The pandemic made me feel more welcome in the fitness world
As an obese Black woman, I have waged my personal “battle of the bulge” for years.
The struggle was never more real than when the pandemic shut the world down last year.
If my social butterfly self had to stay in the house, I was absolutely going to enjoy some snacks, plenty of restaurant food delivery and anything else I darn well pleased. Enjoy I did until a major bout of acid reflux put a halt to my fried fish taco frolicking and nacho chip dreams.
Suddenly I was having to restrict my diet severely to not feel so crappy. Couple that with increased dog walks for our pooch just to get out the house and lo and behold, the weight started coming off.
The pandemic made me feel more welcome in the fitness world kvia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kvia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A perfect time for stretching is before bedtime as you wind down from the grind of the day.
“There are a plethora of reasons why stretching before bedtime is beneficial for your body,” says Dr. Gbolahan Okubadejo, a NYC-area spinal and orthopedic surgeon. “Stretching before bed allows you to relax your muscles and relieve tension that may have built up throughout the day. It can also help prevent any muscle cramps within the night and ensure that you do not wake up feeling stiff and achy.”
Stretching every night can also help make sure the body’s muscles stay nimble and flexible with age. If you’re looking to incorporate bedtime stretching into your nighttime routine, here are some relaxing stretches to try tonight.
Kathryn Wirsing
If you spend a lot of time sitting (I m talking to you, fellow desk-job-workers), your hips have probably let you know that they re not happy about it. In fact, I don t know too many people who couldn t benefit from doing hip stretches on the regular.
Though you might specifically be thinking about your hip flexors when you complain about tight or cranky hips, they re not the only muscle around that joint that needs
some love. In fact, your glutes, which help extend your hips, are also an important part of the equation here, says
You see, the more time you spend sitting, the tighter your hip flexors get. Meanwhile, your glutes become less and less able to fire up properly. It s a recipe for a whole lotta discomfort, Mufdi explains. You might experience lower back and knee pain, since both of these areas compensate for dysfunction and weakness in the hips.