9 Simple Stretches to Boost Your Energy
Feb 24 2026 ・ 17 min read
Before you reach for another coffee, try a few minutes of stretching.
When your energy dips, stretching probably isn’t your first instinct — but it should be.
Sitting for hours slows circulation, tightens muscles, and leaves your nervous system idling in low gear. A few intentional minutes of movement can shift all of it. Blood flows. Tension releases. Your brain gets the signal: We’re awake now.
No gym. No equipment. No outfit change. These nine stretches take about 15 minutes total and work just as well first thing in the morning as they do during a 3 p.m. slump — or even before bed.
Below, the moves that reset your body and restore your focus, what they target, and how to do them.
Why Stretching Is One of the Fastest Ways to Feel More Alert
Stretching does more than loosen tight muscles. When you hold a stretch, you activate the parasympathetic nervous system — the one responsible for rest and recovery. That might sound counterintuitive for an energy boost, but when your body releases chronic tension, it stops spending energy holding that tension. That freed-up energy goes back to you.
There’s also the circulation factor: better blood flow means you're getting more oxygen to the brain and muscles, which translates to sharper focus and a noticeable lift in alertness. Add a gentle endorphin release, and the fog starts to clear.
9 Stretches for Energy You Can Do Today
1. Standing Side Stretch
Consider this the antidote to hours hunched over a screen. The standing side stretch lengthens the obliques, intercostal muscles, shoulders, and spine — areas that get compressed when you sit. Opening the ribcage creates space for deeper, fuller breaths, which instantly sharpens focus. Stand tall, reach one arm overhead, and arc gently to the opposite side, breathing into the stretch.
How to do it:
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and keep your arms at your sides.
Raise your right arm and gently curve your body to the left.
Keep both feet grounded and your hips square.
Hold for 20–30 seconds, breathing into the stretch.
Switch sides.
Need more support? Sit upright in a sturdy chair with feet flat on the floor, hold the side of the seat for stability, and reach the opposite arm up and over — same opening effect, minus the balance challenge.
2. Cat-Cow
A classic for a reason, the Cat-Cow gently mobilizes the spine from neck to hip while subtly engaging your core, undoing stiffness that builds from long stretches of sitting. As you move between arching and rounding your back, you sync your breath to motion — an energizing combination that wakes up the nervous system and clears mental fog in minutes.
How to do it:
Start on all fours, hands stacked below your shoulders, knees sitting below your hips.
With a deep inhale, gently lower your belly toward the mat, lifting your heart and tailbone to create a gentle arch through your back (cow).
As you exhale, press the floor away and round your spine upward, drawing your chin toward your chest and your tailbone underneath you (cat).
Move slowly and let your breath lead.
Repeat 8–10 times.
3. Forward Fold
Simple, effective, and surprisingly energizing, a forward fold stretches the hamstrings, calves, and lower back, areas that tighten from prolonged sitting. It also briefly inverts the body, bringing the head below the heart to encourage fresh blood flow to the brain. The result: a subtle rush of clarity, plus relief in the low back, where stress tends to settle.
How to do it:
Find your foundation by standing tall, with your feet comfortably set at hip-width apart.
Bend your knees gently, hinge at your hips, and let your upper body cascade forward.
Keep your arms at your sides or wrap them around opposite elbows.
Soften your knees if your hamstrings feel tight.
Let your head hang heavy. Breathe deeply.
Hold for 30–60 seconds. Roll up slowly.
Need more support? Try a wall-supported version: Place your hands on the wall at hip height, step back until your body forms an L shape, and press through the arms for gentle spinal decompression — no head rush required.
4. Low Lunge Hip Flexor Stretch
If you sit most of the day, your hip flexors are likely short and tight, pulling on the lower back, compromising posture, and quietly draining your energy. A low lunge opens the hip flexors, quads, and groin, restoring length to the front of the body and creating an immediate sense of lift.
How to do it:
Step your right foot forward, easing into a gentle lunge as your back knee lowers softly to the mat. Let your breath guide you into the stretch.
Sink your hips forward and down until you feel a stretch in your left hip flexor.
Keep your front knee directly over your ankle.
Hold for 30–45 seconds, breathing steadily.
Switch sides.
