Let me tell you a little secret. For years, I was that zombie mom shuffling to the kitchen each morning, desperately reaching for the coffee maker before my twins woke up.
My body felt like it had been hit by a Walmart shopping cart. You know, the ones with the wobbly wheels that never go straight OMG.
Then one random night after scrolling through Instagram…or was it TikTok…at 2AM during a crampy can’t-sleep night, I stumbled upon this simple morning stretch routine.
I totally wish I could find the post, and maybe I’m not following it to perfection, but luckily I took notes (pen and paper baby) and now this routine has truly become my own.
I was skeptical (hello, I can barely touch my toes), but desperate enough to try anything.
Eight weeks later? I’m a total convert and my husband can’t believe the difference in my…ummm…energy levels. 😉
Why Your Body Needs Morning Stretches
Remember when we could just jump out of bed without making those weird grunting noises?
Yeah, those were the days! Now my body cracks more than my kitchen floor when the kids drop their cereal.
Our bodies actually get super stiff overnight.
While we’re catching those precious hours of sleep (or, let’s be real, lying awake wondering if you remembered to sign that school permission form), our muscles tighten up from lack of movement.
Morning stretches aren’t just some TikTok trend that looks pretty on your vision board.
They actually help your blood circulation get going, which delivers oxygen to your brain and muscles faster than that first cup of coffee.
I noticed the biggest difference in how my back felt. After years of carrying around two babies (and now their approximately 5,000 toys, backpacks, and art projects), my lower back would scream at me every morning.
Starting this routine changed that game completely.
A Stretching Space Setup
Finding space to stretch in my house used to feel impossible.
Between the twins’ LEGO landmines and my husband’s random piles of “I’ll put that away later” stuff, there wasn’t exactly a zen corner waiting for me.
So I created one!
Nothing fancy like those perfect Instagram setups that probably cost $300. I just cleared a small corner in our bedroom and laid down my old yoga mat (the one with mysterious stains that might be grape juice…or marker…or both).
The key is consistency of location. Your brain starts to associate that space with morning movement, and eventually, you’ll feel drawn to it.
I added one small plant from Home Depot and a little bluetooth speaker for some calming music.
The twins know that when mama is on her mat in the morning, they need to give me 10 minutes unless someone is bleeding or the house is on fire.
It took some training and some bribery with extra screen time, but now they respect my stretching space!
The Game-Changing First Stretch
The first stretch I do literally changed my life, and I’m not even being dramatic. It’s a simple seated forward fold, but the way my instructor taught me to do it makes ALL the difference.
Instead of forcing yourself to touch your toes (which, let’s be honest, hasn’t happened since 2008), you sit with your legs extended and just let your upper body hang forward however far it naturally goes.
The key is breathing deeply while you’re there.
I stay in this position for 10 full breaths.
At first, I could barely reach past my knees without feeling like my hamstrings were staging a full rebellion.
Now I can get my fingers to my ankles, which feels like winning the Olympics when you’re as inflexible as I am!
What I L-O-V-E about this stretch is how it seems to reset my spine after a night of sleeping in weird positions (usually because one of the twins has crawled into our bed and pushed me to the literal edge).
The tension in my lower back melts away, and I can actually stand up straight instead of hunched over like I’m still looking for lost Cheerios under the couch.
Waking Up Your Shoulders and Neck
If you’re anything like me, your shoulders permanently live somewhere up near your ears from all the tension.
Between hunching over to help with homework, scrolling Twitter while waiting at school pickup, and carrying approximately 17 grocery bags at once because “I don’t need to make two trips,” my upper body is basically one giant knot.
The shoulder roll sequence has become my absolute favorite part of the routine.
Standing tall, I roll my shoulders forward in big circles 5 times, then backward 5 times.
Then I do this amazing neck stretch where you gently tilt your ear toward your shoulder, hold for 3 breaths, and repeat on the other side.
The first time I did these, it sounded like someone was crumpling a bag of chips in my neck!
My husband actually looked over from the bed and asked, “Are you okay?” I was more than okay…I could actually turn my head to look at him without moving my entire body.
