The 10 Best Morning Stretches For Better Days

Mornings matter. Good ones set us up for a healthy, happy and productive day.

There’s all kinds of ways to make your mornings better—getting enough sleep, keeping a good schedule, and drinking water before coffee to name a few... 

But one of the most important ways to improve your morning routine is also one of the easiest ways to add fitness and movement to your lifestyle: Stretching.

To help you get started with your daily stretching routine, here’s 10 of the best morning stretches to kick your day off right.

Why is a morning stretch routine important?

If you’ve been laying in bed for 7-8 hours, your body and muscles can get tight. 

All your muscles and bones are held together by fascia. Fascia is like a mucous membrane: when it’s cold it gets stiffer and shorter, but when you warm it up it becomes more viscous. 

Warmed up fascia is what allows us to feel more flexible and less stiff. And it’s also why it’s important to start slow with morning stretches before moving on to your daily workout routine.

A morning stretch routine can also help you feel more alert and awake, ease indigestion and bloating, and even improve your mood by bringing more oxygen to your muscles and brain!

The 10 best morning stretches to start your day right

1. Child’s pose

Child’s pose is a restful stretch that slowly and gently wakes up your body in the morning.

• Start on your knees
• Sit back onto your heels and stretch your torso forwards over your thighs
• Reach in front of you with your hands as you sink into the stretch 
• Open your knees wider or keep them narrow to find your desired stretch
• Take 3-5 deep breaths in this pose 
  

This pose is great to open your back, pelvis, and release your hips as you start your day.

Try this stretch to lengthen your glutes, piriformis, and lower back muscles.

2. Spine twist

Spinal rotation stretches are wonderful for your digestive system. Waking up your digestive system with a nice massaging spinal twist can help you feel more energized in the morning.

• Start by laying on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor 
• Bring your knees into your chest 
• Slowly let your knees fall to the left and turn your head to the right
• You can hold onto your knees with your left arm or extended them in a T shape 
• Press your arms into the floor to help open your chest
• Keep your spine long and take 3-5 deep breaths to relax into the stretch
• Repeat on the other side
  

This stretch is a great way to release tension in your lower back, shoulders and chest. It also gently massages your internal organs as you wake up. 

Spine twists can be intense, so make sure you take it slow and stop if you’re feeling any pain or discomfort.
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3. Downward dog

This classic yoga pose is a great way to get your body moving in the morning.

• Start in a plank position
• Hinge your hips and press your chest back
• Keep your spine long, your shoulders wide, and your lower ribs connected
• You can walk your feet and alternate bending and stretching your legs to ease into the stretch
• If your hamstrings are tight, use a rolled up towel or pillow to elevate your heels and help you keep your knees extended
  

Downward facing dog stretches your hamstrings, glutes, and shoulders. It is a great way to wake up the whole body and warm-up your muscles for the day ahead.

4. Figure four stretch

This is a classic stretch that wakes up your glutes and hips.

• Start by laying on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor
• Cross your right ankle over your left knee 
• Keep the right knee pressing away from your body 
• To intensify the stretch you can take hold of the left thigh with your hands
• Keep your bum on the floor and reach your sitting bones and tailbone away towards the end of your mat
• Make sure your shoulders and neck are relaxed on the floor. If you feel tension, use a yoga strap, scarf, or towel to hold onto your leg
• For an added hamstring stretch, lengthen your left leg
• For a deeper stretch, try pushing the right knee away from you and engaging your glutes on the inhale 
• Exhale and relax into the stretch. This will help you get a deeper stretch
• Repeat on the other leg
  

This stretch is great for your deep rotators and glutes.

Remember to take it slow and stop any stretches that are causing you pain or discomfort.

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5. Foot and toe splits

Your feet contain a large amount of bones and muscles that are easy to forget about. So foot and toe splits in the morning are important.

• Start in a seated position either in a chair, on your bed, or seated on the floor
• Cross one foot over your knee
• Use your hands to hold onto your first and second toe
• Slowly split your toes by bringing the first toe up towards your ankle and the second toe down towards the sole of your foot 
• Switch, bringing the big toe down and the second toe up
• Finally, split your toes in a V shape away from one another 
• Move down your foot until you’ve done all your toes
• Repeat on your other foot
  

Stretching your feet can improve your balance, release hip and back tension, and help you engage large muscle groups in your legs like your quads, hamstrings, and glutes.

6. Arm and ankle circles

Mobilizing your joints is a helpful way to warm up your body for the day. And arm and ankle circles focus on some of the joints we use the most.

Ankle circles: 

• Start lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor
• Raise your right leg up and circle your ankle 5-10 times in one direction
• Repeat the circles in the other direction
• Repeat with your other ankle
  

You can also do this with both legs at the same time. This variation will require more core strength, so if your lower back arches, stick with doing one leg at a time.

