I hope that life has been treating you right and that your May is off to an awesome start.
We've been busy around here with Gabe's retirement ceremony, a whole bunch of track meets and soccer games, end-of-the-year evening activities starting to take place, a wisdom tooth surgery, with prepping for our big move thrown in the mix for good measure.
I know I'm not alone in having a spring that's full of intensity and activity, and I'm betting that I have plenty of company when I say that it's kind of exhausting.
And stressful, too, not gonna lie.
This time of year reminds me of the lead up to Christmas--but without the promise of the holiday break on the other side of all the hustle. Holy Moly.
Truth be told, I handle stress really well--until I don't.
"I've got this!" has been my mantra for a while, but my neck is telling me otherwise these days....
Like so many other women, I tend to carry my stress in my upper back and neck, the kind where your shoulders start to creep up into your ears and then get stuck there. Ouch!
So today's moves are a small collection of stress-relieving, neck and upper back loosening movements that also encourage more restorative belly breathing patterns to help you deal with stress and ward off any potential aches and pains that might accompany hectic times of year like this one!
These moves can be done on their own as needed anytime, AND I've been slipping them into my warm ups, too for good measure lately.
- 3-Way Neck Mobilizations: This one is a gem. Make sure to give it a shot.
- "Cheerleaders" with a theraband: wake up those upper and mid back muscles to pull those shoulders back into place more easily.
- Simple Mobility Flow/Warm Up: You'll be breathing easier, and be feeling looser and more energized after this 5 min sequence. Alone or before a workout, it's a long-time fan fave.
- For the 'whole shoulder shebang' try these 6 drills from my "Un-Round Your Shoulders"video:
- Last but not least, recommended by my chiro last week: breathe out that unwanted tension with this belly breathing drill--do it as often as needed!
Even if stress and neck and shoulder stiffness aren't something you have to worry about (you lucky duck), these are all awesome movements to help you move, perform and just plain feel better, so make sure to bookmark them and work them into your own workouts or daily routines.
=> Make sure to share them with any friends who might need them, too!
And, as always, if you have any questions at all, just send me a message at [email protected] and I'll get back to you ASAP.
And to get more info, workouts and helpful strategies like this delivered to your inbox every week, join my inner circle using this link and get the good stuff first!