By Pallavi Sharma
I am here to reveal the greatest secret to attaining healthy muscles, but first things first! Try doing this little exercise with me. Regardless of where you are, be it sitting on a chair, in your bed, on your couch or even at your desk at work, raise your hands to the ceiling and try to straighten out your legs for a brief time. Now push your hands towards the ceiling and your legs towards the ground as if someone were to pull you with a lot of strength from both ends like a rope in a tug-of-war. Hold this posture for 10 seconds and release. How do you feel? Do you feel like it was a much needed stretch for your tight muscles? Do you feel a stream of new energy flowing through your body as the blood begins to circulate? And most of all, do you feel good? 
I am pretty sure the answer to all of the questions above is a very big YES!
Stretching has always been quite underrated, but it is truly quite important for a healthy body. It not only improves flexibility in the muscles and the joints and increases the range of motion, but it also reduces the chances of injury while playing a sport, reduces tension in tight spots in the body and increases blood flow in different parts which cures injuries by providing them nutrient supply.
This is where our dear friend Yoga comes into play, which has proven to be the best form of stretching exercise for centuries now. So what is the first thing you do when you wake up early in the morning, when your body is well rested but lacks the agility which you would require to kick-start your day? The following video has some highly effective early morning yoga postures which will bring about that much needed alertness in your body as you wake up. I call these COFFEE STRETCHES! (because just like coffee, it has similar “waking up” effect on your body, but comes with health benefits intact! )
