3 Tips to Add Stretches and Exercises Into Your Day:

You’ve just had a great massage and you’re a little bit sleepy when your Massage Therapist runs through a stretch or exercise they want you to do in order to keep progressing towards your goals. You leave the office, and when you get home at the end of the day, you’re lucky if you remember, let alone find the time. The next time you go for a treatment, your RMT asks how you made out on your exercises… familiar story?

You’re not alone if you find it difficult to incorporate the ‘homework’ from your RMT, PT, or Chiropractor nor is it anything to be embarrassed about. Most of us are so busy in our day-to-day that adding one more task seems like a stretch (pun intended).

Most practitioners are aware that these exercises don’t happen all the time, so if you feel like the exercise is not going to work for you in some way, you can ask them for a different option. Ideally, when you leave, you should know how to do the exercise in a safe way, how often, what it’s purpose is, and to stop if it causes you more pain. Then it’s on you to figure out how to make it happen and I’ve got a few tips to help.

At the end of this blog, there will be a sample routine on how to integrate 3 exercises into your day.

1. Find idle time: Setting aside time to do this kind of work is not the same thing as going to the gym. You don’t need to block off 30-45 minutes to make this happen. Instead, look for some small chunks of time in your day that you’re usually waiting for something.

   A few common ideas:

   • Waiting for coffee to brew

   • Waiting for food to reheat/cook

   • Waiting for your conditioner to take effect in the shower

   • Sitting on the toilet

   • Brushing your teeth

   • Watching videos

     Once you’ve found a small time slot that works for you, make sure the equipment you need is easily accessible so all that’s left to do is pull out what you need and do ONE of the exercises or however many you can realistically fit into that time.

2. Work it into pre-existing activities: If you already go to the gym, adding in a few more sets of an exercise is likely not a deal breaker, but there are other activities that we can add to:

   • Walking the dog

   • Taking your child to the park/playing outside

   • Yard work

   • Housework

     The beauty of adding an exercise or two during or directly after activities like these is that your body is already in optimal stretching time because it has been warmed up a bit by other activity. Strengthening is fine too, but if you have stretches to do, this is your best time.

3. Work smart not hard: There are a few ways to help protect our self from injury but also to make the best of your time.

• If the goal is to stretch a muscle, then that muscle should be warmed up. I know this is extra time, but you risk damaging your tendons if you stretch cold muscles. This is where incorporating one of those activities before your stretch is good OR doing a stretch after/during a hot shower or bath.

• Group strengthening and stretching in similar muscle groups. If you are strengthening your arms, and you also have an upper body stretch to do as well, team them up and your strengthening can help warm you up for your stretch. Ask your practitioner if this is applicable to you if you’re not sure.

• Track your progress so you can stay motivated! You can keep an eye on your range of motion, pain level, or strength, but you can also ask your practitioner how they see your progression.

Sample Routine: If this doesn’t sound like your day-to-day, that’s fine. Adjust as you need.

• Coffee is brewing and you have 2-5 minutes before it’s ready to drink. If you’ve recently woken up, then your muscles are not warmed up yet. This would be a fine time for a light strengthening exercise with body weight or a low tension band.

• You’re coming to the end of your shower and your conditioner is setting in you have another 30 seconds or so before you’re ready to wash it out. Your muscles have been warmed up for you by the shower so this is a good time for a stretch!

• You’ve come home from walking the dog. As your muscles are warmed up from the walk, this is a great time for a stretch - especially for your lower body.

Hopefully this helps give a few ideas on how to keep up on these exercises and make some great progress. The truth is, this is about more than your free time. If you make progress quicker and you’re able to progress through your treatment faster, you’ll be spending less money on treatments as well.

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Please note that as a Registered Massage Therapist, I am not a Medical Doctor. The information above is for educational and entertainment purposes not to give medical advise. Any questions about your body or medical conditions should be addressed with a physician. Never delay or disregard personal professional medical advise based on information you have read on this website.