Stress-relieving exercises

Feeling stressed? Maybe what you need is a little stress relief. Believe it or not, that relief comes in the form of exercise; not the hard-driving, muscle-taxing, sweat-producing workout found at the local fitness club, but rather a few circulation-boosting, tension-relieving exercises that offer a much-needed physical and mental boost.

Try the following exercises whenever fatigue starts to set in. They'll have you feeling so good you'll want to incorporate them into your daily routine.

Neck tuck and turn
• Sit or stand tall with your arms hanging naturally by your side.
• Lengthen the neck, depress the shoulders and tuck the chin into the chest. Hold for five seconds.
• Lift the chin until it is parallel to the floor.
• Reach behind your back and grab your left wrist, pulling down on your left arm while tilting your head to the right. Hold for five seconds.
• Repeat, tilting your head to the left while grabbing your right wrist.
• Repeat the whole sequence two more times.

Tip: Inhale, then exhale as you tuck the chin into the chest. Inhale again as you lift the chin, and exhale while the head tilts to the side.

Ankle rolls
• Sit tall and place both feet flat on the floor.
• Lift one foot about 12 inches off the floor.
• Circle the foot five times in a clockwise direction, then five times in a counter clockwise direction.
• Return the foot to the floor and repeat with the other foot, making sure you work the ankle through its full range of motion.

Tip: Breathe naturally throughout all phases of the exercise.

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