A Quick, Energizing Stretch Routine to Do If Thanksgiving Dinner Wipes You Out
In theory, Thanksgiving should be a relaxing holiday: You enjoy a delicious meal and then watch football on the couch…. What’s more chill than that? But the truth is, it can be all types of exhausting. Whether you’re drained by travel stress, cooped up cooking in the kitchen, navigating tricky family dynamics, or simply wiped out from eating snacks on snacks, there’s a lot about the day that isn’t exactly calming.
So what can you do when your energy is flagging? We have an uncomplicated, impactful idea: A five-move stretch and gentle movement routine that can put a little pep back in your step. Created for SELF by Valerie Lucas, E-RYT 500, senior master trainer with YogaSix, this sequence is designed to boost your energy and ease bloating—while also helping your body let go of all that holiday tension.
“It’s a simple yet effective way to stay comfortable, calm, and connected,” Lucas says, so you can stay present with your family and friends during all the festivities.
It starts off with standing cat-cow, a variation of the classic yoga move that boosts blood flow throughout your body while alleviating tension in your back. Next is downward dog, which can combat the tightness in your spine, shoulders, and hamstrings that comes from lots of sitting. From there, you’ll get onto your back for dead bug, which technically isn’t a stretch, but is a gentle core exercise that can help invigorate you and possibly aid digestion. Then, you’ll stretch out your hip flexors (and fire up your sleepy butt) with a glute bridge—ideal if you’ve been chilling on the couch or sitting at the dinner table for hours on end. Finally, you’ll finish with figure four, a relaxing stretch that targets tightness in your lower back and glutes while also calming your mind.
This sequence doesn’t take much time—just 5 to 10 minutes—making it easy to slot into your Thanksgiving plans. Do it in the middle of the day when you feel your energy levels dipping or after the big meal as a way to get a second wind. If you’re doing it post-feast, Lucas advises waiting about 20 to 30 minutes for comfort. (Might we recommend fitting in a quick fart walk before to really get things moving?) Hell, you don’t even have to wait until you’re already feeling zonked to give it a try: Pencil it in before breakfast to set the tone for the day ahead,
If you want a little bit longer of a stretch, Lucas suggests doing more reps or extending the time you hold each move, rather than repeating the sequence multiple times. That’s because it’s designed to start out more invigorating and then become more relaxing toward the end, so doing several rounds of it from the top might negate the chill-out aspects, she explains.
Ready to unwind and loosen up this Thanksgiving? Here’s an awesome five-move stretch sequence that can tick both boxes!
The Workout
What you need: You may want a yoga mat for comfort, but otherwise all you need is your bodyweight! (And enough room where you can stretch out).
Exercises
- Standing Cat-Cow
- Downward Dog
- Dead Bug
- Glute Bridge
- Figure Four
Directions
Do the following moves in the order listed below. For each, follow the prescribed number of reps or hold for the duration of time listed.
Katie ThompsonStanding Cat-Cow
- Stand tall with feet hip-distance apart. Bend your knees slightly and place your arms in front of your body at about chest height, with elbows bent to 90 degrees and hands pointing up.
- Inhale as you lift your gaze, bring your arms out to your sides (like a goalpost or cactus position) and allow your low back to sag. Hold for three seconds.
- Exhale as you round through your back starting from your pelvis. Fix your gaze toward the floor and bring your arms back in front of your body at about chest height, again with elbows bent to 90 degrees and hands pointing up. Hold for another three seconds.
- That’s 1 rep. Continue for 5 to 8 reps.
You may be familiar with traditional cat-cow, which has you on all fours, but this standing version offers a similar great-feeling stretch for your back without the pressure on your wrists or knees, Lucas says. Plus, the rhythmic breathing and movement can help boost circulation, “making it a great way to shake off any holiday lethargy,” Lucas adds. Think about linking each movement with the breath, so that you’re not rushing through the reps, but instead “being really mindful and intentional,” she says.
Downward Dog
- Start on all fours, with your hands stacked under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
- Lift your hips and send your butt up and back, drawing your hips toward the ceiling. Press your heels gently toward the floor, coming into an inverted V shape. Don’t force your heels to touch the ground if your flexibility doesn’t allow it. Instead, keep knees gently bent and focus on pressing your torso towards your thighs to help stretch your back. Your head will hang between your arms, and your gaze will face your legs. Your back should be flat.
- Hold for 30 to 60 seconds. Feel free to pedal out your legs, or simply hold the pose.
This classic yoga pose helps relax your upper body, stretches your spine, and lengthens your hamstrings. “This position is great for reducing tension in the back and shoulders after prolonged sitting,” Lucas says.
Katie ThompsonDead Bug
- Lie on your back with your arms at shoulder level raised toward the ceiling. Bring your legs up into tabletop position (knees bent 90 degrees and stacked over your hips).
- Slowly extend your right leg straight, while simultaneously dropping your left arm overhead. Keep both a few inches from the ground.
- Bring your arm and leg back to the starting position.
- Repeat on the other side, extending your left leg and your right arm. That’s 1 rep.
- Continue alternating for 5 to 8 reps, moving with your breath.
This exercise helps gently activate your abs—a “low-impact way to reawaken your core muscles,” Lucas says. It’s also a great way to bring your mind to the present moment, since the coordination challenge demands focus. As you perform reps, do your best to keep a neutral spine. (Don’t let it arch or round.) To make dead bug a little easier, keep your legs bent and tap your heel to the ground.
Katie ThompsonGlute Bridge
- Lie faceup with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and heels a few inches away from your butt so that your fingertips graze your heels when arms are at your sides.
- Squeeze your glutes and abs and push through your heels to lift your hips off the floor until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
- Pause and squeeze your glutes at the top, then slowly lower your hips to return to the starting position.
- That’s 1 rep. Continue for 5 to 8 reps.
Spending a lot of time sitting down—like during an hours-long Thanksgiving dinner!-—can weaken and tighten your hip flexors, Lucas says. The glute bridge is the ideal counterpose since it fires up your glutes and stretches your hips, she explains. Keep your gaze focused directly overhead, instead of turning your head to the side, which could place undue pressure on the back of your neck, Lucas advises. If you want to make this move a little more challenging, after you do your normal reps, pulse at the top for 30 seconds, then hold for 30 seconds, Lucas suggests.
%2520(1).jpg)
Figure Four
- Lie on your back.
- Cross your right foot over your left quad, and bend your left knee.
- Hold the back of your left leg and gently pull it toward your chest.
- When you feel a comfortable stretch, hold there for 60 seconds.
- Switch sides and repeat.
This hip-opening stretch can help release tension in your lower back and glutes, two areas that typically tighten up after lots of time sitting, like lounging at the dinner table or on the couch. The move is “particularly calming, allowing you to relax deeply while stretching, making it an ideal way to unwind at the end of the day,” Lucas says. Focus on keeping your lower back pressed into the floor to ensure you’re targeting your glutes. Not quite ready to go back to regularly scheduled programming? Feel free to spend a few minutes in savasana (corpse pose) at the end of this sequence, Lucas says.
Demoing the moves above are Paris Alexandra (GIFs 1 and 3) founder of the Brooklyn Wellness Club, writer, and yoga and mindfulness facilitator; Jo Murdock (GIF 2), a yoga educator; Alicia Jamison (GIF 4), senior coach at Body Space Fitness and adjunct lecturer at Brooklyn College; and Rebecca Davis (GIF 5), a yoga and cycling instructor at Lifetime Fitness and Bakerstreet Yoga
Related:
SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.
