My Favorite Stretches

Happy National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day!

I seriously love anything with peanut butter, and just saw that I apparently posted about this very important holiday last year. 😉  In honor of this day, I thought I’d share a few yummy PB recipes:

• Crispy Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Treats
• Peanut & Broccoli Pasta
• Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Granola Bars
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Moving onto fitness, yesterday I was feeling achy from my workout the day before – not just sore in one spot, pretty much my entire body. This happens to me sometimes after I’ve had really good workouts  multiple days in a row, and I usually take it as a cue to rest my body for a day. Instead of doing a high impact workout, I elected to go for a long walk with my pup, then do a solid half hour of stretching. It felt fabulous to take my time stretching, and I definitely felt better afterwards.

I think it’s important to stretch both before and after a workout, as well as whenever you feel like you need a stress reliever. I like to do mostly dynamic stretching pre-workout, which is a type of stretching with movement, such as arm swings or front kicks. Post-workout, I always do some static stretching. Below are a few of my favorite stretches. I hold each pose for at least 30 seconds before switching sides.

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The Pretzel 

I started doing this stretch a lot while in physical therapy for my calf. It feels great, especially when your booty or legs are sore! To do the pretzel stretch, lie flat on your back with both knees bent. Cross 1 leg over the other, placing your foot on the opposite knee. Bring both knees towards your chest, pulling the uncrossed leg towards you until you feel a nice stretch in your glutes.

Foam Roller Back Stretch 

I just bought a foam roller last year, and I’m not sure how I lived without it before! I use it on a daily basis, and this is one of the stretches I constantly am doing on it: Lie on your back on top of the foam roller, with it placed lengthwise down the middle of your back. Put your arms out to your sides, parallel with your shoulders and palms facing up. Breathe deeply and push your back into the foam roller. This stretch relieves tension in my back, helps me feel like I’m opening my chest up and breathing better, and just feels awesome!

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Reclined Hamstring Stretch

This is a great stretch to work out the hamstrings. To do it, simply lie on your back and straighten one leg out on the ground while extending the other leg up straight as high as you can. Grab the extended leg with both hands and flex your foot, holding for awhile, then switch sides.

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Lunge with Open Chest

I first started doing this stretch after trying it during yoga one day. To do it, bring one leg forward and bend it until it’s parallel to the ground. Take your opposite arm and touch the ground, then bring your other arm up straight over your head, head turned to the same side as the the bent leg.

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Pigeon Stretch

This is another awesome booty stretch. To do it, start in a kneeling position. Cross one leg in front of body while extending the other leg back. Place hands on floor (or elbows if you”re flexible enough!) and sink into the stretch.

I hope that your weekend is off to a nice start!