Fitness

Essential stretches to fight stiff winter muscles – Harvard Health

Published

12 months ago

October 22, 2024

Essential stretches to fight stiff winter muscles – Harvard Health

Does cold weather seem to leave you with stiff, sore muscles? It’s not your imagination; there’s science behind the symptoms. Fortunately, you can relieve discomfort and protect your muscles by stretching regularly.

How cold affects muscles

When the mercury drops, it threatens your body’s core temperature, which functions best at about 98.6° F. To stay warm, your body will send more blood toward your core. “The muscles in your legs and arms get less blood flow — and less oxygen — than they would in warmer temperatures. With less oxygen, the muscles are stiffer, they don’t work as well, and they fatigue easily,” says Dr. Sarah Eby, a sports medicine physician with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

Cold weather also affects nerves (which contribute to muscle function) and makes blood flow to muscles even less efficient.

All of these changes increase the risk for muscle and tendon injuries, especially if you’re less active in the winter and your muscles are weak and tight.

Two types of stretches

Dr. Eby recommends two kinds of stretches to ward off cold weather consequences.

Dynamic stretches get your muscles ready for activity. They consist of flowing, repetitive motions, such as walking briskly. The activity sends blood, heat, and oxygen to the muscles to help them work more efficiently and make them less likely to tear. During winter, they’re best done when you’re inside.

Most of the year, you need just a few minutes of dynamic stretching before an activity, and you might focus only on muscles you’ll be using (such as leg muscles before a walk). “But in cold weather, everything tightens up, and you need a dynamic warm-up for your whole body. Do lunges or squats, bring each knee to your chest, make circles with your arms, and twist your trunk left and right. Loosen up for about 10 to 15 minutes,” Dr. Eby says.

Static stretches keep muscles long and flexible and should be done only when your muscles are warmed up (after a workout, for example).

To do a static stretch, you hold a certain position for 20 to 30 seconds, without bouncing (which can tear muscle fibers). Examples include

clasping your hands behind you, straightening your arms, and lifting them toward the ceiling, to stretch your chest and shoulders
reaching for your toes while sitting on the floor with your legs out in front of you, to stretch the hamstrings (in the back of your thigh)
doing a deep lunge while keeping your back heel planted on the ground, to stretch your calf muscles.

Static stretches feel good and lengthen the muscles, which fights stiffness, increases your range of motion, and improves your posture, balance, and agility. Dr. Eby recommends doing them every day as a preventive measure or to relieve pain and stiffness.

For more information about stretching, check out the Harvard Special Health Report Stretching.

Move of the month: Calf stretch

Stand up straight and hold the back of a chair. Extend your right leg back and press your heel against the floor. Bend your left knee and feel the stretch in your right calf. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds and return to the starting position. Repeat. Then repeat on the other side, with your left leg back and your right knee bent.

Photo by Michael Carroll

What else you can do

While stretching might be enough to avoid stiff winter muscles, the following tips can also help.

Stay hydrated. This helps prevent lactic acid from building up in your muscles and causing cramps.

Dress for the elements. “Dress warmly, with a hat, a neck gaiter, and a vest or a coat, so you don’t need to shunt as much blood away from your arms and legs,” Dr. Eby says.

Take vitamin D₃. Vitamin D deficiency can make muscles sore and achy. Take 1,000 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D₃ per day.

Avoid junk food. Stay away from highly processed foods, such as cookies, chips, and frozen dinners. These can contribute to inflammation throughout the body, causing muscle discomfort.

If pain doesn’t go away

If muscle pain doesn’t go away, you might have an injury, such as a muscle strain. An important clue: “Sore muscles feel better once you loosen up and exercise. Strained muscles get worse as you keep going,” Dr. Eby says.

She recommends putting an ice pack on suspected muscle strains, applying topical pain relievers, and seeing your doctor if symptoms persist.

Click to comment

Fitness

An expert strength trainer says the secret to aging well isn’t just lifting weights—here’s what he recommends

Published

10 hours ago

October 19, 2025

Press Room

An expert strength trainer says the secret to aging well isn’t just lifting weights—here’s what he recommends

I spend a lot of time looking at fitness trends, but one constant has been strength training, and for good reason.

