I’m a bit clueless when it comes to body workouts: I don’t know what bits I am meant to be exercising, when or how. Although I do know I need to keep my muscles going if I want to keep my body healthy and in good condition. So this complete workout guide is just the thing I need to get me right on track. Starting here with the upper body, there are 6 areas you can give daily attention to in order to get those muscles loose and flexible, keeping tightness, aches, and cramps far away from your body.

Benefits

The benefits of having well-exercised muscles are massive. Stretches lengthen your muscles, giving you full access to their tremendously useful elasticity. Stretching will also improve blood flow to the muscles, increasing your physical capacities, lowering injury risks. If you do these exercises after you wake up in the morning or have taken a quick nap, it will wake you up and open up your lungs to give you space to take great healthy breaths of invigorating air. You will also sleep better than ever before and stand taller with improved posture.

Tip: To make sure you reap these tremendous benefits, you might want to try the first exercise (stretch A) for each body area on one day, then on the next day try the second exercise (stretch B). Either you will find you prefer one stretch more than the other, or you will retain both, giving yourself a nice bit of variety to your routine.

1. Neck

We have all suffered from a stiff neck, and know how much this can ruin your day. Most of the time our necks get into bad shape due a too motionless sleep. To combat this problem, try these two exercises after you wake up.

Stretch A: Stand erect, squeezing your shoulder blades together, as hard as you think you can, for 3 seconds before letting go. Repeat this exercise 12 times.

Stretch B: Stand in the middle of a doorway and bend your right elbow 90 degrees with your palm forward and your fingers pointing up, then put your forearm on the doorway. With your left foot lean forward until you feel tightness in your pectoral. Hold this position for 10 seconds then switch to the other side.

3. Triceps

Unlike their mighty neighbors, the biceps, your triceps are relatively under used throughout the day and need a bit of activity to keep from becoming tight and uncomfortable. Here are two super stretches to bring the triceps back into play.

Stretch A: Move your arms in front of your chest, bending at the elbows, and cross your right arm in front of your left. Move your right wrist behind the left with your palms (or backs of hands) touching. Hold position for 10 seconds. Switch to the other side.

Stretch B: Get yourself down on all fours like a dog, with your hands under your shoulders and your hips above your knees. Turn your hands at their wrists one after the other until your fingers are facing your knees. Hold position for 30 seconds.

5. Wrists

As anyone with arthritis knows, your wrists are at the same time very delicate and necessary. So learn how to build them up with these great stretches.