As an elite athlete, Tia-Clair Toomey has won the CrossFit Games for her fourth year in a row, earning her the title of the “Fittest Woman on Earth.” In this video, she shares the importance of stretching every day for everyone, not only to prevent injury, but also to give us a little time for self-care.
Toomey reminded us not to overstretch and says in the video, “You never want to force these poses.” As a yoga instructor, I tell my students that stretching should feel good, and it might feel a little intense, but you want to stretch to the point of feeling tension — never pain. Keep it simple and focus on the parts of your body that are sore. If you’re new to stretching, challenge yourself to stretch a few times a week, even five minutes a day, and then build up to 10 to 15 minutes a day, five to seven days a week.
Stretching can help you focus on your breathing, and “to separate yourself from the rest of the world,” so you can balance your mental health and have a good rest of the day! These are Toomey’s five go-to stretches to target her hips, lower body, shoulders, and upper body (fast forward to 1:07 to see the stretches). The kneeling quad stretch is quite advanced, so I included a sixth stretch, the Low Crescent Lunge, if that one is too difficult.