Recently, however, the concept of lifting weights for long-term health and longevity has featured repeatedly in my social feeds, on my favorite websites and in my daily conversations.

However, when I put this to Peloton’s expert strength training instructor, Ben Alldis, he said that while strength training is important, it’s not the only thing that matters if you want to age well.

“To live a long, healthy, happy life, adding variety to your training is where the magic happens,” he says.

Mix strength training with cardio and stretching

Alldis emphasizes that strength training should still be a big component of your weekly workouts, because it can help you maintain the muscle you need for everyday activities and support healthy aging.

Research even shows that older people with higher muscle mass have a lower risk of dying from all major causes. But that doesn’t mean lifting weights is all you need to do.

Cardiorespiratory fitness is also strongly linked to longevity, so it’s important to incorporate some exercises that improve your heart and lung health—like brisk walking, jogging, cycling or swimming—too.

“I would always suggest getting a good mixture of cardio, strength and stretching in your routine,” says Alldis.

This well-rounded approach ticks all the boxes for a strong heart, functional muscle and mobile joints.

Prioritize consistency

I asked Alldis how to split your weekly workouts if you’re new to exercise and want to follow this approach. His advice was to prioritize building a consistent habit first.

“I think a good goal is always to aim for three days a week,” he says. “I would probably recommend just sticking with cardio or strength to begin with.”

Once you’ve built this routine, he suggests adding 15-20 minutes of stretching to the end of your sessions to improve mobility and aid recovery.

When you’re on a roll with this, you can start tweaking your program to make sure it aligns with the national recommendations, which include:

150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise every week.
Two additional sessions of muscle-strengthening exercise that work the major muscles of the body every week.

Fitness

Fitness enthusiast shares the six-exercise routine behind her ‘sculpted core’ transformation

Published

1 day ago

October 18, 2025

Press Room

Fitness enthusiast shares the six-exercise routine behind her ‘sculpted core’ transformation

Fitness expert Kaila Wenn has revealed her secret to achieving faster core results by ditching traditional ab exercises in favour of weighted movements.

The trainer recently demonstrated a powerful exercise sequence that transformed her midsection, sharing a clever technique to maximise effectiveness.

Her approach requires using dumbbells in core training, moving away from conventional crunches towards more challenging weighted exercises.

The method has proven so effective that Kaila now advocates for this style of training as the key to sculpting a stronger, more defined core.

She’s developed a six-exercise routine that targets deep core muscles while maintaining constant engagement throughout each movement.

“If you want a sculpted core, stop doing crunches and grab some weights,” Wenn advised. “I saw the most results in my abs when I started adding weights to my deep core exercises.”

This approach helps Kaila maintain core engagement throughout her entire day. She explained that she’s “practically doing ab exercises all day long” by constantly bracing her midsection.

The technique involves drawing the navel towards the spine, creating tension as though preparing for impact, with Kaila noting: “It’s hard to get right, but once you get the feeling, you get the feeling.”

Kaila saw better results when she incorporated weights into her core training

TIKTOK

This constant bracing, combined with weighted movements, forms the foundation of her transformative core training method.

Squat front raise shoulder press: 3 x 10

This movement starts with dumbbells held at shoulder level, then combines a squat with an overhead press as you return to standing.

Wood chop knee tuck: 3 x 10

This rotational movement involves swinging a weight diagonally from high to low while bringing the opposite knee up to meet the chest.

Standing dumbbell marches: 3 x 10

For this movement, you’ll hold weights either by your sides or overhead as you alternate lifting each knee upward, maintaining core stability throughout.

Dumbbell knee tucks: 3 x 10

This exercise requires you to stand and lean forward while holding a weight, then lift your knees towards your chest while squeezing your abdominal muscles.

