Warm up for the day

It's first thing in the morning and you are about to begin your day, do you realize that this is the most important part of your day? How you start your day is directly related to how your day goes. So let's just look at this from the perspective of preparing your body for all the physical challenges of the day, like walking, standing, sitting, typing, bending, lifting and so on. You should take your time getting up, and check all your systems, like a pre flight checklist is to a pilot. Start with your thoughts, which are the most important, followed by each of your movable limbs. Warm up these areas by stretching. First the neck, you know you have been lying on a pillow for hours and even though you may think you are totally relaxed, your body, which knows best, knows it has been contracting certain muscles to maintain your position the entire time. So start out by gently stretching your neck by dropping your chin and rocking your head from side to side. Pay careful attention to only rock from side to side, because by bringing your chin up and putting your head back you are actually compressing the vertebrae in your neck, when what you really want to do is to create space in the vertebrae. So gently rocking your head from side to side for about 30 seconds should make you feel better. Then move on to your shoulders, doing small easy arm circles forward and backward. 5 to 10 in each direction and you should start to feel your body getting warmer. Next your forearms, gently pull your fingers back towards your body while your palms are faced down. Do this for a few seconds with each hand. Next your fingers, stretch your fingers out as far as you can, directly followed by making a fist. This should take a few seconds and then repeat this a few times. If you hear a popping sound, it is normal; it is your body making adjustments to being in a normal state after lying still for so long. While sitting on the bed rotate your hips in circles, both directions. This is very important as you will be standing and sitting on your pelvis (hips) the entire time you are up, until you lay down again for the night. Do this a few times in each direction. While you are still sitting, extend your legs so they are parallel with the floor, while keeping your bottom on the bed. Do this a few times with both legs either one at a time or together. Follow that with extending your toes much like you did with your hands, then curling them, much like you making a fist with your feet, do this a few times with each foot.

When all these are done, and they should only take you a few minutes, stand on your feet, stretch towards the ceiling, take in as much oxygen as you can, then make your way to the bathroom. By doing these warm up stretches you are telling your body it is time to go to work for you. You are also telling your body that your are giving it the best environment to work efficiently and effectively for you. By doing this first thing in the morning you have a much better chance of having a pleasant and productive day. Try this out for yourself, and see if in fact you do feel better. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me.

As always, stay positive, and control your thoughts, because your thoughts, become your reality.

Positive thoughts, create positive realities

Douglas Powell
Motivational Speaker