13 Simple Stretches to Break up Your Netflix Binge
Our perfect Saturday night can be summed up in one word: Kalsarikannit (AKA the Finnish concept that involves drinking at home alone in your undies with no intention of leaving the house). But while we’d love to order some cheat day munchies and proceed to our scheduled Netflix binge, we still feel a *tad* guilty about treating our body so poorly, even on our day off. So to save ourselves from having to do a killer workout tomorrow, we asked the Tone It Up ladies to give us a few easy stretches to help us break up our Netflix sesh and treat our body right.
1. Standing Side Stretch: Hold on to your right wrist above your head and gently pull your arm as you tilt your upper body to the left. Hold for a few seconds, then switch sides.
2. Forward Fold: Cross your arms and gently hinge forward from the hips. Feel free to sway your upper body gently from side to side for a few seconds, releasing your neck and upper back.
3. Wide Stance Twist: Stand with your legs wider than shoulder-width apart and bring both hands to the ground. Raise your left arm into the air and twist your upper body to the left. Hold for a few seconds, then switch sides.
4. Side Lunge: Shift your weight to your left leg and bend into a left lunge, with your booty hovering just above the ground. Keep your right leg straight for a nice hamstring stretch. Hold for a few seconds. Switch sides and repeat.
5. Down Dog: While in down dog position, bicycle out your legs to alternate calf stretches.
6. Deep Lunge: Step forward with your right leg into a lunge. Drop your back knee and lower your forearms down to the ground. Stay in this position for a few seconds, then move into pigeon (directly below), before switching sides.
7. Pigeon: From the deep lunge, bring your front leg down so that your knee and the side of your leg are on the ground. Lean forward with forearms on the ground for a deeper stretch.
8. Bent Leg Side Stretch: Bend your left leg in and straighten out your right leg. Reach your left arm over your head as if you were to touch your right toe. Hold for a few seconds, then do a hamstring stretch before switching sides.
9. Hamstring Stretch: Square your hips toward your straight leg and hinge forward from the hips, reaching for your toes.
10. Butterfly: Bring both feet together while in a sitting position. Bring your knees down as low as you can.
11. Shoulder Stretch: Cross your right arm across your body and gently pull it closer with your left hand for a few seconds. Switch sides.
12. Tricep Stretch: Raise your right arm over your head and use your left hand to gently pull it back for a few seconds. Switch sides.
13. Side Twist: Straighten your left leg and cross your right leg over it. Twist your upper body to the right and use your left arm to push against your right leg for a few seconds. Switch sides.
Will you take a stretching break during your next Netflix binge? Tweet us @BritandCo and don’t forget to follow @ToneItUp on Instagram!
(Photos via Tone It Up, Getty)
