Overwhelming daily routine, unending to-do lists, driving up and down, online working make less and less possible daytime workouts. Exercising has become a desire of millions of people who cannot find time in their busy daily activities to dedicate to it. Nevertheless, workout is essential for health and a good metabolism.
A 10-minute workout before bed can torch calories and help you rest during the night. It is a good way to improve your metabolism and reduce stress.
There are contradictory ideas about what exercises to choose for a before bedtime workout. Studies have shown that easy and not abusive exercises can calm you down after a hard workday and help to achieve a good sleep. Here are some easy efficient workouts before you go to sleep.
Chapter Overview
1. Figure-4 stretch
- Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor crossing your right ankle over your left knee and keep your right foot flexed.
- Bring your left knee toward your chest and reach your right hand through your legs.
- With your arms, pull your left knee toward your chest.
- Hold there for at least five breaths
- Repeat on your left side.
2. Lunge Jump
- Stand with feet hips-distance apart.
- Bringing one foot forward, bend at the knee, lowering until the opposite knee hovers slightly above the ground.
- Using your arms to gain momentum, jump up into the air and switch legs before landing.
- As you land, your opposite leg should be in front.
3. Stationary Lunge
- Stand straight with arms on your sides parallel to the shoulders.
- Keeping the back straight, bring your tight leg forward and bend at the knee.
- The target is to have the knees and toes parallel.
- Hold the position for 5 seconds and slowly stand back straight, bringing the legs back together.
- repeat at least 10 times on each leg.
After having done these easy and short exercises reset with a 5-minute yoga sequence. Mindful movement and steady breath are the key points of this sequence.
Some examples of yoga sequence are:
1. Knee to Shoulder Pose
- Hug the knee into your chest, soften the front of the hips, and send your elbows toward the ground.
- Think of sinking the back of your neck and the back of your shoulders into the mat.
- Stretch the straight leg down.
- If your calf doesn’t touch the ground, flex your foot firmly.
2. Bridge Pose
Bridge pose can be energizing and restorative. Steps to follow are:
- Lie on the floor
- Bend your knees and set your feet on the floor, heels as close to the sitting bones as possible.
- Exhale and, pressing your inner feet and arms actively into the floor, push your tailbone upward toward the pubis, firming (but not hardening) the buttocks, and lift the buttocks off the floor.
- Lift your buttocks until the thighs are parallel to the floor. Keep your knees directly over the heels pushing them forward, lengthen the tailbone toward the backs of the knees.
- Lift the pubis toward the navel.
- Lift the chin and lift the shoulder blades towards your back, press the top of the sternum toward the chin.
- Stay in that pose for about at least 30 seconds.
There is a fallacy about the negative effect of workout before bedtime. It has always been thought that workout before sleep will alter the rest. It can be true if we consider an intense exercise before sleep. The advice is to do a moderate and not intensive workout. Complete this sequence 1 hour before your bedtime and it will not alter your sleep.