The exercises helped Kaila sculpt a stronger, more defined core

INSTAGRAM / @KAILAWENN

High knees: 3 x 10

High knees follow, bringing a cardio element to the routine. You’ll perform three sets of ten, jogging on the spot while driving each knee up towards chest height or beyond.

Dumbbell around the world: 3 x 10

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells at your sides with palms facing inward.

Lift the weights forward and continue moving them in a complete circular motion, keeping your core engaged throughout.

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

Fitness

Improve your balance with tai chi this winter – Harvard Health

Published

2 days ago

October 18, 2025

Press Room

Improve your balance with tai chi this winter – Harvard Health

Cold weather months are the perfect time to try tai chi — an ancient Chinese martial art and exercise you can do indoors, in the comfort of your own home or at a fitness or wellness center. The practice is especially helpful at improving balance.

“Tai chi sharpens all of the skills you need to stay upright: leg strength, flexibility, range of motion, reflexes, and awareness of bodily sensations and mental focus. And improving balance with tai chi leads to a 20% to 60% reduction in fall risk,” says Peter Wayne, director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital and medical editor of the Harvard Special Health Report An Introduction to Tai Chi.

What does tai chi involve?

Tai chi uses a series of gentle, flowing motions and slow, deep breathing to exercise the body and calm the mind. You move from one pose to another gradually, shifting your weight and extending your limbs to challenge your balance. It looks like a graceful dance.

The movements are carefully choreographed in a particular order. You can do them by following an instructor who typically does the poses while facing you, or you can do the poses on your own (once you’ve learned how to do them correctly).

A tai chi workout usually lasts for about an hour.

Tai chi benefits

Tai chi is good for health in many ways. One of the best-known perks is better balance, which develops as your body becomes more attuned to changes in movement. “The slow, deliberate footwork makes you more aware of subtle shifts in your weight distribution, the angles of your ankles, and the touch sensitivity of the soles of your feet,” says Stanwood Chang, a tai chi instructor at Wellness Works, part of Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Within a few months of starting tai chi, you’ll notice you’re able to balance better in various positions and react faster if your balance is challenged. This can help you avoid injury if you encounter indoor hazards, such as floor clutter, or outdoor hazards, such as uneven pavement.

The weight shifting of tai chi also stretches and strengthens muscles, helps build bone density and stabilize joints, and exercises the heart (which helps prevent heart disease).

In addition, tai chi has a meditative quality that can trigger the relaxation response — a well-studied physiological change that can lower your blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, oxygen consumption, adrenaline levels, and levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Feeling less stressed helps improve your mood, quality of life, and thinking skills.

Move of the Month: The dragon wags its tail

A man performs the first part of the dragon wags its tail exercise as described in the article. A man performs the second part of the dragon wags its tail exercise as described in the article.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Slightly bend your ankles and knees. Bring your palms together in front of you at navel height. Lengthen your spine and gently arch your waist, head, and neck to the right. Rotate your thumbs and arms to the right as well. Feel a stretch along your entire left side. Pause for a moment and return to the center. Then, gently arch to the left, feeling a stretch on your right side. Repeat the process about 10 times.

Photos by Michael Carroll

Give tai chi a try

Get started with tai chi by taking a class. You can find one at a tai chi center, health club, YMCA, community center, hospital, or senior center.

You won’t need fancy workout clothes or any special equipment to practice tai chi. Just wear loose, comfortable clothing and sneakers (or go barefoot, if that’s your preference and it’s safe for you).

In class, the instructor will show you how to do tai chi movements properly and supervise your progress. The instructor will also be able to modify the moves (if you have physical challenges) or adjust the amount of time you’ll spend standing. “A good tai chi teacher encourages students to sit down and take a break whenever they want,” Chang says.

If it’s not possible for you to get to an in-person tai chi class in winter weather or if you’re uncomfortable trying tai chi in front of other people, consider taking an online class from a trusted source, such as the course offered by Harvard Health Publishing.

A final tip: “Relax and be comfortable while practicing tai chi,” Chang says. “You don’t have to push yourself 110%. Tai chi is safe, accessible, and enjoyable, no matter what your pace.”