A GOOD stretch not only feels great – it can help to protect against strokes, heart disease and diabetes, new research shows.
Just three months of gentle stretching helps to improve blood flow by making it easier for our arteries to dilate and decreasing their stiffness, Italian scientists report.
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And after months of Zoom calls and working or sitting at home, we’re all in need of soothing those stiff necks, knees and backs.
Here, renowned massage expert Beata Aleksandrowicz, who teaches her techniques in top spas worldwide, shows Laura Stott some simple stay-at-home soothers.
For more details, visit beata.website.
Home-school headaches
IF you’re left with throbbing temples after a day of supervising the kids, this easy technique will help to alleviate tension headaches fast.
Sit up straight and place the fingers of both hands along the middle parting on your scalp, resting on both sides so that you are cradling your head.
Breathe in deeply and as you exhale, start to make small circular motions with your fingers, pushing into any tension to release it. Work your fingers further along your scalp and repeat.
Keep the movements slow and precise. Make five circles and work back across your whole head.
Screen Shoulders
WORKING at the kitchen table instead of a desk, slouching on the sofa with your laptop or spending hours hunched over phones and tablets puts a lot of pressure on shoulder muscles.
To relieve sore shoulders, sit upright, placing the palm of your hand across your body.
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Inhale, then on the out breath press firmly into the tense spot in the muscle.
Make small, round pressure movements with your fingers, working gently into tender areas.
Imagine the tension dissolving under your fingers. Work across the muscle and repeat until you feel the aches start to ease.
Then do the same on the other shoulder. Whenever you find a hot spot, massage with at least five circles before moving on.
Tech-Neck
ENDLESS screen time is bad for necks, causing stiffness and tension. This is a simple yet effective way to release strain.
It stretches the muscles which can get short and tight due to poor posture, not sitting properly or too much time online. The aim is to lengthen the muscles.
Sit up straight and place the fingers of each hand flat on both sides of the neck, just below your ears. As you exhale, slide your fingers along the back sides of the neck. You can use olive or coconut oil to avoid stretching the skin.
Rub rhythmically but slowly, feeling the neck muscles being stretched beneath your hands. Keep it slow, strong and definite.
It should be firm enough to feel like a good stretch, but never painful. Repeat five times, ending each stroke at the top of the shoulders.
Sweet Dreams
DOES anxiety keep you awake at night? Try a temple massage at bedtime. It can work wonders to eliminate stress, release tension and help you sleep more soundly.
Place flat fingers of each hand on your temples. Breathe in deeply and on the out breath, press gently into your flesh.
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Now make a slow, steady, circular tracing motion with your fingertips.
Move clockwise, starting upwards and working out towards the hairline.
Concentrate on any areas where you feel especially tense or tender. Repeat at least five times, more if you find it helpful.
During lockdown, make this part of your night-time routine.
Lockdown Legs
IF you’ve recently taken up running or cycling again, or have just gone overboard with PE, your legs will probably be feeling some after-effects.
Always stretch hamstrings and calves before and after workouts, while this simple bodywork move will help to knead away any aches.
Lift your leg and place your foot high enough for you to reach the calf muscles with a bend in the knee. You can use a cushion or step, or lie on the bed or sit on the floor.
Start to squeeze the back of the leg into the calf muscles between the thumb and fingers of your other hand. Go from the ankle and work all the way up the leg, massaging gently.
Try to grasp as much of the muscle as possible, kneading it slowly and working precisely into any sore spots. Now do the other leg.
Sole Soother
IF you’ve spent days in slippers, or are taking long daily walks in unsupportive shoes, you might have developed aching arches.
Thirty per cent of the body’s joints are in the feet, so it’s vital to en-sure our soles stay pain-free and relaxed.
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This simple tennis ball technique can significantly decrease tensions or spasms.
With socks on, lift one leg and cross over to rest it on the opposite thigh. Hold your feet with one hand while the other rhythmically strokes the sole of the feet with a tennis ball.
Work vigorously and imagine you are colouring in your foot with the ball.
You can adjust the pressure to suit you and how ticklish you are! Continue until you feel the sole warming up and your arches relaxing. Repeat on other foot.
Desk De-stress
DON’T neglect your hands and arms. Hours on computers leads to tension, shortened muscles and joint strain, especially when not using a proper desk.
To relieve this, try a simple hand massage using your thumb pad to make small circles inside the opposite palm.
Slowly and gradually release any tension that can be stored there. You might be surprised how tender this area is. Work across your whole palm, then repeat on the other hand.
Then, using the pad of your thumb and your forefingers, grab the inner forearm with firm to medium pressure. Start lightly at the wrist to generate a static pressure.
Press and hold, then repeat, moving up the arm. You can increase the pressure as you work higher up. Do three lines on each arm — middle, outside, and inside — then swap arms and repeat.
Lockdown Mood Lifter
FEELING overwhelmed, stressed or low in energy? This may help to rebalance.
Place a palm on opposite shoulder. Starting at the base of the neck, begin to rub out towards your shoulder blade using rhythmical strokes of your flat palm.
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Reach as far back as possible but without hunching or tensing un-necessarily.
Do it until you feel soothing warmth in the muscle — around ten times is ideal. Repeat on the other side.
Beata’s main rules for self-massage
- Always sit up comfortably, with a straight back.
- Avoid lifting or hunching your shoulders or tensing your arms as you massage yourself.
- Breathe regularly, inhale and exhale for even counts.
- Make every stroke slow and precise.
- Keep your eyes closed if possible, to help you relax and feel tension being released.
- Drink a glass of water after performing a massage move.
- Try to replicate the spa experience by switching off devices and avoiding talking during the massage.
- You shouldn’t feel any pain. If it hurts, always STOP at once.
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