Stretch It

This post is dedicated to all on the East Coast. After getting hammered this Winter, I want to give you kudos for all the shoveling you're likely doing. You're burning tons of calories digging out your car and cleaning up the sidewalks. This practical workout will tone your core and buff up your upper body, but all that bending and lifting heavy loads of the white stuff can really do a number on your back. Take a break to relieve your sore low back and tight hamstrings by giving these two stretches a try to relieve your sore lower back and hamstrings. If you don't live in a Winter wonderland, these stretches provide sweet relief when sweeping and mopping.

Here's how to do the first forward bend stretch.

• Stand with the shovel in front of you, holding the handle with both hands.
• Begin to walk your feet back, lowering your chest, and stopping once your feet are underneath your hips.
• Relax your head and draw your shoulders away from your ears. Stay here for at least 30 seconds, breathing deeply and allowing your lower back to release.

For another stretch you can do right after this one to deepen the stretch in your lower back and target your hamstrings, keep reading

This stretch may look familiar if you've taken a yoga class. It's the prep pose you learn before doing Wheel pose. Also called Half Wheel, this stretch will increase flexibility in your spine and also stretch out your shoulders and the back of your neck. Because it doesn't require a lot of energy, it has both a calming and energetic effect on the body and mind.

• Begin lying flat on your back with your arms along the sides of your body, with your palms facing down.
• Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor. Walk your heels as close as you can to your bum, keeping them hip-width apart. Make sure both feet are parallel.
• With your palms and feet pressing firmly into the ground, lift your hips off the floor.
• Stay here, or clasp your hands together below your pelvis, extending through your arms. I like to rock my weight from side to side so that I can bring my shoulder blades closer together.
• Stay here for 30 seconds. Try to keep lifting the hips up as high as you can, and gaze toward your belly.
• To release this stretch, gently lower your booty back to the ground. Then stretch through your lower back by hugging your knees into your chest.

This position feels great if you have been slumped over a steering wheel or a keyboard for hours. Try it and tell me how you feel.

Hands down, this is one of my favorite stretches to do on an exercise ball. It feels good on your back, but also gives your abs, chest, and shoulders a wonderful stretch. It's the type of stretch you do and immediately say, "ahhh."

• Sit on an exercise ball, lean back, and walk your feet out so the ball is now underneath your spine. Keep your knees bent and your feet hip distance apart for stability.
• Slowly walk your feet away from you to straighten your legs.
• Extend your arms overhead to increase the stretch.
• Stay here for 30 seconds, breathing deeply as you lengthen through the spine.
• To release, walk your feet in and sit up.

I try to do this stretch after spin class or long bike rides. It's a great antidote for hunching over handlebars or a keyboard.

Your bed is not just for sleeping! It's great for stretching too. Some days the floor just seem too far away, so I use the edge of my bed to prop me up for Pigeon pose. It's a great stretch for the hips — perfect after a run or a ride.

For the finer details of the pose keep reading

This woman may look like she's relaxing by the lake, soaking in the warm sun, but she's actually getting an amazing stretch in her chest, shoulders, and abs. This is the perfect stretch to do if you've been sitting hunched over a computer or steering wheel all day. It also feels great the day after doing tons of push-ups.

For details on how to do this stretch, read more

All you runners and bikers out there, I feel your pain. Our quads can become so tight and sore that we crave a good stretch for the front of our thighs. Kneeling Shin Stretch feels good, but if that's too easy for you, take it to the floor. This makes the stretch intense, but also relaxing.

To hear how to do this stretch read more

I love my personal trainer, and boy does she love push-ups! We did tons of variations yesterday including Diamond Push-Ups, and now my pecs and the front of my shoulders are so unbelievably sore. She thought they might be, so before I left, she showed me this stretch to do that perfectly targets the front of my upper torso.

To learn how to do this simple stretch that feels so good read more

Blue skies and a warm breeze totally motivate me to exercise outdoors, so I've been doing lots of running, biking, and hiking. My muscles are becoming stronger, but they're also getting tighter, especially my hips. If you're in need of a good hip stretch, give this Pigeon variation a try. Bending your bottom knee next to your thigh intensifies this stretch so you also feel it in your quad, shin, and the top of your foot.

To learn an easier modification, read more

Post-workout, the two most common stretches seem to be the standing quad stretch and just about any hamstring stretch, and they are usually done in that order. But if you tend to cramp in the backs of your legs, I highly suggest switching it up. Since the quads, on the front of the thigh, and the hamstrings, on the back, are antagonist, one tends to engage as the other stretches. If you have really tight hamstrings, pulling your heel to your booty to stretch your quad can engage muscles on the back of the thigh, making it cramp unpleasantly. Before you stretch your quads, lengthen the back of your legs first with one of these easy hamstring stretches. Once you have stretched your hamstrings, then move on to stretch the front of your legs.

I've been exploring new trails in the woods near my house for hiking and running, and man, are my hamstrings sore from all those steep hills. If the backs of your legs could use a good stretch, try this one that will effectively target that area and challenge your core a bit as you balance during the stretch.

To learn how to do this stretch and to also see a more relaxing variation, read more