Relax Yourself to Sleep: Sealy Stretching Sequence (Part One)

These Simple Sealy Stretchercise moves can be done every night in as little as 2 minutes on your bed. They will help you stretch and relax your muscles after a busy day, which will in turn help you get a better and recuperative night’s sleep.  They will also help strengthen your back and at the same time deep tone your abdominal muscles.

These specially designed exercises have been put together for Sealy, the world’s biggest bed company, by Celebrity Fitness Expert and Author Lucy Wyndham-Read, to help us all get a better night’s sleep.

1. The Back Strengthener

Simply lie face down on your bed, your arms crossed and your head gently resting on them. Let all your muscles sink in to your mattress, then focus on drawing your belly button up tight to your spine. Hold this for 10 seconds then release. Repeat 3 times. This will strengthen the core muscles that support your back and tone your waist at the same time.

2. The Cat Stretch

Now come up on to your hands and knees, still staying on the bed. Ensure your palms are directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. Arch your back as if you are being pulled up by a belt, hold this stretch in your back and then, keeping your hands in the same position, slowly aim to sit on your heels. This will give you a great stretch through your back. Hold for 5 seconds, slowly come back up to the start position and repeat twice more.

3 The Curl Up

Roll over so you are lying on your back and gently bend both your knees to your chest. Place your arms around your knees, hugging them close into you and hold this for 10 seconds.

4 The Twist

Finish off with gently easing your feet back to the bed.  Keeping knees bent, take your arms over to one side and, gently keeping the knees together, let them drop to the opposite side to your arms. You will  feel a lovely stretch through your back. Hold for 10 seconds then slowly bring the knees back up to the centre and gently let them ease down to the oth er side and bring your arms over to the opposite side. Hold for 10 seconds.

• Demonstrated by Zoe Gillings, Great Britain’s No 1 snow sports champion and 2010 Winter Olympic competitor and snowboarding medal contender.

• Zoe unwinds every night before sleep after a hectic day’s training by doing some simple stretches to ensure she gets relaxed and ready for a really good 9 hours’ sleep – as prescribed by her trainer.