As if the Tuesday after Labor Day wasn't already the most
mehhhhhh day of the year, if you (like me!) spent the weekend consuming enough rosé and BBQ to last you through the winter, you're also probably feeling
bloated as hell this a.m. (in addition to feeling tired and bummed out, of course). How fun!
Luckily, whilst scrolling through Instagram as a means of avoiding facing the world this morning, I stumbled upon a series of stretches that are meant to help with this sort of Impossible Burger-induced bloat situation. Fitness trainer Johanna—who you might know by her handle, @growwithjo—shared a five-move yoga-inspired flow that will get rid of that gross gassy feeling and leave you with nothing but fond memories of those final summer beach beers. Hold each move for 60 seconds, and you'll be bloat-free in five minutes flat. Now, if only we could find a stretch sequence that would help us cure that end of summer sadness...
https://www.instagram.com/p/B16l9grBC28/?igshid=1o0k2w9e3sfoo
- Forward lean to child's pose: Starting on your hands and knees with hands planted directly underneath your shoulders, rock your hips back into a child's pose and stretch out through your arms. Rock back forward with your shoulders slightly in front of your elbows.
- Kneeling hip flexor stretch: Bend your front leg with your foot planted, and extend your back leg behind you with your knee on the floor. With your arms up over your head, rock your hips forward and backwards, bending and extending your front knee and stretching through your arms and back body.
- Cat cow: On your hands and knees, stretch your head up toward the sky and lengthen your back for cow pose. Then, slowly curve your spine into cat pose and let your head drop down between your arms.
- Downward dog: With your hands and feet planted on the ground, lift your hips backward and press your heels into the ground so that your body forms a "V" shape. Hold for 60-70 seconds.
- Forward fold: Standing with a slight bend in your knees, fold your upper body forward and reach toward your ankles. You may want to put a pillow in between your chest and your legs to make things more comfortable and maximize the stretch.
In addition to stretching, you can also use foam rolling as a way to deal with your bloat situation. Or borrow some of these at-home bloat remedies, which the experts themselves use when they're feeling bloated AF.
