After the plot twist that was 2020, setting up New Year’s resolutions for 2021 might be a tad overwhelming. According to an article by Forbes, we overwhelm ourselves by focusing on big long-term changes, rather than on small progress in the present.

This year, we are choosing to focus on our daily intentions. By celebrating each step towards making a positive change, we embrace self-improvement in a more forgiving, sustainable way. Here’s how to get started.

1. Choose habits that make you happy

What makes you excited or contented? Laying out your workout #OOTD the night before or scheduling for your next dose of 60 minutes at the barre with a barre-dy? Or even just setting an intention for your day over a frothy cappuccino? Start being mindful of what brings you joy and make it a habit that enriches you with positivity and self-love.

2. Communicate and commit to your intentions

Don’t keep your intentions a secret! Tell your friends about the changes in habits you’re making. Or even better, grab a barre-dy who can accompany you on your new commitment, whether it’s logging in to virtual workouts together or showing up at the barre in person! Open yourself up to the support and accountability that will help you stay on track.

3. Celebrate yourself every step of the way

The way you encourage yourself is greatly affects the way you think and feel about yourself. Celebrate small wins! For example, congratulate yourself for waking up early to get your barre burn on. Held on to those pulses 2 seconds more than you wanted to? You go, Glen Coco! Be aware of the little milestones you conquer, and never shy away from an opportunity to pop that celebratory confetti!

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Flexibility is often a skill associated with yogis, dancers and gymnasts who can leap into air splits on request (and kudos to them). But the fact is, whether you’re a pro contortionist, a corporate bee, an athlete, or a home-based hustler, flexibility is something we should all incorporate in our muscles to improve our health and well-being. So, why exactly is flexibility so important?

1. Lowers the risk of injury

And we mean both sport and everyday injuries. The NSCA’s Essentials of Personal Training discovers that “among the more common problems seen in individuals with poor flexibility is lower back pain potentially resulting from tight quadriceps, iliopsoas, and back muscles”. By having more flexibility, your joints can move through a larger range of motion. You’ll be able to move through your day with less movement restrictions, and go deeper in your pliés with greater ease too!

2. Improves your posture and balance

We all know that the #desklife causes lots of shoulder tension and tight hips, hence resulting in the all-too-familiar postural slouch. Grayson Wickham, founder of Movement Vault explains, “When we spend time in suboptimal positions, certain muscles in our body — such as shoulders, back, core, and neck — actually shorten”. By improving flexibility, tight muscles can then lengthen and improve your body’s physical structure and balance!

3. Enhances mobility

Think better arm and shoulder extensions for tennis players, better shoulder rotations for swimmers, longer strides for runners. Did you know that mobility is closely linked to flexibility in that both affect the body’s ability to function properly? Stretching and improving flexibility can allow muscles to lengthen, relax and work through a greater range of motion. thus, help athletes perform better in workouts and in competition. This translates into being able to maximise your muscle engagement, getting more out of your workout each time!

4. Allows you to feel more free, open, relaxed and confident inside out

Lengthening your muscles through improved flexibility is a sure way to feel prouder and taller in your daily movements! Bonus, you may find it easier to unwind once your body feels more relaxed and free. As Joie says in 3 Reasons Why Stretching is the New Massage, a stretch class is more than just physical stretching. It’s your moment to “re-centre and recover mentally and emotionally”. Improving flexibility therefore helps you loosen up tight muscles, stretch your mind toward more positivity and equip you with the mood to seize the day. 

5. Gives you greater comfort in your general day

Because of the ability to sit in many different positions and deepen into those “shiok” stretches you otherwise cannot do with tight muscles, being flexible definitely gives you the luxury of being in greater control of your body and bend it to your will — literally!

Here’s the good news: improving your flexibility is 100% achievable and relatively easy. It’s really just about stretching and lengthening your muscles regularly. At our happy place, we like to do it while grooving to upbeat music and throw in a little dynamic burn. You know us, we never say no to a double whoop for self-care!

As Chef Gusteau says, “Anyone can cook”, we say “Anyone can stretch” – and should! Take it from us, flexibility is a marathon, not a sprint – get started and be consistent. We promise you’ll start to feel the magic within your body in no time!

The post 5 Reasons Why Flexibility Training Is Essential appeared first on WeBarre.