Not a shock Confession: I am not flexible.

Running basically undoes any effort I put into gaining flexibility. This much I know.

But until recently – I didn’t put much effort, if any, into stretching. At.All.

Bad, bad fitblogger. Bad.

I know better. That’s the thing.

However: I now consider myself a changed woman. In the last, say, 6-8 weeks, I’ve made a concerted effort to stretch. As part of or after every single workout. Even if that means getting up earlier to get my run done *and* my post-run stretching. I get a good amount of stretching from the bajillions of barre classes I do each week. And I’ve noticed a huge difference, especially in how much quicker I recover from my runs during the week. Far less sore and tight the next day, for example.

…but I need to do more on my own. As I said, running basically negates the stretching I’m doing now.

So – as they say, if you want to run faster, you have to run fast. And if you want to gain flexibility, you gotta stretch. Duh. So simple yet here I am being all “But I’m just not naturally flexible” — essentially using that as my excuse not to focus on stretching more.

But, I’m of the mindset that there are no good excuses. So I’m tossing the whole “but I’m not naturally flexible” whiny mentality out the window. And I’m gonna focus the sh*t out of my stretching from now on.

My plan? Simple really:
…Stretch after every single run. And foam roll.
…Take fifteen minutes during the day (now that I work from home most of the week) and do hip opening stretches (think the “runner’s stretch for the hip flexor or my new fave, “happy baby“). My hips are so tight (why does that sound like a TWSS phrase to me??)
…Stretch soon after every barre n9ne class. As I said, we do a good amount of stretching during class (given the strengthening/lengthening mantra that makes up the barre style). But, I need to do more to counterbalance all the running I do. So after class I’ll spend 10-15 minutes at home doing additional stretching (while I’m still warm from class).

There. Simple, right?

Now – who wants to volunteer to be my stretch accountability artist? Fancy title, right? But hell, I need the added accountability in this area or I know I’ll fall back into that “I’m not naturally flexible, it’ll never happen” mentality.

(and bonus points if you feel like sharing some of your favorite stretches with me in the comments section below!)