How to Become Resilient

The “flexibility” that many people refer to is the flexibility of the joint along with the length of the ligaments and tendons that surround the joint. If you want to be flexible, stretching isn’t enough. Try yoga or pilates to improve flexibility and stay healthy. Eating well and staying hydrated will also help you become more resilient. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Table of Contents

Get used to stretching exercises

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Stretch arms and shoulders. The first step is to stand or sit on the edge of a sturdy chair. If you want to stretch your arm and shoulder muscles while sitting, make sure to sit properly.

Keep your back straight and balanced with your shoulder blades lowered so that it’s level with your spine.

^{[2] X Research Source}

Bring one arm across your chest, then gently press just above your elbow with your other hand until you feel a stretch. Do not use excessive force to force your hand beyond tolerance. Hold the pose for about 5 seconds and breathe deeply. Release your hand and do the same for the other arm.
Straighten one arm over your head, then bend your elbow and lower your hand behind your head. If possible, grasp your fingers from below with your other hand. If not, just place your other hand below your elbow and push back slightly until you feel a stretch in your biceps. Hold the position for about 5 seconds, then do the same for the other arm.

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Do a butterfly stretch. This is a movement that not only effectively stretches the glutes and thighs, but also helps to relax the neck and shoulders. You will first sit on the floor with your legs stretched out. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Bend your knees to bring your feet together directly in front of you so that the soles of your feet are touching. Grab your feet with your hands and lower your body to your feet while you exhale.
Use the force in the core and keep the back balanced,

widen your shoulders instead of retracting.
Bend forward as much as you can. Hold the pose for about 30 seconds to 2 minutes and breathe deeply.

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Add a seated twist. Return to a sitting position with your legs stretched out in front of you, feet and shins together. Using your core, sit up straight and extend your shoulders so that your shoulder blades are in line with your spine. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

As you exhale, you will rotate your waist and place your hands on the floor on the other side of your body. Keep your back balanced and make sure you’re rotating your waist, not your hips.
Hold the twist for 15 to 30 seconds, then return to the center and twist to the other side. You can repeat the movement 2-4 times on each side.

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Lift your body into a swan pose. Swan Pose is a combination of yoga and pilates exercises that help open the chest and stretch the back and core muscles. To perform the pose, you need to lie on your stomach on the floor with your legs stretched out behind you. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Bend your elbows and press your palms into the floor at either side of your shoulders. As you exhale, you will lift your body by straightening your arms. Widen and lower your shoulders so that your shoulders are away from your ears.
Try to bring your shoulder blades closer, keeping your hips on the floor.
At this time, the chest will feel tight.

Hold the position for about 15 to 30 seconds, then return to the starting position. Repeat the movement 3 to 5 times.

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Kneel to stretch your hip flexors and quads. This kneeling exercise is similar to the hamstring stretch, but the rear leg extension helps to stretch the hip flexors, hamstrings, and quads. The first step is to kneel on the floor. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Step one foot forward so that the knee forms a right angle. Step as far as you can – you should feel a stretch in the other hip. At this point, the shins are perpendicular to the floor and the knees are in line with the ankles.
Hold your knees with both hands and press your hips forward, breathing deeply. Hold the position for 15 to 30 seconds, then return to the kneeling position and do the same for the other side.

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Warm up before performing stretching exercises. If you stretch when your muscles are not warmed up, you could experience muscle strain or serious injury. Preferably, you will stretch after doing your usual exercise. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Suggestions to warm up before stretching
Do light cardio. Walk or run small steps for about 5-10 minutes.
Gentle movement. A few options for you are leg lunges, arm swings (rotating your arms in a big circle forward and backward), or a toe-toe crunch. You just don’t stop the movement when you do it.
Loosen the joints. Use the foam roll to roll your back, legs, front thighs, and hip flexors. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

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Do a bridge stretch to stretch your back muscles. The bridge pose is a full-body stretch that not only focuses on the back, but also effectively stretches the chest, legs, and core muscles. Start by lying on your back with your knees bent at 90 degrees and your feet flat on the floor. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Press your arms and palms onto the exercise mat and raise your hips until your body forms a bridge with your thighs almost parallel to the floor. Hold the bridge pose for about 5-10 seconds, take a deep breath, and then return to the starting position. You can repeat this movement 3-5 times.
If you want an extra challenge, get into bridge pose and raise one leg high. Lower the leg and raise the other leg.

