How to move and to stretch your stiff body in five minutes | Julien Hirano | TEDxBasel

In daily life and especially in the COVID-19 time, a lot of people are sitting too long and forget to move their body from time to time. Therefore, many people are complaining about a stiff body and back pain. This five-minute program can help you to refresh your whole body and to be physically and mentally fit again.

Julien Hirano believes sports as a school for life. He also believes in mental strength as an important success factor in sports and in life. He is a sports scientist, a personal trainer, and a mental coach. He runs a company in Basel and supports business people as well as professional athletes from various sports. Furthermore, he holds workshops and gives lectures for companies, sports clubs, and universities in Switzerland and Germany. Julien also has his own podcast which is in Swiss German.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Hi, everyone.

My name is Julien.

I'm a sports scientist, personal trainer,
and mental coach from Basel.

And I have the honor and the opportunity

to present to you a five-minute
physical program

to move your body, to stretch your body,

in order to be fit again
for the next speeches.

Are you ready for that?

Yes? Perfect!

So we are doing that together.

You can stand up.

And I will show you
the following exercises:

So for the first exercise,
we are going in a hips-wide position,

a little bit in your knees,

and we're starting with the shoulders,

and we're doing big circles backwards,

like this.

Very good!

So for the following exercises,

it's very important to do
the movements as big as possible,

and to breathe regularly,

and to keep smiling.

(Laughter)

So we're opening up slightly our chest -

that's important -

and we're doing the rotation
in the shoulders.

So, in this area,

we're often very tight and contracted
after a long home-office day.

So it's important to do
these exercises regularly.

And one more.

Very good!

Now, we're staying in this position.

Our shoulders towards our ears.

We hold it for one or two seconds,

and we release.

We hold it and release.

All the pressure is going down
towards the floor.

Very good!

And down!

And the last one, and down.

Very good!

Now, shoulders forward.

Same exercise as before,
but we're doing the rotation forward.

So now we're feeling a little bit
of contraction in our back,

and we're doing the movement
as big as possible.

Very good!

And one more time.

Very good!

So release.

Now, for the next one,
I'll show you from the side.

We have the hands on our legs.

We're doing a cat back,

that means we're in a round back

and a cow back,

and a cat back, and a cow back.

Very good!

So we do as well this movement
as pitched as possible.

Feel the contraction in your spine.

Feel the contraction in your back.

Very good!

And breathe regularly.

Now, the last time,

and release.

Very good!

So the next one is very important
for your back and for your spine.

So we're doing a rotation.

We're swinging our arms
from the right to the left side.

So more or less shoulder high,

and we swing our arms very easily.

And breathe regularly -

very important -

and keep smiling!

(Laughter)

So now we can add our legs
to the same exercise.

So we do this a little bit slower,
but we integrate our legs.

So always do the opposite.

So right leg to the left side,
and the other side.

So we're connecting
our two brain hemispheres

in these exercises

to be still focused and concentrated.

Very good!

And the last time.

Yes, very good!

Now, next one.

Leaving our knees, elbows together.

So we're opening up our chest,
shoulder blades together -

that's important -

and we're raising our arms,

then back to this position, and close.

Open up, high, down, close.

And you can do this as well
a little bit faster,

or even as well very slow,
but concentrated and forwards.

Very good!

Chest open, close.

Shoulder blades together.

Very good!

And the last one, and close.

Very good!

Now, from the side -

we're often in this position, right? -

you know the situation.

It's on the desk,

so we want to open up this area.

So put your hands on your hips,
and push slightly and in the front,

so we have the opposite -

we want to stretch
all the muscles in the front -

and breathe regularly -

this is very important.

You can even do small movements,
small balancings.

Yes, and it's just slightly
pushing forward.

Very good!

And the last one.

Very good!

OK, from here, rotation again.

To the front, you're going
as well to feel it in your knees,

hands to our head,

and we're going to the right side,
to the middle, and then to the other side.

So we have a stretch from the side -

and I call them "spare ribs" -

so stretch the spare ribs.

Yes, very good!

Keep going!

And always back to the middle,

and release regularly,

you're going as deep as possible.

Very good!

As deep as possible.

Good!

And the last one, to the middle.

Very good!

Now we have two options:

First option, we do the big squats, OK?

So as deep as possible -

I'll show you from the side -

and we have a flat back, and you go down,

and the hips are pointing to the front,

so you'll integrate your arms.

If this is too heavy for you,

you can also do the smaller squats, OK?

So even in this exercise,

you're going to feel
the pressure in your legs.

We want to refill new energy
in the whole body.

That's our goal.

So even in this exercise,
you'll feel the benefits,

or, as I told you, the big squats.

Very good!

Do one more, and good. Release.

The last exercise,
we're going to our toes.

We're stretching our whole body.

I count of three -

one, two, three -

and you release everything.

One, two, three,

and swing your arms to the front.

And breathe.

One, two, three,

and breathe!

And the last one.

One, two, three,

and breathe!

Well done!

Very good job!

You did a great job!

Try to integrate this in your daily life.

Stay healthy.

Thank you very much.

(Applause)