This exercise to increase flexibility in your shoulders and upper arms will help make it easier to reach for your seatbelt. If you have shoulder problems, talk with your doctor before trying this stretch.
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
- Hold one end of a towel in your right hand.
- Raise and bend your right arm to drape the towel down your back. Keep your right arm in this position and continue holding on to the towel.
- Reach behind your lower back and grasp the towel with your left hand.
- To stretch your right shoulder, pull the towel down with your left hand. Stop when you feel a stretch or slight discomfort in your right shoulder.
- Repeat at least 3 to 5 times.
- Reverse positions, and repeat at least 3 to 5 times.
Reproduced from: Go4Life. National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health. Available at: http://go4life.niapublications.org (Accessed December 2, 2011).
