How to touch your toes

You've been working out and you want to learn a little more about stretching down to your toes. You have to be in pretty good shape to touch your toes easily. It requires a limber spine and loosened leg muscles. You don't want to force your upper body down onto your lower body without some stretching first. The more you integrate stretching into your daily exercise routine, the easier it will be to touch your toes.

Instructions

1. Stand with your legs hip distance apart. Bend your knees slightly.

2. Bend at the waist, folding your body down, and reaching your arms down toward your toes.

3. Do not bounce if your hands don't reach your toes. Just stand there with your arms hanging down toward your toes and let all the weight of your head go. You don't want to be reaching as much as lengthening in the back of your legs and stretching your spine from the waist to your head. If you let yourself hang there a few minutes, breathing deeply and relaxing, you'll see your hands drop a little bit closer to your toes.

4. If you practice this on a daily basis, you will eventually reach your toes without having to force your muscles. You will have achieved it by relaxing and stretching.

5. You can also try the same thing from a sitting position. You can sit with your legs wide apart, and lean your body over one leg at a time to stretch each leg before bringing them closer together and stretching down across the legs while reaching for your toes. Sitting doesn't give you the help that gravity does when you're standing while attempting this.