“Well, I didn’t make it to the gym today like I’d hoped.”

Ever said that?

“In fact, today is a bust, as well.”

Welcome to my world.

So, that means what? I keep plugging away, sitting at my computer, suffering from the effects of limited movement?

I could have taken that path, but several workouts today have left me feeling invigorated, stretched out, and standing much taller – and it took almost no time at all.

Cumulatively, I’ve logged a whopping ten minutes of stretching exercises taken in three small intervals while I was waiting.

Waiting for the coffee to brew.

Waiting for breakfast to cook in the pan.

Waiting for the water to boil and the tea to brew.

Sure, there will be sustained effort in the gym this week, but when I do these few movements, I am a new person right now, at home.

After a recent workout that focused on upper body, my shoulder girdle was still feeling tight, so I returned to this favorite twist on arm circles:

Arm Circle Variation:

Standing with feet a shoulder width apart, stretch out arms to the side, horizontally to the floor.

Turn palms UP facing the ceiling. This is the trick.

Stretch your arms out as far as you can comfortably, as if trying to touch the walls. Do not drop your arms between any of the repetitions.

Make 8 small arm circles going forward, followed by 8 going backward.

Make 8 medium circles going forward, followed by 8 going backward.

Make 8 large circles going forward, followed by 8 going backward.

Now you may lower your arms.

This sounds so simple, but by turning the palms to face the ceiling, the dynamics are totally changed! You will find a surprising challenge and a great movement to open up your body just by doing this variation.

Okay, that should take a minute and a half – plus or minus. Make sure to keep reaching for the walls as you do the arm circles, and make sure to create the large one as big as you can comfortably do.

Next, I do a series of head/neck and torso movements that instantly loosen up and increase range of motion for my upper body, releasing tension:

Head turns to the right and left

Head nods up and down

Torso twists to the right and left

All movements are done slowly with a pause at the neutral center position.

Each repetition is done very gently, stopping at the slightest resistance, and seems to yield a bit more range of motion each time until I feel limber. Usually, five reps will yield the desired results.

The final minutes to my morning warm up come during brewing our pour-over coffee. Lifting the full glass hot water kettle to slowly pour the steaming water over the grounds offers yet another opportunity for weightlifting – especially using my nondominant hand.

During the pouring pauses, raising the kettle up/out/or across is easy using my right arm, but harder to do with my left.

I hope you enjoy these easy, subtle opportunities to squeeze in a stretch outside of the gym. We have the time – right where we are.

If you like these ideas, please share using the options under the MORE button below.

In health –

Deidre