By Mike Angere

Even the journey home has contributed its share in the overall tiredness of the work day. What with all the anxiety over the slow-moving traffic. Once home you probably go straight to the kitchen for a snack or collapse into a chair for some television viewing. You are just too tired. Now, just as there is the need to start off the day with energy-releasing exercises so there is the need to wind down after work.

A fruit to assuage hunger while dinner gets ready is okay. What will not do is a poor combination of food groups which will only put even more stress on your back and exhaust you even more. Another thing, digestion is not helped when eating is done while one is nervous or excited. We must always try to induce a feeling of calmness in ourselves before settling down for a meal.

For some people a little vigorous exercise does the good job of dispelling work-time worries and providing a new burst of energy.

For those not in the mood for energetic work-outs, some stretches like the plough pose, the head-to-knee pose which rely mainly on the forces of gravity – such that all you do is assume the posture, take it easy and breathe. No one is asking you to be a Jumping Jack Flash for fifteen minutes. A little mercy on your fatigued body.

But I tell you what. You will be sweetly surprised to find out that simple mild stretching exercises like those mentioned are improving the way you look and feel. And the practice of the dead man’s pose, for say fifteen minutes after these exercises will spell astonishing repose of body and mind. The practice of proper winding down will even set up the body for a good night’s sleep. Or you will find you are not too tired to tango as the case may be!

What stretching does for you

* Stress relief: In a difficult situation your body resorts to the ‘fight of flight’ response, contracting muscles in readiness. The situation gets over but you forget to relax the muscles. Gradually, this tenseness to stress becomes the norm so that you do not even notice that you are tense. With tension there is a restriction in movement and a loss of youthful agility.

* More energy: In contraction muscles cost you a lot of energy. Once you learn to replace contraction with relaxation of your muscles you save energy for better things. *Improve your digestion: Your internal organs are held in place by muscles. When your muscles are well-toned, they provide better support thereby assisting the functioning of all vital organs.

* Better your body tone: Muscles work in antagonistic pains, when one is contracted the other is relaxed. When a muscle is always tensed the antagonist becomes flaccid and bulgy resulting in undesirable physical distortions such as a bulging belly and thighs and sagging bottom. Relax tensed muscles and the flaccid ones will have a chance to tone-up and your overall body tone will improve.

* Return of youth grace: With a toning up of weak muscles and getting rid of extraneous muscle tension there is an improvement in the alignment of your skeletal system. This improved posture means you move with a lot more grace and ease. Here is a ‘hump’ and ‘dip’ exercise for the small of the back.

Kneel down with the hand on the floor without moving the body forward or backward, breathe in dipping the waist till the small of the back is hollow and at the same time raise your head. Breathing out raise the waist drawing in the stomach and dropping the head. Repeat consecutively 4 to 5 times. While you sit on the heels lean forward and support the head on the fists, placed one on the other. Never you neglect the condition of your spine. Keep it supple and flexible – always.