These shoulder stretches are perfect for us mamas who are constantly looking down at kids, phones, or trying to find where the twins hid our car keys.
The Energy-Boosting Twists
Spinal twists in the morning feel better than finding money in your coat pocket from last winter. Seriously, can you relate, ladies?
These twists are like wringing out a sponge, but the sponge is your spine and what you’re wringing out is all the stiffness and tension.
I start seated on my mat with both legs extended. I bend my right knee and place the foot outside my left thigh.
Then, I twist to the right, placing my left elbow outside my right knee. The key is keeping your spine tall while you twist…not hunched over like I’m usually digging through the toy chest looking for a specific LEGO piece.
Hold for 5 deep breaths, then switch sides. The first few times I did this, I could barely turn.
Now I can look almost completely behind me, which has the added benefit of being able to see what the twins are up to when they’re being suspiciously quiet.
These twists are amazing for digestion too. If you’re like me and your coffee needs to “get things moving” in the morning, adding these twists to your routine might just speed up that process.
You’re welcome for that overshare.
The Full Body Energizer
When I need that extra boost (like when I’ve been up three times in the night because someone “saw a shadow” or “needed water” or had some other emergency that couldn’t possibly wait until morning), this full-body stretch sequence is my go-to instead of reaching for that second cup of coffee.
Standing with feet hip-width apart, I reach my arms overhead and interlace my fingers, turning the palms up toward the ceiling.
Then I gently bend to one side, creating a long stretch along the entire side of my body.
After holding for 3 breaths, I come back to center and repeat on the other side.
The first time I did this stretch, I actually felt taller afterward!
It’s like my body had been compressed from carrying kids, grocery bags, and the mental load of remembering everyone’s schedules, and this stretch just reset everything.
I finish with a gentle backbend, reaching my arms up and looking slightly upward.
This opens up the chest, which is amazing if you spend a lot of time hunched over (hello, phone scrolling at 11 PM when I should be sleeping).
How I Actually Made It a Habit
Starting a new habit is harder than getting my kids to put away their shoes in the actual shoe bin that’s RIGHT THERE by the door.
The first week of my morning stretch routine, I hit snooze twice and then rushed through the stretches in about 2 minutes, which…wasn’t exactly the mindful experience I was going for.
What finally worked was attaching the stretching to something I already do every morning without fail: making coffee.
I don’t let myself press that Keurig button until my mat has been unrolled and I’ve done at least 5 minutes of stretching.
Cruel? Maybe. Effective? Absolutely.
I also laid out my yoga mat the night before so there was one less barrier in the morning.
It’s just sitting there, staring at me, basically guilt-tripping me into using it.
The other game-changer was not setting crazy expectations. I started with just 5 minutes.
Not 30, not even 15. Just 5 little minutes that I could definitely spare before the chaos of the day began.
Once 5 minutes became easy, I bumped it up to 10, where I’ve stayed for the past two months.
Modifications When You’re Short on Time
Some mornings are just pure chaos.
Someone can’t find their homework, someone else suddenly remembers they need to bring cupcakes for the class party (thanks for the 6 AM notice, kiddo), and the dog has decided today’s the day to make a break for it when you open the front door.
On those mornings, I have my emergency 3-minute routine:
- Forward fold (standing or seated) for 5 breaths
- Shoulder rolls (5 forward, 5 back)
- One spinal twist on each side
- Full body reach up and slight backbend
It’s not the full routine, but it’s so much better than nothing!
I’ve actually done this mini-routine in some pretty weird places…waiting for water to boil for pasta, standing next to my bed while searching for matching socks, and once even in the school drop-off line when we were super early (rare, but it happens).
The point isn’t perfection…it’s just moving your body a little bit before jumping into mom mode at full speed.
Even on mornings when I’m tempted to skip my routine because I hear the kids already bickering over who gets the “good” cereal bowl, I remind myself how much better my entire day goes when I take those few minutes for myself.
This simple stretch routine literally changed everything from my energy levels to my patience threshold which, let’s be honest, gets tested ALL.THE.TIME.
Maybe your morning stretch routine will look different than mine, but I promise your body will thank you…and so will everyone who has to deal with you before 9 in the moring.
