want to try something new. I came across a video (in German) with exercises that promise to get you to do the splits. Well, that doesn’t have to be the case, and I won’t be able to force my body into this pose in 10 minutes, but I’m curious. Of course, doing the splits requires a lot of practice, so I’d have to do these 10 minutes regularly over a long period of time to get there. Otherwise, you could soon hurt yourself.

The 10 minutes go by quickly and the stretches are easy to follow. The video has no text at all; music plays instead. I like that and, maybe in the long run, I should try it for a few months to see how far towards the splits I’d actually get. For today, though, 10 minutes are enough for me and I start the day well stretched.

Day 7: An extended final session

It’s Sunday and there’s a longer session to finish my stretching experiment, promising «full body recovery». It’s another video with no speaking. There’s soft music playing in the background, a timer counts down for each exercise and the execution and name are displayed at the transition to the next exercise. 25 minutes is a bit too long for me personally (impatient as I am). Nevertheless, I persevere. Afterwards, I feel really relaxed and I’m definitely happy with my try-out week.

Verdict: Not yet at full stretch

So how useful did I find my stretching week? Very! Over the course of the week, my overall feel for my body has noticeably improved. The short sessions paid off: I was able to achieve a lot with little (time and) effort. I’m no longer stiff, I feel more flexible, agile and generally more relaxed.

But the best benefit was totally incidental and unplanned. Presumably because I was already focusing on stretching, I started to do short sequences every now and then. I get up from my desk every now and then to stretch. I stretch my neck muscles briefly while waiting for my coffee. I lunge while hanging out laundry, and so on. Stretching has become a part of my everyday life. And, by the way, the exercise ball has regained its permanent place in the living room. This means that my pelvic floor also gets some training on a regular basis.

So, the stretching will definitely be extended (if you’ll pardon the pun). I’m sticking with it and will try to stretch for 10 minutes with video instructions at least two to three times a week. And I hope to keep up the stretches in between.

**From a long lunch break outside to a smartphone detox and getting enough sleep, I’ve already tried a few different things for my health, with varying degrees of success:

*Do you have any suggestions for what I could try next week? Let me know in the comments.