By JERRY HITCHCOCK

Staff Writer

Plenty of people go through their days with only a brief stretch of their arms or legs, usually as a result of being in a static position for a prolonged period. Regardless of whether you engage in moderate physical activity or not, you can benefit from a series of stretches that take as little as 10 minutes per day to perform.

Stretch in the morning before work. Stretch when you get home. Heck, stretch during your lunch break. For retirees, these stretches could mean the difference between a healthy body and one susceptible to illness.

Stretches such as these are meant for everyone, meaning they are not so complicated to perform that you have to have a good deal of flexibility in your body already.

By targeting all the muscle groups, you’re ensuring that those groups get the activity they need to maintain their ability to support the bone structure and avoid injury. Minor injuries occur all the time in people with low flexibility and weak muscles. Strains, sprains and even broken bones can happen easily from a slip or fall, loading or unloading items in a vehicle, and also housework or yardwork.

The first exercise is often referred to as a couch stretch. While it sounds like something you can do with a bag of chips in one hand resting on the sofa, it actually involves the use of an item like a couch for support. To begin, stand in front of a couch, ottoman or other item that is roughly the height of your knee joint away from the floor. Pick up one leg and place that foot behind you, pointing the toes away from you. As you bend down, support your body with your hands on the seat of the couch or object. The bent leg will naturally slide down, and once it contacts the floor, with your other knee bent in front of you, hold that position for 30 seconds. Soon you’ll be able to work up to 1 minute, then 2 minutes. Push with your arms and lift your body up, switch legs and repeat with the other leg.

After a while, you’ll be able to do a set of five (for a total of 10 stretches).

The next move is called a deep squat. You’ll find it easier to do these with counterweights, or hand weights, to aid in balance. From a standing position, put your arms out in front and lower your body, and slowly bring yourself down until your butt contacts your calf muscles. Hold this squat position for 30 seconds and then push up with your legs and rest for 30 seconds and lower yourself back down. Like the couch stretch, you can build up to a longer session of this exercise as well.

Next, the modified pigeon position will stretch different leg muscles than the previous exercises. While this exercise is ideally suited for use with a foam roller, it can be done without one.

The easiest way I have found to get into the correct position is to start in a push-up pose. Now take one leg and bring it up underneath you, while twisting your hip downward and to the side. Now try to put the knee up under your opposite armpit, and then slowly lower your body on top of it, resting on your elbows and your other knee. You’ll feel the stretch on the outside of your upper leg and the muscles around your ankle. I’d hold this position at least 15 seconds before bringing your leg slowly back down and switching. Work up to at least 30 seconds for each position.

Finally, to work your arms and back muscles, the lat hang is the go-to stretch. For this exercise, you’ll need access to something to hang from, but be smart and don’t try to use the shower rod, since most are not built for anything heavier than a shower curtain.

There are plenty of pull-up bars on the market, and most are fairly inexpensive. They can be positioned in a doorway, or even a tight hallway. Either will work.

Once you have something to hang from, that is really all you have to do. If you’re using a doorway, just bend your knees and this will allow your body to be supported from the bar. You’ll feel the stretch from your fingers all the way down to your midsection. Take five deep breaths and get your legs in position and release the bar. Rest for 20 seconds and repeat.

These four stretches work the majority of your body’s muscles and you should notice a change in your body after a few weeks. If you’re having trouble getting into any of these stretches, consult your physician. There may be a medical reason why, which hopefully can be fixed and you can move on toward greater health.

Another great way to stretch is doing basic yoga poses, like plank, cobra, downward-facing dog, bird dog and a high lunge. While these positions work well, you still need something like a lat hang to stretch your arms effectively.

We all have 10 minutes a day to do something that will deeply benefit our bodies. In this case, a little activity goes a long ways in preventing injuries.

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Jerry Hitchcock can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2017, via email at jhitchcock@cdapress.com, or follow him on Twitter at HitchTheWriter.