Here’s a not-so-fun fact: you’ll suck at everything if you aren’t taking care of your body.
You might have gotten used to sucking at everything, and you might have developed some strategies to work around the sucking. But it doesn’t change the fact that there’s still a huge drain on your potential. You might be awesome already, but imagine how much better you’ll be doing when you don’t have to work around poor wellness.
Now, this is not a ~wellness~ blog. I eat Cheetos in bed a lot, so I can’t really take a position of authority on all that. But this isn’t a series on huge, drastic life changes. This is a series on taking ten minutes today, and thirty seconds every day after, to make your life better, big-picture. And as silly as it might sound, a little stretching, a little yoga, and a little backrub are going to do that for you.
Stretch Out
This is best done right when you wake up, and then periodically throughout the day. Now, when I wake up, I’m a sad, sleepy zombie and the last thing I want to do is move. But it definitely helps! Even if you wait until you’ve stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom to stretch, it’s a great way to make yourself feel more awake and, consequently, more prepared for your day.
Stretch throughout the day, especially if you work a desk job.
Take a few minutes to stretch out your arms, shoulders, hips, and legs throughout the day. If you’re about to get up and refill your water bottle/coffee cup, stretch a little before you stand. Heck, even make time for it right before or right after a bathroom break. Stretching is also a great way to give your brain a break if you’ve been stressing over a vague email or tough problem.
Strategies
- Add a reminder to stretch as the title of your alarm in the morning – the one you actually wake up to, not the early, aspirational ones
- Add a recurring reminder to stretch throughout the day, so you get a push notification on your phone. Try to schedule these for times you’ll be interruptable, so you don’t dismiss them “for later” and then forget.
- Make a note of which stretches feel best – it’ll help you remember where you’re carrying tension. Keep that note somewhere visible, and whenever you see it, remind yourself to relax those areas.
Yoga Isn’t Just for Classes
Seriously. I’ve found yoga useful for everything from stress, to overeating, to cramps. Integrating a little yoga into your life can be a huge boon. You don’t have to be uber-flexible for yoga to help, and it doesn’t require you to drink weird whole-veggie juices or listen to whale music. Just find a few poses that work for you and stick with them!
Maybe you’ll want to upgrade your morning stretch routine into a quick sun salutation. Perhaps a few poses as soon as you get home are a great way to de-stress from work. Or, yoga can become part of a soothing bedtime routine that helps you get to sleep that much faster. However you integrate yoga into your life, remember to not just make the pose, but to invest. Actually focus on your breathing. Keep your mind as clear as you’re able to. Even if you’re only doing yoga for 30 seconds a day, that’s 30 seconds of positivity and mindfulness to help keep you grounded. It’s better than nothing, and worth the (minimal!) effort.
Strategies
- Keep it simple. Just find a few poses that feel nice and do them. There’s no need for an elaborate routine if that’ll throw you off.
- If a pose is uncomfortable or stretches you too far, just modify it! This isn’t a class, and you don’t have to worry about keeping up your yogi cred with an instructor or intimidating classmate. It’s about feeling good in your body, and nothing else.
- Yoga isn’t just making a shape with your body and holding it for a bit. Really focus on your breathing and the stretch as you do each pose. Realistically, how often do you just take a quiet moment to focus on your body?
Self-Massage
Look, massaging your own shoulders never feels as good as when someone else does it. But it does feel better than no massage at all! Much like yoga, a little self-massage encourages you to take some time, pay attention to your body, and do something that feels nice.
Think about where you’re tense or carrying stress right now.
Your shoulders and neck are obvious choices for a quick 2 PM massage in your cubicle, but I’d encourage you to try other places, as well. I tend to carry tension in my jaw, which means jaw and scalp rubs feel amazing. I know tension can dig into your lower back, hips, and even hands and wrists. Massages can help with aches and pains from stress, poor posture, and old injuries, so try a few places to see what feels best.
Strategies
- Do a quick head-to-toe inventory. Do you feel tension in your head? Face? Neck? Shoulders? Back? Arms? Hands? Hips? Legs? Ankles? Feet?
- “Massage” doesn’t necessarily mean 15 minutes of deep-tissue kneading. Even a 15-second rub to the back of your neck can do a lot to unknot a tension headache and get you feeling better, making it the perfect pick-me-up between meetings.
- Pay attention to your posture throughout the day. If you find yourself slouching, straighten up – you’re just making youself sore and tense!
Final Notes
Be well! Take the best care of your body you can. If that means running ultra marathons, awesome. If it means eating a single vegetable and drinking a glass of water between your fifth and sixth cups of coffee – also awesome. Do what you can to make small improvements a habit.
Do Right Now:
- Change the title of your morning alarm to “REMEMBER TO STRETCH!” I mean your actual alarm, which you wake up to, not the aspirational ones you set for earlier in the morning, just in case you feel motivated.
- Schedule three reminders in your phone for tomorrow to stretch or give yourself a little massage during the day. Aim for times when you won’t be too busy, so you don’t think “I’ll do that later” and forget.
- Do a head-to-toe self-assessment real quick, to find out where you’re tense or carrying stress. Show yourself some love.
- Watch this “Desk Yoga” video for a few pose ideas, and give them a try:
I want to hear from you in the comments.
If you’ve completed everything on the do-right-now list, I want to hear from you in the comments! Part of the “magic” in this series is the connections we make from lifting each other up, so don’t be afraid to give your fellow readers a pat on the back! (It’s not weird, I promise.)
If you have an idea for 10 Minute Magic, tell me all about it! I write ahead, but I’m always willing to slip something special into the queue for you. If there’s something you’re struggling with, let me know, and don’t be surprised if it appears in a future 10MM post!
