Another blog post from Ann Arbor chiropractor Mike Tannenbaum, D.C.: Stretching to Destress

A nice and relatively easy way to reduce stress is to stretch. Stretching tends to increase blood flow to the body and brain, generally resulting in a more relaxed, less stressed frame of mind. Also, stretching is just good for your health. So, why not try stretching if you feel stressed? Listed below are some good stretches we recommend at Tannenbaum Chiropractic in Ann Arbor to help relieve stress.

One good time to stretch is in the morning before you go to work. This can put you into a better frame of mind when starting your workday.

Any number of stretches will work for you in the morning. You might want to try stretching by bringing your arms straight above your head and interlocking your fingers. In this position you can slowly bend sideways or rotate your torso or just stretch by reaching towards the ceiling.

In the middle of the day, you can repeat the morning stretch, or you could try for example, placing your foot up on a chair and while maintaining the arch in the small of your back, bend forward to try to touch your toes (making sure to keep the arch in your back when performing this stretch). Do this with one leg, then the other.

Before bed you can try any number of stretches, including repeating the ones above, or you could try stretching your neck.

Here’s a good series of neck stretches:

• Take your right hand to the top of your head or to your left ear.

• Gently bring your right ear towards your right shoulder, holding this position for 5 breaths

• Repeat on the left side.

• Turn to look over your right shoulder, keeping the rest of your body facing forward. Hold this position for 5 breaths.  

• Repeat on the left side.

• Drop your chin down to your chest, holding it there for 5 breaths.

• Return to a neutral position for 2 breaths, then allow your head to gently fall back for 5 breaths.

In this blog post, I’ve mentioned a few of many stretches you could do at different times of the day that should help you destress and help you with your overall health.

If you have any questions about this blog, neck pain, back pain, or headaches I can be contacted at my Ann Arbor chiropractic office at tchiropractic@hotmail,com.