As an elite athlete, Tia-Clair Toomey [1] has won the CrossFit Games for her fourth year in a row, earning her the title of the "Fittest Woman on Earth [2]." In this video, she shares the importance of stretching every day for everyone, not only to prevent injury, but also to give us a little time for self-care.
Toomey reminded us not to overstretch and says in the video, "You never want to force these poses." As a yoga instructor, I tell my students that stretching should feel good, and it might feel a little intense, but you want to stretch to the point of feeling tension — never pain. Keep it simple and focus on the parts of your body that are sore. If you're new to stretching, challenge yourself to stretch a few times a week, even five minutes a day, and then build up to 10 to 15 minutes a day, five to seven days a week.
Stretching can help you focus on your breathing, and "to separate yourself from the rest of the world," so you can balance your mental health and have a good rest of the day! These are Toomey's five go-to stretches to target her hips, lower body, shoulders, and upper body (fast forward to 1:07 to see the stretches). The kneeling quad stretch is quite advanced, so I included a sixth stretch, the Low Crescent Lunge, if that one is too difficult.
Seated Straddle
Toomey said this stretch really hits her abductors and helps relieve lower-back pain or pressure. Hold for three to four minutes, taking your legs a little wider to go deeper as the minutes go on.
- Sit in a wide straddle.
- With straight legs and a straight back, slowly hinge at the hips, reaching out with the chest to prevent the spine from rounding.
- Rest your hands on your thighs or on the floor.
- Only fold as far as you can with straight legs. Hold here three to four minutes.
Head to Knee (Single-Leg Forward Fold)
This common runners stretch really hits the hamstrings and glutes, and helps prevent lower-back pain.
- Sit with both legs extended in front of you. Bend the right knee placing the sole of your right foot against your left inner thigh.
- Fold over your left leg. Rest your hands on the floor on either side of your leg or on your shin, or wrap your hands around your left foot.
- Breathe deeply, performing this stretch for three to four minutes on each side.
Low Crescent Lunge
Here's a stretch for tight hip flexors.
- Kneel on the floor and step your right leg behind you, coming into a low lunge with the right knee resting on the floor.
- Rest your hands on your hips or extend the arms up.
- Breathe here for three to four minutes, and then move on to the next pose to go deeper.
Kneeling Quad Stretch
This stretches both the hip flexor and the quad at the same time. It's a pretty advanced stretch, so if this is too difficult, stretch your quads doing this standing quad stretch instead. Or if this is too easy, do this kneeling hip flexor stretch against a wall.
- From Low Crescent Lunge, bend your right knee and use your right hand to pull the right foot in toward your right hip, holding the top of the foot with your right hand.
- Rest your left forearm on your left thigh. Or for a more advanced version, hold the right foot with the left hand and twist your torso to the left, resting your right elbow on the floor next to your left foot.
- After three to four minutes release and come into a Low Crescent Lunge on the left side. Perform that stretch and this kneeling quad stretch, holding each for three to four minutes.
Seated Shoulder Stretch
Here's a stretch to open the upper body, chest, and arms. Breathe into it and hold it for three to four minutes, trying to get a little deeper as the minutes go on.
- Sit on the floor with both knees bent and your heels planted, or extend your legs straight out in front of you.
- Place your palms behind your hips with your fingers pointing away from your body.
- Walk your hands behind you as far as you can, with the pinkies as close as possible.
- Breathe here for three to four minutes, walking the hands away from you as your chest and shoulders begin to open up.
Chest-Opening Spinal Twist
This stretch is not only great for athletes, but for those of us hunched over computers, which causes tight shoulders and neck pain. This feels so good!
- Begin lying on your belly with your arms out wide, palms facing down and in line with the shoulders.
- Place your left palm underneath your left shoulder and push into the floor to roll onto the right side of the body.
- If it feels OK on your shoulder, turn this into a spinal twist by bending your left knee, and placing it on the floor behind you.
- Lean back into your left foot and right hand as much as you can, gently pressing your left hand into the floor for support.
- Breathe deeply for three to four minutes, then repeat on the other side.