Whether you are looking to increase your flexibility, or reduce cramps, body aches, and stress, we think you'll like this very gentle yoga, Pilates, stretching blend.
You won't find the Fitness Blender calorie bar or interval timer in this particular workout video – that's because the sole focus of this workout is to carve out some quiet time in your day, and to relieve your body's muscles and your mind from any stress that you might be carrying. Don't worry about calories burned, just clear your head and move smoothly through this fluid series of stretches and core strengthening exercises. Don't worry about moving at the exact same pace as me, just focus on loosely following along, doing lots of deep breathing, and trying to gently remove any stressful thoughts from your head, if even just for these 27 minutes.
As is stressed throughout the video, none of these exercises should cause you any pain. If you're feeling pain, you need to use a smaller range of motion in that stretch. It takes a lot of practice to increase flexibility, so be patient with yourself, and listen to the feedback that your body is constantly sending you. Read more about how long after working out do you start to see results? - A breakdown by goal.
Use slow, controlled movements while you're doing this workout. You are highly likely to sprain something if you try to gain more range of motion in any stretch by using bouncing or jerking motions.
If you're having back pain, it's always best to talk to your doctor before doing any new set of stretches or exercises. With that said, a lot of the exercises in this routine are fantastic for either building up strength and integrity in the lower back, or for reducing back pain and/or stiffness.
How often can I do this workout?
You can do this stretching workout as often as you like, even multiple times a day.
When should I do this workout?
You can do this routine anytime of the day, but because this mixed Pilates yoga workout is so mellow, it makes for a great stretching workout before bedtime. Just start this routine about an hour before you want to go to sleep, and you may even find that you fall asleep faster, and get a more thorough rest. The only time that you should not use this stretching routine is right before a more intense workout (prolonged stretching is best saved for after workouts, in order to prevent avoidable injuries). If you feel like you need a long stretch, this can even make for a great cool down workout.
You guys have been asking for a lengthier stretching workout for a very long time, so I hope this workout hits the spot. Let me know if you liked the format of this relaxing routine and I would be happy to create more like it.