Healthwatch: Simple stretches to keep you body healthy

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Every week we are joined by a health professional who gives tips on a variety of health topics. This week we are joined by Nicole Craig, a group exercise coordinator to discuss some stretches and workouts that can be done at home.

Craig kicked off the exercises with a stretch called the cat calf.

“So the first move is going to be a cat calf. And it is exactly how it sounds. We’re on all fours, hands are under shoulders, knees are under hips, we’re going to round that backup, like Halloween cat. And then we’re going to extend lengthen from the top of our head to our tailbone, and the back kind of sags a little bit for our cow. And you’re just going to inhale and exhale. And you can do that five or six times, and then we’ll move on to the next one,” said Craig.

Next up was a simple leg stretch.

“We’re gonna lie down on our backs for a single leg stretch. And that’s exactly what it sounds like one leg is going to be extended out the other leg, we’re going to bring that knee in, I like to imagine bringing it into the armpit. Because that way, I’m able to get a really good stretch. And then we’re going to switch and you want to be mindful of bringing this leg that you’re stretching down first before you bring the other leg up. And again, two or three times on each side,” said Craig

After that, she demonstrated a figure four stretch.

“Then we’re going to move into the figure four, I’m just going to bring one ankle to one knee, and I can apply some light pressure here to kind of open up the hips, abs are tight, my belly button is glued to my spine, so my back is flat here. And sometimes that’s enough of a stretch. If you want a little bit more, you can lift that leg up and kind of pull it in, and then that’s really going to help with the lower back. And then we’re going to bring the knees together, hands out to the side. And we’re just going to drop the knees to one side, take a few breaths here, drop them to the other side. Then we’re going to try to keep our shoulders and our shoulder blades on the mat while we just twist the hips side to side,” said Craig.

Lastly, Craig demonstrated the proper technique for hamstring floss.

“And then the last exercise is a hamstring floss. One leg foot is going to be down the other leg we’re going to bring in, we’re going to bring that knee kind of close to the armpit again, flex that foot, extend the leg, and release. And you can get it as straight as you can. One leg might not come straight. This is my tighter side for my tight hamstring. And then the neck side you bring that knee in, extend and release, and again five or six times on each side. And that should definitely provide some relief to the lower back. These can be done morning and night or just once a day, whatever you think you need, and hopefully the lower back will be feeling better in no time,” said Craig.

This is your weekly Healthwatch be sure to check in here next week for more health tips.

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