{"id":288788,"date":"2026-02-17T20:40:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T20:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/288788\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T20:40:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T20:40:12","slug":"the-no-1-stretch-to-relieve-stress-instantly-from-a-trainer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/288788\/","title":{"rendered":"The No. 1 Stretch to Relieve Stress Instantly, From a Trainer"},"content":{"rendered":"

In addition to the toll stress can take on the mind \u2014 anxiety, depression, irritability \u2014 it can do a lot to the body, too. Stress can send our hearts racing and cause jitteriness, muscle tension, sweat and high blood pressure. It can even worsen health conditions such as sleep disorders, asthma and digestive disorders, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>. <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re having a difficult time getting out of your head, there are physical coping mechanisms to ease the discomfort stress puts on the body. In fact, this simple move might be the very thing you need.<\/p>\n

Expert Tip of the Day: Do a Forward Fold to Relieve Stress<\/p>\n

When you feel stress creeping in, turn inward, literally, Stephanie Mansour, TODAY contributor and personal trainer for the Start TODAY app<\/a>, tells TODAY.com. Do a forward fold<\/a> while breathing in deeply to calm the nervous system, she said.<\/p>\n

Why It Matters<\/p>\n

A good stretch, particularly to the upper back and neck muscles, can lower blood pressure and heart rate, and \u201cpromote a sense of well-being, as the brain interprets these particular cardiovascular changes as signals of safety,\u201d the authors of a September 2025 study<\/a> wrote. <\/p>\n

Essentially, stretching can remind the body and mind that they’re not in a threatening situation, allowing you to relax. <\/p>\n

A forward fold can ease tension in the upper back<\/a>, among other areas, Mansour previously told TODAY.com. The movement takes the burden off of spine, neck and shoulders, where stress tends to cause stiffness and aches. <\/p>\n

How to Get Started<\/p>\n

\u201cSit or stand with your feet as wide as your hips, and your legs straight,\u201d Mansour explained.<\/p>\n

\"standingForward fold to relieve stress.Tyler Essary \/ TODAY<\/p>\n

From there, \u201cslowly hinge forward at your waist and reach your hands for your toes. Relax your neck. Breathe in and out slowly 5 times,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n

You can do this stretch as needed, but Mansour recommends starting your day with moves like this one<\/a> and taking breaks throughout the day to relax your muscles.<\/p>\n

TODAY\u2019s Expert Tip of the Day<\/a> series is all about simple strategies to make life a little easier. Every Monday through Friday, different qualified experts share their best advice on diet, fitness, heart health, mental wellness and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In addition to the toll stress can take on the mind \u2014 anxiety, depression, irritability \u2014 it can…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":288789,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[134,554,555,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-288788","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-mental-health","10":"tag-mentalhealth","11":"tag-new-zealand","12":"tag-newzealand","13":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=288788"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288788\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/288789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=288788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=288788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=288788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}