These are the greatest back stretching exercises to help prevent pain and reduce tightness caused by stress. Stretching your back provides increased mobility and flexibility both helping your posture.

Why stretch hips? If you sit for long periods of time your hip flexors can become tight. These tight hips can cause muscles to be unbalanced. This causes spinal instability and difficult movement patterns. In an average walk you may use your lower back to compensate for the imbalance.

Why stretch hamstrings? Tight hamstrings can suggest weakness in the lower abdominal muscles and lower-back muscles. When this happens we compensate for our weakness from somewhere else in the body. Hamstrings compensate by pulling back on the pelvis and strain the lower back.

Stretching Exercises

Knee to chest
•Lie on your back on the floor bend both legs with feet flat on the floor.
•Draw your right knee in towards your chest. Hold for 3 seconds then release
•Repeat the draw and release 3 times on the right leg then switch and repeat on the left.

Hip Release
•Lie on your back on the floor bend both legs with feet flat on the floor.
•Bring your right ankle over your left knee.
•Hold it there for 5 breaths. Now take your right hand and place it on your right knee.
•Gently press down on the right knee increasing the stretch.
•Come back to starting position and repeat on opposite leg.

Hamstring Stretch
•Lie on your back on the floor bend both legs with feet flat on the floor.
•Draw your right leg straight up in the air. Place your hands behind your thigh to hold it.
•Bend your knee slightly and keep your butt on the floor. Hold for 5 breaths.
•Now draw the knee a little further towards your chest. Hold for 5 breaths.
•Slowly release the leg to starting position. Repeat on opposite leg.

Push-up Stretch
•Lie on your stomach and stretch your legs out long behind you.
•Come up on to your forearms facing the floor.
•Slowly push yourself up until your arms are straight with face forward. Hold here for 3 breaths.
•Repeat 5 times.

Side to Side Stretch
•Lie on your back on the floor bend both legs with feet flat on the floor.
•Take your arms straight up in the air and hold hands.
•Drop your hips to the right. At the same time take both arms and reach to the left.
•Repeat 3 times each way.

Seated Side Bend
•Sit up straight in a chair. Drop your shoulders and roll them down your back.
•Bring your right hand down to the seat.
•Take your left arm straight up in the air.
•Bend to the right keeping the arm straight. Feel the stretch down your side and spine.
•Hold the stretch for 3 breaths.
•Repeat 5 times each side.

Low Lunge
•Drop your left knee to the floor and bend the right leg forward lunging. Be careful not to arch your back.
•Reposition your weight forward into your right leg until you feel a nice stretch in the left thigh. Hold for 5 breaths.
•Repeat 3 times on each side.

Be sure to seek advice from a medical professional before doing these or any exercises. Be healthy, be happy.

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