Do yoga or pilates

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Choose a position that you can easily adjust. When you’re new to yoga or pilates, you probably won’t be able to perform the pose to its fullest extent. Yoga pillows and rolled or folded towels can help you get into the right posture without exertion. ^{[10] X Research Source}

For example, crouching increases flexibility in the legs and back. It may be difficult for you to rest your palms on the floor next to your feet. However, you can rest your hands on a yoga pillow placed directly in front of you.
Your body is different every day. Be patient and try not to get upset when you don’t perform a pose as well as you used to.

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Relax your spine in the cat-cow pose. This is a good yoga pose for beginners, with the effect of increasing the flexibility of the spine and core muscles, and helping to relax the mind and body. Start with your hands and knees on the floor. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Make sure your wrists are below your shoulders and your knees are below your hips. Keeping your back flat like a tabletop, widen your shoulders so your shoulders are away from your ears. Deep breath.
As you inhale, you will push your belly down deeply and raise your head, expanding your chest. Pause.
As you exhale, raise your back high, lower your chin toward your chest, and slightly hunch your shoulders.
Repeat the movement from 5 to 10 inhalations and exhalations; Maintain coordination between breath and movement.

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Hold the pose for a few breaths. One of the important things to keep in mind when doing yoga or pilates to get flexibility is to maintain your posture and breathe deeply while stretching. This way, the body will be relaxed and you can effectively stretch the muscles. ^{[12] X Research Source}

As you inhale, think about strengthening. With each exhale, you let go of all the tension and focus on stretching.

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Continuous motion. Many yoga and pilates poses can be linked together into one movement for each breath. Continuous movement will help improve flexibility and increase blood circulation to the joints. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Remember to focus on the breath. If you are short of breath or are just holding your breath instead of combining your breath with the movement, slow down.

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Perform a series of sun salutations. This is vinyasa – a sequence of yoga poses performed continuously with one breath for each movement. There are 12 poses in the series of sun salutations. ^{[14] X Research Source}

You will start with a standing position, also known as mountain pose in yoga. The next step is a rhythmic movement, combining the movement with the breath, and then returning to the mountain pose.
The sun salutation sequence is also a good cardiovascular exercise, and is also a warm-up form for advanced stretching methods or endurance training.

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Focus on the breath. Breathing is a central part of yoga and pilates. Before you start your yoga practice, take a few minutes to meditate.

Inhale slowly through your nose, pause, and then exhale slowly through your mouth. ^{[15] X Research Source}

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Practice regularly and be persistent. You won’t notice a noticeable improvement in your body’s flexibility unless you’re persistent with the exercise. It’s not necessary to exercise every day, but you should

Workout 3 or 4 days per week. ^{[16] X Research Source}

Start by exercising 3 or 4 days per week for 10-15 minutes. If you’re interested in exercising, you can increase the number of days, but make sure you have enough energy to maintain that schedule.

Stay healthy

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Eat nutritious whole foods. While no foods have been proven to improve endurance, a proper diet can help you build strong muscles and bones. Keep track of your food intake with a food diary for several weeks so you can see what’s going on in your body. ^{[17] X Research Source}

Eat food as fresh as possible, instead of commercial meals, frozen foods, and junk food.
Plan your meals to make sure meals are balanced, and practice portion control.

Warning

Talk to your doctor before you start any new exercise routine, especially if you’ve just recovered from an injury or have a chronic medical condition.

Steps

Get used to stretching exercises

Do yoga or pilates

Stay healthy

Warning

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