Gentle(st) stretching routine

I need to find a good stretching routine, preferably in bed (sitting is fine). Most of what I find is way out of my reach, but if I try to narrow down to things I can do, I mostly find what looks like random "wellness" sources and I'd rather have something that wasn't just made up by some rando. I'm sure most mean well but, uh, no.

Just having a resource I can peruse would be great, but I don't even know what to search for, how to call it. Best I can come up with is something like "bed yoga" but, again, random wellness sources that I don't trust.

Even the gentle stuff for seniors is way too much, it's generally standing up and uses way too much, uh, orthostatic tension? I guess? Even looking at things like stretching straps, I don't even have the strength in my arms to make it worth it, so much of it is focused on strengthening muscles.

On a related note, it's a real challenge finding a vibrating massager. I have a percussion massager but it's not what I need. Suggestions welcome. Corded OK, wieldy/small preferred. Even better if there's a common term for a vibrator massager that isn't meant to be a sex toy. Or a brand that makes such things.

 

In my opinion a good approach is to try different things and create your own routine based on what feels good for you. If it makes you feel good, then you will want to do it regularly and as we all know the challenge is often sticking to these sorts of plans. So the goal should really be to feel good and cultivate a habit. Setting the usual goals does not seem to work for me because it changes the mindset in a way that tends to lead to overdoing things. That feels bad and it's hard to continue doing things that feel bad. Once you have a habit going you can more easily modify the routine in whatever way makes sense.

Maybe this is something everyone knows already but I learned this late.

 

Is there any possibility of your being able to hire someone to come out to you & develop a customised/personalised routine? That's what i did & it was helpful. Actually i did it twice.... Once with a 'yoga & body work therapist' & then more recently with a local osteopath.

I had conversation with them on the phone & established that i wasnt interested in strengthening, or in yoga as a 'treatment' for ME, that i just wanted help to design some stretches that would be effective but within my limitations & all lying down.

I spoke with a few before i found one with the right attitude... lol you can imagine the nonsense.

 

There might be some useful ideas in this file also.

 

I found this video from doing a youtube search. It has stretching you can do lying down. Maybe you'd find some of the stretches helpful and not too exerting.

The woman's a little annoying, but I do like how she keeps reminding you to relax your muscles as you stretch them so you'll get a better stretch with less discomfort. I tend to hold on to muscle tension, so I find reminders like this helpful. I'll forgive her for saying laying down instead of lying down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_uXKQBoMis

 

Wish I could stretch my mind over the use of "laying down" instead of "lying down."

I will go and lay myself on a platter, or something.

 

I'm not sure it really needs to be a scientific routine. I just stretch whatever bits feels as if they need to be stretched at the time! These are some of the ones I do, which are based on what I used to teach beginners as the initial stages of a contemporary dance warm-up:

• arching my spine and stretching my shoulders and biceps by hugging my knees;
• moving my back and hips laterally in a "tail wagging" motion whilst lying supine;
• rotating my hips and shoulders;
• stretching my hamstrings a bit by pushing into the heel;
• stretching my quads by bringing my foot up towards my bottom;
• releasing my neck with gentle head rolls;
• rotating my ankles and pointing and flexing my feet.

That's much of the body covered, most of it can be done lying down, and it doesn't all need doing at the same time. I only usually do a couple of things at once, because even minimal stretching like this is quite tiring.

 

"Lay, lady, lay Lay across my big brass bed" Bob Dylan

 

Anything that increases circulation and microcirculation helps me when I'm unable to stand or walk for weeks/months.

A dry body brush to increase microcirculation if you're able or have the strength to brush. I feel as though I went for a 15 minute brisk walk after brushing for 5 minutes. No more stiffness.

Magic back stretcher to lie on to open up my shoulders/chest to increase circulation and breathe better.

 

That's pretty much what I'm trying to do. I'm very good at adopting good routines. I just have no ability to visualize and very little imagination anymore, so the only way I can do this is selecting from options. I can do that fine, I just can't come up with it on my own since all I know is sport stretching, way too rough.

So I need a good resource with options to select from and I'm good, but I'm not good at searching for stuff anymore so I got stuck. Anything is fine as long as it's legit and based on anatomy, not from wellness influencers.

 

Having some help would be the best option for me, but it would have to be a regular thing. The type of stretching where therapists use their mass and strength, doing all the work. If I were rich that would be my option. And massages. And other help.

But I have to make do with my lack of strength, and the routine should be simple enough if I can find a resource to guide me.

 

That's what I'm asking here Well, mostly. The title may be a bit off, I'm not looking at a complete routine, so much as a resource to do my own.

It's just that everything I found so far is either too hard for me, or has a wellness influencer vibe that I'm not sure about. I was hoping there is some resource out there aimed at us but haven't found any. Which is really damning given all the fluff about "self-management". It's very hard to actually self-manage without good resources.

 

Ok good start! Thanks.

 

Yes! Excellent. Thank you.

 

Great, I'll give it a watch. This is actually mainly the reason I'm looking for this, I really messed my legs a few days ago by doing stretches that tensed my leg muscles too hard. It was really good for my back but my legs got so bad I was afraid I had screwed myself into way lower disability. Fortunately with more rest than usual it should be fine, but that much pain out of so little is just absurd. The margin for error is ridiculous.

 

Yeah I'll probably add in some recumbent biking with no resistance once my jelly legs are improved, just for circulation. I bought a massager gentle enough for the scalp, should be good for around bony areas, which at this point is mostly everywhere. Stuff I couldn't do with a percussion massager.

Is the magic back stretcher good? Looks perfect for me, in that I'm trying to use gravity as much as possible to apply the force. Comments look good. Price seems only OK if not gimmicky but this looks good to me.

Since I mentioned vibrating massagers, after some searching around I went with:

Handheld Head Massager – Electric Scalp Massager for Self-Care or Headaches

Waterproof Electric Vibrating Massage Ball 3-Speed Rechargeable (gonna try using my weight on a yoga mat with this one)

Shiatsu Neck and Back Massager

I really neglected this area so far. I never really adapted to this being permanent, and it's caused me a lot of harm. Well, no more.

 

There are several different models since I bought mine 13 years ago. This is the one I use which is smoother on top and doesn't have huge nodules sticking out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mdb09WsOjM

The stretcher has 3 levels but I only set mine at the lowest level, there is no need to push yourself. I start with my knees bent and slowly lay them flat on the floor. I start with my arms placed at my side, then I spread my arms out away from my side, and when I feel more comfortable, I place my arms over my head. This really gets the blood flowing. Start slow and build to 5 minutes a day if you can.

Here is a video on how you should use the stretcher properly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRaV48qgA3M