Good Morning (Startup Stretches)

Here's a good way to start the day. While your computer is warming up, do these stretches to loosen up and to get ready to work. Turn on your body, while you're turning on your computer.

• Relax
• Focus on muscles being stretched.

• Interlace your fingers, then straighten your arms out in front of you
• Palms should be facing away from you
• Feel the stretch in your arms and through the upper part fo your back shoulder blades
• Hold stretch 10 seconds - do 2 times

• Raise the top of your shoulders toward your ears until you feel a slight tension in your neck and shoulders
• Hold for 3 seconds, then relax your shoulders downward into normal position
• Think: "shoulders hang, shoulders down"
• Repeat 2 times

• Sit or stand with your arms hanging loosely at your sides
• Turn your head to one side, then to the other
• Hold 5 seconds each side

• Raise your eyebrows and open your eyes wide
• At the same time, open your mouth to stretch your facial muscles
• Hold 5 seconds

• Interlace your fingers, then turn your palms upward above your head as you straighten your arms
• Think of elongating your arms as you feel a stretch through your arms and upper sides of your rib cage
• Hold 10-15 seconds
• Excellent for slumping shoulders
• Breathe deeply

• Shake your arms and hands at your sides
• Keep your jaw relaxed and let shoulders hang downward as you shake out the tension