Dear you, welcome to 2021. The year of the new, the changed and the better. 2020 was such a whirlwind, and like a tree in a tornado, our lives were thrown about, spewed all over and 2020 became such a blur.

They say 2021 will be better, who knows? For one, phase 3 happened. Now 8 can gather. Hold on while I find my nonexistent 7 other friends. But really, what will happen to us in 2021? Anyone excited to find out?

To begin your 2021 on a good note, today will be all about light exercises to stretch your way into 2021. As the COVID measures start to ease and most of you start to re enter into the office, waking up at 7am doesn’t feel like the norm again.

In today’s article, we will be introducing some light exercises and stretches you can do in order to work your way in 2021, getting rid of the fatigue and hopefully, revive your energy to prepare yourself for the office life again!

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The frame stretch is done on your bed, and by extending both arms above your head, holding on to your bed frame (hence the name) and stretching your feet as far as possible, away from the top. As you slowly stretch, take 3 to 4 bouts of deep breaths and reach as far as possible.

Slowly retract your feet back, closer to your stomach, and repeat the same procedure again for 2 minutes. Your body will thank you now, and you are ready to conquer the day!

The turtle stretch is done by sitting on your bed, preferably at the center so you get ample space to stretch your body forward. Begin by sitting in an upright position and keep your shoulders relaxed and take a deep breath. Close your eyes and proceed as you take 3 more breaths. Bring your arms up in the air, and imagine you are touching the ceiling. Stretch them as far up high as possible, and slowly feel the power and energy at your fingertips.

Next, learn forward with both arms still stretched fully and try your best to touch the end of the bed, and as close as possible. There is no need to push yourself, and you should only do this to your limit, without hurting yourself. With your eyes closed and arms stretched, stay in the position for another 2 minutes before reverting back to the first position to relax.
This pose is the best way to begin your day, and I always feel so rejuvenated after just doing this simple stretch for less than 5 minutes.

If you can’t tell from the name alone, this exercise is done by tilting and stretching your head lightly from left and right. You can do this pose anywhere really, in the office, in the bus, MRT or even in the car when you’re waiting for the traffic light to turn green. It really doesn’t require much real estate to do.

You start by tilting your head to the left, feeling the stretch on the right, and counting to 10. If you want a better stretch, make use of your idle arms by holding on to your head to secure it to the side. Take deep breaths as your head tilts to the side and take a final deep breath after you have managed to hold onto for a minute. You may time yourself as you do so. Next, do the same for the opposite side.

Now that your head is relaxed, it’s so ready to face the day head-on!

A close friend of mine taught me this stretch, and he swears by it. To do the happy waves, you need to find yourself sufficient and enough space to stand. To begin, stand with your legs at shoulders’ width, and let your arms hang loosely about. Do a few shakes to loosen them, getting rid of all the tension you have throughout the night. 

Next, bend your torso forward, almost like a rag doll that’s lost its spine and hang loose. Lastly, come back up slowly and wave your arms in a large circular motion, like you’re doing a really big wave to someone. Repeat this stretch for at least 5 more times and feel the muscles on your entire body loosen and relax. You may even choose to flash a smile as you come back up, showing your excitement to face the day. To increase the difficulty level, you may choose to put your feet closer together to really feel the stretch.

What a wonderful way to welcome the morning!

Ending your exercise on a good and fast note, do the shaky head duo by loosening your finger joints and shaking it vigorously as you rotate your head in a clockwise and anticlockwise motion.

Continue the entire process for a good minute and head on for a refreshing shower! 

P.S. While you do the above exercises to start off your head, feel free to listen to some suitable, lo-fi music as you move those joints and stretch those muscles. Our recommended Spotify artist is none other than @netjam! A rising lo-fi music producer who is in the up-and-coming bunch of local artistes.

Otherwise, do check this playlist out by Spotify for your perfect morning stretch songs!

If you love relaxing content like this, check out our article here for more!

We sure hope that 2021 will be a great year for us to grow, and for you to achieve the impossible. With that, we thereby extend our invitations for you to come meet us in person and listen to us share about our favorite bed sheets!

If you haven’t already, do check out our Instagram page for the details! Do give us the post a like and follow us!