With stress & anxiety, gentle stretches and breathing exercises can often help provide relief. This video shows stretches for the neck & chest area as well as diaphragmatic breathing which may help. More stretches for stress and anxiety relief: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLIKQwHITyc Start off with stretching the neck area. Upper trap, levator scap, and sternocleidomastoid (SCM) stretches…
Stretches for Stress Relief With stress & anxiety, gentle stretches and breathing exercises can often help provide relief. This video shows stretches for the neck & chest area as well as diaphragmatic breathing which may help. More stretches for stress and anxiety relief: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLIKQwHITyc Start off with stretching the neck area. Upper trap, levator scap,…
Breathing exercises can be a great way to help relieve stress and anxiety. This video focuses on two relaxing breathing techniques: Square breathing (aka box breathing, 4×4 breathing, 4-part breath, etc.) and Pursed breathing. More breathing exercises: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7-CAFhJn78 I start off with Square breathing. It’s so good at helping to relieve stress and anxiety that…
The 4 7 8 breathing exercise is also called “relaxing breath.” It’s designed to help you gain control of your breathing to relax and reduce anxiety. This breathing technique may also help people fall asleep faster and sleep better. More breathing exercises: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odADwWzHR24 To start, breathe in normally for 4 seconds. Hold your breath for…
Sore legs are common when starting a new workout program or when exercising a little too hard, especially on leg day. These stretches can help relax sore and tight leg muscles & provide pain relief. Buy a worksheet with these stretches https://www.askdoctorjo.com/5-sore-leg-stretches-worksheet Using a stretch strap or a belt can help relax the leg muscles…
When the hips are stiff and tight, exercises can help loosen up the area to make the muscles more relaxed. These exercises start with some easier isometrics and progress to a little harder. Buy a worksheet with these exercises: https://www.askdoctorjo.com/stiff-hip-exercises-worksheet Starting off with isometric exercises, glute sets and hamstring sets will help contract the muscles…
The shoulder area is a common place to get trigger points, aka muscle knots. Trigger points are basically when a specific area on a muscle gets irritated and tightens up into a ball or knot. Buy a worksheet with these shoulder stretches & exercises at https://www.askdoctorjo.com/shoulder-muscle-knots-worksheet These stretches and exercises may help relieve shoulder pain…
A stiff neck can occur when the neck muscles get tight or are not working correctly. These simple neck stretches should help relax the neck muscles and help decrease the neck stiffness. Buy a worksheet with these neck stretches at https://www.askdoctorjo.com/stiff-neck-worksheet Starting with a chin tuck is a great way to help loosen up the…
Stiff & tight hips can be caused by many things including arthritis, an injury & overuse. When the hips tighten up, it can also lead to low back pain and/or knee pain. These stiff hip stretches may provide relief. Buy a worksheet with these stretches https://www.askdoctorjo.com/stiff-hip-worksheet Pelvic tilts and a single knee to chest stretches…
A stiff neck can cause tightness, pain & loss of motion. Many of the neck muscles go down into the shoulders and can cause tightness there as well. These stretches may help relieve neck & shoulder pain. Buy a worksheet with these stretches: https://www.askdoctorjo.com/stiff-neck-relief-worksheet Starting off with cervical or neck motion will help get the…