Prefer to stay off the floor? Stand sideways next to a chair, hold the back for balance, and step the outside leg into a small lunge with the heel lifted, subtly tucking the pelvis until you feel the front of the hip open. Same release, zero knee pressure.
5. Glute + Hip Stretch
This one goes straight to the source. The glutes, outer hips, and piriformis — an often-overlooked muscle that sits close to the sciatic nerve — tend to tighten with prolonged sitting. When the piriformis is restricted, it can create low-grade discomfort that quietly siphons off your focus and energy.
How to do it:
Get into a seated or lying down position
Place your heel on your knee
Pull the knee to the opposite shoulder but not twisting your torso
Once in this position, keep your chest tall and lean forward
Hold for 30–45 seconds, then switch.
6. Chest Opener / Shoulder Stretch
Think of this as posture rehab. A chest opener stretches the pectorals, front shoulders, and upper back — areas that tighten when you spend the day rounded forward. That collapsed position limits lung capacity and subtly dampens energy. Opening through the chest creates space to breathe more fully, and research consistently links upright posture with higher alertness and improved mood.
How to do it:
Stand or sit tall. Clasp your hands behind your back.
Straighten your arms and gently squeeze your shoulder blades together.
Lift your chest and look slightly upward.
Hold for 20–30 seconds.
Release and roll your shoulders forward and back to reset.
Need more support? Bring your arms into a goalpost shape and draw the elbows back, or step into a doorway stretch, placing your forearms on the frame and leaning forward to let the front body open.
7. Seated Spinal Twist
A well-timed twist can feel like wringing out a dishcloth in the best way. Spinal rotation engages your spine, obliques, and outer hips, releasing the tension that accumulates along your back and sides after hours at a desk (or in transit). Twists also gently stimulate the abdominal organs, supporting digestion and creating that subtle, full-body reset.
How to do it:
Sit on the floor with legs extended.
Bend your left knee and place the foot outside your right knee
Sit tall, then twist to the right, hooking your left elbow outside your right knee.
Place your right hand on the floor behind you for support.
Hold for 30–45 seconds. Switch sides.
Need more support? Try a chair twist: Sit upright with feet grounded, place one hand on the opposite thigh or the back of the chair, and use the frame to guide a gentle, vertical rotation.
8. Neck Stretch
Screen time shows up here first. The cervical spine, upper trapezius, and levator scapulae — the muscles running from neck to shoulder — quietly grip throughout the day, storing more tension than we realize. A simple neck stretch can help create immediate relief.
How to do it:
Sit or stand with your shoulders relaxed.
Tilt your head and slowly bring your right ear toward your right shoulder.
For a deeper stretch, place your right hand gently on the left side of your head, without pulling.
Hold for 20–30 seconds, breathing slowly.
Switch sides. You can also slowly roll your chin toward your chest to stretch the back of your neck.
If traditional stretches feel uncomfortable, try a shrug-and-drop instead: Lift your shoulders up toward your ears, hold the tension, then release them decisively down. Finish with slow, controlled head-to-head turns to reset the upper spine without strain.
9. Child’s Pose
Equal parts stretch and surrender, Child’s Pose lengthens your lower back, hips, thighs, and shoulders at once while gently compressing the abdomen — a combination that signals the nervous system to downshift. The forward fold activates a parasympathetic response, slowing your heart rate and calming the stress hormones that quietly deplete your reserves.
How to do it:
Begin on your hands and knees.
Touch your big toes together and open your knees wide, allowing your hips to soften and expand.
Sink your hips to your heels, reach your arms out, and rest your forehead down. Find a position that feels restful.
Extend your arms long in front of you or rest them alongside your body.
Hold for 1–3 minutes. Focus on slow, full breaths into the back of your ribcage.
Need more support? Try a seated desk fold. Sit with knees wide, hinge forward between your legs, and let your arms hang or rest your forehead on a desk. Same reset, different setup.
How Canyon Ranch Can Help
A daily stretch is a smart start. For a deeper reset, a Canyon Ranch stay offers a more personalized experience.
Our Fitness & Movement team — which includes exercise physiologists, movement specialists, and more wellness experts — works with you in one-on-one fitness consults, guided mobility services, yoga sessions, and comprehensive health assessments that extend well beyond the gym.
Energy isn’t something you chase. It’s something you build — with the right support, the right movement, and the right environment.