Arm circles:

• Start lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor
• Raise your arms towards the ceiling
• Start by bringing your arms down by your sides and then out to a T and overhead
• Inhale when you bring your arms overhead
• Exhale as you bring your arms down by your sides
• Do about 5-10 circles in each direction
• Repeat the circles in the other direction
  

Arm circles mobilize your shoulders and upper back. They can help you assess any areas that might be tight.

Use these stretches before doing push-ups or squats to help reduce the risk of injury.

7. Cat to cow

Cat to cow is a nice flowy stretch for engaging your back muscles and opening your chest and shoulders.

For the cat stretch: 

• Start by kneeling on all fours with your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders 
• Exhale while pressing your hands into the floor, bringing your belly button towards your spine, and rounding your back
• Look towards your belly button 
• Keep your spine long and try to lengthen the back of your neck instead of letting your head drop. 
• Curl your lower back just as much as your upper back. 
  

Flow out of cat right into the cow stretch.

For the cow stretch: 

• Inhale and lengthen your spine
• Pull your hands back, open your chest and lightly arch your back
• Keep your lower abdominals connected and make sure not to overarch your lower back 
  

Alternate between cat and cow pose. Exhale on your cat stretch and inhale on the cow stretch to accentuate the chest expansion as your spine arches.

This stretch is a great way to mobilize your spine and engage your back, chest and abdominal muscles in the morning.

8. One-legged downward dog

This yoga stretch is a more advanced way to open your hips and is a great way to warm up your body in the morning.

• Start on the floor with your hands underneath your shoulders 
• Extend your legs back so you’re in a plank position
• Hinge your hips back, pressing your chest towards your legs
• Keep your neck long and your ears in line with your biceps or upper arms
• Keep your spine long and your shoulders engaged by pressing your hands actively into the floor
• Lift one leg towards the ceiling
• You can bend the knee and open your hips 
• Make sure you engage your core and shoulders to help open the hips
• Take 2-5 deep breaths in this position
• Lower your leg and repeat on the other side
  

This is a great active stretch for waking up the body in the morning. It’s also a great way to open your hips that might be tight after a long night’s rest.

9. Forward fold

This stretch decompresses your spine and uses gravity to lengthen your back.

• Start in a standing position
• Slowly roll forwards and tuck your chin into your throat
• Continue your roll through your upper back, followed by your rib cage, until you feel a stretch in your back
• Pause and take 3-5 slow, deep breaths during any section of your roll down if you feel tightness
• Take your time and keep breathing
• Keep your chin tucked and look towards your navel.
• If you feel a lot of tension in your hamstrings, bend your knees slightly 
• You can place your hands around your knees, hugging your chest in towards your thighs
• Stay in your forward fold for 3 to 5 breaths before rolling back to standing
  

If you feel any kind of discomfort or light headedness stop the stretch.

The forward fold aims to lengthen the back of your body including your spine, lower back, neck, hamstrings and glute muscles. 

This stretch is a great way to release tension in your back, open the lungs, and relieve abdominal tension. 

10. Upward dog or cobra

Upward dog and cobra work to open the chest that can sometimes feel closed or stiff in the morning.

Cobra stretch:

• Start on the floor laying on your belly
• Place your hands on the floor next to your shoulders so your elbows are near your rib cage
• Inhale and lengthen your spine
• Exhale and engage your core, pretend you’re trying to rolling a marble away with your nose 
• Start to arch your upper back 
• Make sure you lift your lower abs and keep your tailbone reaching away to protect your lower back
• Keep your neck long and your eyes looking in front of you and slightly up
• Inhale to open the chest in the pose
• Stay for one or two breaths
  

Start with the cobra stretch to ease your spine into extension before moving on to upward dog. 

Upward dog stretch:

• Start laying on your belly on the floor 
• Place your hands on the floor by your shoulders and your elbows near your rib cage
• Inhale and lengthen your spine
• Exhale and engage your core
• Engage your legs into the floor and press up with engaged abs
• Keep your toes pointed
• Inhale to open the chest
• Distribute your weight evenly between the arches of your feet and your hands.
• Actively press your hands into the floor and lift your spine by using your lower abs and glutes
• Keep your neck long and your eyes looking in front of you and slightly up
• Hold for one or two breaths
• If you feel this in your lower back, repeat the cobra stretch again until you’re warmed up
  

Upward dog stretch is an active way to work your back and open the chest, abdominal muscles, and hip flexor muscles. 

These stretches are great for relieving bloating and indigestion.

Let's get flexible!

Whether you’re stretching before a morning workout, or warming up just after you wake, morning stretches are a healthy way to get your day started.

No matter what stretches you’re doing, don’t forget to breathe! Stretching can feel very intense sometimes, so take your time and listen to your body.

Enjoy the feeling of an engaged and alert body by adding these morning stretches to your daily fitness routine.