Stretch for Flexibility

For the arms:(1) Hook you fingers to the back of a door jam and lean forward. Hold for 30 seconds. Relax. Repeat. (2) Interlace your fingers, palms up and reach for the ceiling. Hold thirty seconds. Relax. Repeat. (3)Bend your left arm behind your head. Grab the elbow with the right hand and push down. Repeat on the other side.

Fingers. Hold your fingers wide apart and stretch. Holding the spread, bend them in, making a claw. Flex back and forth. Relax. Repeat.

Chest and back muscles. Stand up straight. Cross your arms in front of you, bending at the elbows Put your hands on your back behind the shoulders and hug yourself tightly until you feel the tension in the back muscles.

Now, keeping the arms parellel to the floor, bring your elbows back and try to touch them in back, fists at your side under your arm pits. You should feel it in the chest and back.

Waist. Bend forward at the waist, hands on hips, back straight, feet wide apart. Staying bent, slowly rotate upper body to the left. Feel the pull of the muscles on the right. Hold. Rotate back, feeling the pull in the abdomen. Hold. Rotate left. Feel the pull on the left side. Do one more time in the opposite direction.

Buttocks and legs. (1) Bend over at the waist, knees locked, feet shoulder width apart. Try to touch your toes. Keep stretching further and further toward the toes. At first you may not be able to get close to the toes, but as you increase in flexibility, you will eventually be able to put your palms flat on the floor. Bend your knees and slowly roll to a standing position.

(2) Flex the hamstring muscle in the back of the leg. It can be done several ways. Sit on the floor; legs stretched out as far as you can, grab your toes and pull them back toward the body.

Alternately, put the left heel on a hip-high or waist-high object, bend forward slightly at the hips and point the toes back toward your body. Hold 30 seconds. Repeat with the right leg.

(3) Elongate the front thigh muscle. Hold onto the back of a chair with your right hand. With your left hand, grab your left ankle and pull toward the buttock. Hold 30 seconds. Relax. Repeat. Then repeat with the right leg.

(4) Stretch the inside thigh muscle. Holding onto a chair. Make a wide step to the left side, as far as you can step. Bend the right knee and shift the body over the right knee. Move the body as far to the right as you can, keeping the back perpendicular feeling the stretch to the inner thigh. Repeat with the other leg.

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