Being a dancer, stretching is an essential part of my daily routine, and regardless of whether I workout, dance, or take a day off, I always make sure I spend time doing it. I cannot even begin to tell you how important has become for me. I absolutely love the feeling I get when I spend that 15-30 minutes every day sitting in the quiet in my room, dance studio, or wherever I decide to go and just stretch my body to its limits and beyond. It feels so good to release that built up tension and to become more and more flexible every day. Not only does it give me some quiet time to think and relax, but also it’s an indispensible part of the healthy lifestyle I’m getting through the Her Campus and SELF magazine’s Lose the Freshman 15 Program.
Stretching for dance is a pretty elaborate routine, but I wanted to share some of my favorite stretches (that focus on the legs and lower body) with you, so you too can take some time every day to stretch your way to success and a healthier lifestyle.
Purely out of habit, the first stretch that I always do is a calf stretch. This one is super easy and you can do it anywhere you have stairs. Stand with both feet on a stair so that your heels and arches are hanging off (only your toes and the balls of your feet should be on the stair) and hold onto the railing or the wall so that you don’t fall. Just let your feet hang there for 15 seconds. Need more of a stretch? Stretch one foot at a time and go back and forth between them until you feel loose.
Next, I like to loosen up the back of my legs. The easiest way to do this is by placing your feet a little farther than hip length apart and bending down to touch the floor. Hold this for 20 seconds. As this gets easier, you can move your feet closer and closer together until you can place your palms on the floor with your feet touching and your knees straight.
To continue this, I use the ballet barre in my dance studio (or a chair, my desk, etc.) and place one foot on it, directly in front of you. To stretch, bend down and hold onto your ankle and hold this pose for 20 seconds. Then switch legs. As you get more flexible, hold the pose longer or reach for your toes instead of your ankles. To stretch the insides of your legs, place your foot to the side instead of in front of you and do the same things.
My favorite stretches are from a sitting position on the floor. Having a mat is helpful, but not essential to these. For the first one, sometimes known as the ‘butterfly’ stretch, sit with your back straight and place the soles of your feet together. Hold onto your ankles and bend down, remaining there for 20 seconds. As this gets easier, move your feet closer and closer to the rest of your body and hold the pose longer. The goal is to get your knees to touch the ground while your feet are almost touching your body.
Next, extend your legs outward from the butterfly position so that they are straight. To stretch from here, just bend down and hold for 15 seconds, making sure you keep your knees straight. Too easy? Push your legs further and further apart.
Okay, so there are five stretches for you to add to your daily routine! I’ll be back with more soon, so keep watching for them! Have stretching ideas for me? Let me know! I’d love to hear from you! You can follow me (@cmm1991id), Her Campus (@HerCampus) and SELF magazine (@SELFmagazine) on twitter. Also, look for Her Campus and SELF magazine on Facebook!