This 62-year-old retired ballerina stretching routine helps her limber up from head to toe.
You don’t have to be a dancer to do it.
Just because theyre no longer executing pirouettes on stage doesnt mean that they stopstrength trainingand stretching like a dancer.
Her daily stretching routine proves that once a dancer, always a dancerand you might copy it for yourself.
The stretching routine I have has helped keep me moving even when I was more sedentary, she says.
Below, Paranicas shares the 10-move stretching sequence she completes daily.
Curtain up: Grab your mat and lets get stretching.
The 10-move stretching sequence a retired ballerina completes every day
1.
Childs pose:Come to a kneeling position on your yoga mat.
If your head cant quite reach the ground, bring a block or a pillow beneath it.
Rest into the pose and breathe deeply.
Downward dog:Press into your hands and lift your hips up and back into downward facing dog.
former dancer for the New York City Ballet
Bend your knees deeply so that your lower back elongates.
ensure to relax your neck.
Clasp your hands behind your neck and feel it release toward the ground.
This creates a gentle stretch of my back and legs, says Paranicas.
Release your neck and slowly roll up to standing, vertebra by vertebra.
Paranicas says to repeat this spine-rolling move three times.
Standing back bend:Come up to standing and place both hands on your lower back.
Engage your belly and lift your chest up toward the sky.
confirm you dont go back so far that you might no longer breathe deeply.
Come back to standing and repeat this two more times.
Side stretch:From standing, reach your arms overhead and grab your left wrist with your right hand.
Arch your body over to the right, spiraling your chest up toward the sky.
See if you might keep the same weight distribution on both feet.
Engage your core to protect your back.
Switch sides and complete four more reps on each side.
Plank:Forward fold and walk your legs back until your wrists are directly below your shoulders.
Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.
Leg lifts:Come to your hands and knees and engage your core.
Bend your right knee so the bottom of your right foot is parallel to the ceiling.
Pulse the leg until it starts to feel fatigued, then straighten it and do the same thing.
Switch sides and feel those glutes burn.
Squeeze your glutes to drive your knees apart, then bring them back together.
Complete as many reps as it takes for your left glute to burn out, then switch sides.
Piriformis Stretch:Lie down on your back.
Bend your right leg and place your right ankle on top of your left thigh.
Queue up this ballet barre workout to work up a sweat:
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