good morning stretch
Originally uploaded by AraiGodai

There are few things more difficult in our day to day than crawling out from under a warm doona on a cold morning. Even without the cold morning, waking up can be a chore, right? The alarm has sounded and snooze has been hit (maybe a few more times then we'd like to admit) and it is well and truly time to drag our bodies up & into the real world.

Because waking up to the sound of an alarm is a rather sudden & harsh way to awaken and because too, the few extra minutes of shut eye we awarded ourselves by hitting the snooze button have done nothing if not made us even more reluctant to rise, it's important to find a way to ease ourselves gently into the new day. We want to start our day right, with enthusiasm & energy, which is far easier said then done. One way that can assist in rousing us & giving us that extra oomph we need is to stretch, in a similar way to that which you would practise before a work at at the gym. So, tomorrow morning, before falling out of bed & into the shower, try these simple stretches to give your body and mind a little bit of a gentle kick start.

1. Roll onto your back & open your eyes, nice & wide, blink it out!
2. Raise your arms above you head, stretching and reaching out with your fingers as far as they will go. As you do this, reach out with your legs too, stretching out all the way down your leg and pointing your toes.
3. Squeeze the muscles in your buttocks & abdomen and raise them up towards the ceiling, arching your back and pushing your shoulder blades down into the mattress.
4. Now slowly curl your body up into a ball, raising your knees to your chest and wrapping your arms around them.
5. Repeat the first three steps, stretching out to elongate your body as much as you can. Now it's time to get up & out of bed.
6. Once you're out of bed, stand up as tall as you can and reach your fingertips towards the ceiling. Slowly bend over, taking your hands all the way down to the floor, touch your toes if you can.

Extra Pointers
Have a cd player within reach with your favourite get up & go track ready to play at the touch of a button. Stretch your body out & hit play - get up go about your routine with a bit more energy. Spice Girls tracks work well here, think Spice Up Ya Life & Wannabe.

Have your outfit laid out & ready to go: the less to think about once you're up & out of bed the better. Have some cute accessories or shoes to get you excited about your daily outfit. Make your outfit worth getting out of bed for! Tie a bow in your hair or wear heels & cute stockings.

Change your alarm to something new: the radio, or a song you enjoy - beeeeep beep beep can be a painful thing to hear first thing in the morning.

Hang your favourite affirmations above your bed: on the ceiling or wall or in a frame on your bedside table. As your stretching out, use them as a focal point to start your day in the right frame of mind. No matter how hectic or stressful your day is set to be, starting it with a positive thought can help you move towards a greater outcome. Change the affirmation regularly to give yourself something new to ponder.


How do you kick start your morning?