Bedtime Stretching and Fitness Exercises: Shaping Exercises for 11 Parts of the Body Before Bed
Stretching and aerobics before bed
Doing some simple stretching exercises every night before bed can be very helpful for weight loss.
1. Waist stretch
One method is to bend to the left and right. With your arms behind your head and feet shoulder-width apart, bend to the left as far as you can and hold for 5 seconds. Repeat to the right (make sure your lower body remains still). Another method is to extend your arms to the sides with palms facing up and feet shoulder-width apart. Bring your right arm from the side of your head to the left, trying to touch your left hand with your right hand. Repeat on the other side.
2. Inner thigh
With arms behind your head and feet shoulder-width apart, bend forward at a 90° angle and hold for 5 seconds at the extreme point.
3. Thighs and buttocks
Stand upright, use your right hand to pull your right foot closer to your hip, extend your left arm horizontally forward, lean your body slightly forward, and focus your gaze on the direction your left fingers are extending. You should feel a stretch in the front of your right thigh and the effort your left leg is putting into maintaining balance. Repeat with the other leg.
4. Inner thigh
Kneel on your right knee and extend your left leg to the side. Raise both arms overhead and use your upper body to press your leg to the left. Repeat on the other side.
5. Ribs and waist
Sit on the floor with your legs bent at a 90° angle to the left. Bend your arms behind your head and pull your right hand to the left with your left hand. You should feel a stretch in your rib muscles. Hold for 5 seconds, then return to the starting position. Repeat on the right side.
6. Lateral malleolus
Sit on the ground with your legs extended forward. Point your toes, raise your arms to bring your upper body forward and down, hold for 5 seconds at the limit.
7. Hamstrings
Stand with your legs extended to the sides. Raise your arms overhead, bending your upper body forward and then bending to the left and right respectively. When bending to the left and right, try to reach your toes with your hands.
8. Upper arm
Position yourself in a semi-reclining position, with your arms behind your back for support, legs together, and knees bent at 90 degrees. Push your body upwards to its maximum extent.
9. Legs
Lie flat on the floor. Extend your arms upwards along the floor, raise your legs perpendicular to the ground, and separate them as far as possible to the sides. Hold for 5 seconds, then bring your legs back to the starting position. Repeat several times. Then, switch to separating your legs front and back, following the same steps. Next, separate your legs and draw circles clockwise, then counter-clockwise. These exercises not only work your legs but also your abdominal muscles.
10. Hips and back
(1) Lie on your back with your arms extended overhead, legs together, and knees bent at 90°. Lift your body upwards forcefully, bringing your head to the ground, ideally with your neck and knees in a straight line. Hold for 5 seconds, then lower yourself, but do not let your buttocks touch the ground. Pause briefly, then lift your body again. Repeat several times.
(2) is an extension of the previous movement. Spread your legs apart to shoulder width, bring your knees together, and then lift your upper body. You can feel that the muscles in your thighs are more tense than in the previous movement.
(3) Bring your feet together, open your knees outward to shoulder width, and lift your upper body. This time you can feel your gluteal muscles tense up more.
11. Thighs and lower abdomen
Stand upright with your legs shoulder-width apart and knees bent at 90 degrees. Slide your left knee down to the floor, touching your right leg, and hold for 5 seconds. You should feel the tension in your outer thighs and abdominal muscles. Repeat on the other side. This exercise is very helpful for reducing belly fat, but consistency is key.
After completing the above stretching exercises, gently massage your leg muscles to relax them. While relaxing, lift one leg off the pillow, raise your head off the pillow, and bend the other leg off the floor. At this time, although you are relaxing your leg muscles, your abdominal muscles are still tense. After relaxing your legs, lie flat and gently massage your abdomen to relax it.
Precautions for stretching exercises
(1) Each stretch should be slow and balanced. The movement should not be too fast. You should hold the posture slowly. Only when you hold the posture can the muscles be exercised.
(2) Maintain normal breathing while stretching. Inhale when stretching forcefully and exhale when relaxing.
(3) Do not feel pain in the joints, and do not extend the joints beyond their normal range of motion.
(4) Do not stretch muscles that have just been fractured or strained.
(5) Each stretch should last about 15 seconds.
(6) Exercise when muscles are relaxed. If you do this exercise at noon when your muscles are not sufficiently active, it may cause muscle fiber damage or soreness, so it is best to exercise in the evening after taking a bath.
(7) Be careful to keep breathing. If you stop breathing while exerting yourself, blood circulation will be disrupted, increasing the burden on your heart.
(8) To achieve results in a short time, you need to concentrate.
(9) You should follow the principle of gradual progress, starting with small movements and gradually increasing the intensity. Avoid large-amplitude swinging stretches, otherwise it is easy to cause ligament or muscle strains. You should do more static stretching exercises.
In winter, the cold weather causes the body's organ systems to contract protectively, reducing the elasticity and extensibility of muscles, tendons, and ligaments, increasing muscle viscosity, and decreasing the range of motion of joints. Combined with low air humidity, this makes the body feel stiff and difficult to stretch. Exercising without warming up can easily lead to muscle strains and joint injuries.
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