Feeling too tired after waking up? Try this 10-minute workout to jump start the day

Getting out of bed in the morning can often feel like a daunting task, especially when you wake up bleary-eyed and tired late at night. We’ve all been there: when your alarm goes off and you feel like you don’t have the energy to start your day.

Repeatedly hitting the snooze button on your alarm will delay your wake-up time even further, which will affect your work. We continue to feel exhausted and miserable throughout the day.

So, courtesy of our friends at HealthXchange.sg, an initiative of Singapore Health Services (SingHealth), Singapore’s largest healthcare group, here’s a mini 10-minute workout that will give you a long stretch.

SingHealth said the training, shared by physiotherapists at Changi General Hospital (CGH), is aimed at office workers aged 35 and under. But anyone can do it with a few changes.

This power-packed routine includes stretching, cardio, flexibility, muscle toning, and strength-building exercises that are part of your regular workout routine.

One of the exercises, the pectoral stretch, pulls your shoulders back and stretches your chest muscles, which relieves tension caused by bad sitting posture and encourages you to sit up straight while working on your computer.

The workout begins with a minute of light skipping or jumping jacks, an aerobic exercise that gets your heart rate up. Start slowly to warm up, then speed up towards the end.

This is followed by a two-minute stretch to increase limb flexibility, followed by a series of exercises to tone and strengthen the muscles before finishing with a cool-down stretch.

So, without further ado, let’s get down to business.

wake up

The warm-up portion of your workout begins immediately after you wake up. Take a moment and start with some deep breathing exercises and core twists.

Take a deep breath and expand your lungs as much as possible. Repeat while exhaling slowly.

To twist your core, rotate your hips and left leg to the right and pull your upper body to the left. You should feel a stretch around your core muscles. Repeat on the other side.

You can have a snack like toast or a glass of juice before your workout, but if you eat a heavy breakfast, wait two hours before training.

main training

Jumping jacks (for warm-up and cardio)

• Stand with your feet together and your arms at your sides.
• Jump with your legs and arms outstretched.
• Do this for 1 minute, warming up slowly before speeding up to get your heart rate up.

Seniors can replace jumping jacks with a brisk walk or march, or modify some of the other exercises depending on their level of endurance.

For the elderly: brisk walk or march in place

• Instead of doing jumping jacks, briskly walk or march in place for a minute.

Chest muscle stretch (posture improvement)

Sit upright in a comfortable chair and raise your hands as if in surrender. Next, pull your elbows back as far as possible and feel the pectoral muscles in your chest stretch.

Do it twice and hold for 20 seconds each.

Stretching the quadriceps (increases flexibility)

• Hold onto something stable, such as a sturdy chair.
• Stand on one leg and lift the other leg with your hand. You should feel a slight stretch in the front of your thighs. Try to keep your heels close to your buttocks.
• Stretch each leg twice, holding each stretch for 20 seconds.

Hamstring stretches (increase flexibility)

Sit on the edge of your chair.

Extend one leg and lean forward from your hips, but keep your back straight. You should feel a slight stretch in the back of your thighs.

Stretch each leg twice, holding each stretch for 20 seconds.

Wall squats (works thigh and butt muscles)

• Lean against the wall with your feet facing forward and your shoulders straight and touching the wall.
• Slide down the wall until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Keep your back against the wall and be careful not to let your knees go past your toes as you lower your body.
• Return to starting position.
• Do 3 sets of 10 reps.

**For seniors: Just follow the first two steps.

Calf raises (trains the calf muscles)

• First, hold onto something stable, such as the back of a sturdy chair. With your feet facing forward, keep your knees straight and lift your heels off the floor.
• Lower your heels and repeat.
• Start with 3 sets of 10 reps and work your way up to 15 reps.

Pull your shoulders (to strengthen your shoulder blade muscles)

• Press your arms against your body, squeezing your shoulder blades and moving them inward. Next, relax your shoulders and arms.
• Do 2 sets of 20 reps.

Front plank (core strength strengthening)

• Lie face down on your mat and use your toes and elbows to lift yourself up. Keep your body as straight as possible.
• Press and hold for about 20 seconds to return to the original position.
• Do this 1 to 3 times.

** For seniors: If you can’t maintain your posture, try an easier version with an incline.

For example, prop your arms up on the couch and lift yourself up on your knees rather than your toes. Otherwise, completely remove this exercise from your training.