Shower Stretch
My routine is simple. Wake up, get in the shower (full-sized), and stretch. While it's true there isn't much room in the shower stall, there is enough room to do at least some moving around to improve circulation and muscle tone while avoiding the dreaded exercise routine most people hate.
Years ago I learned that the familiar triangle-like yoga pose is an excellent cure for abdominal cramps and lower-back pain associated with menstruation. I studied Iyengar Yoga in Washington DC with the great John Schumacher who at that time (1983) was just John Schumacher! He is now the most respected American teacher of Iyangar Yoga. This pose and variations of it is the one that changed my life. Although you cannot get a full extension in the shower, a variation is to bend the arm at the elbow while continuing the stretch and aligning the rest of the body. I find a diagonal positioning within the shower stall to provide the most square footage.
So after I do both sides of this pose, I will stretch my back and hamstrings with a few toe touches. If my muscles are too stiff to reach my toes, I will stretch down to my ankles or simply lean my arms against the back wall and do a runner's hamstring stretch to loosen those back leg muscles once more before I try again.
I always stretch up with my arms and clasp my hands while leaning a bit back to stretch my upper body and core muscles, somewhat like the beginning of a Sun Salutation pose.
Also, I do faux push-ups against the back wall - usually 20 - by planting my feet about 20 inches back from the wall, extending my arms the placing my palms on the wall. Then I bend the elbows and lean toward the wall as if I am doing a push-up on the ground. This is good for biceps and triceps, trapezius and abdominal muscles.
The last stretching I do is lateral leg squats, feet facing outward I rock from one foot to the other, bending at the knees for the count of four while descending and straightening the knees to the count of four while standing back up straight. This actually turns out to be a bit of dancing around and I will always do this to 100 counts and sometimes up to 500.
It's an invigorating, simple, no-stress, little workout I've been doing for years which tones the large muscle groups with minimal effort while saving time.
