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 lot of work, especially when you wake up bleary-eyed and tired from a late night. We've all been there — when the alarm rings and the energy to start the day feels out of reach.

Hitting the snooze button on the alarm repeatedly causes us to delay the wake-up time further, impacting our work as well. We keep feeling exhausted and miserable the whole day.

So, here's a small 10-minute workout with some long-stretching benefits, courtesy to our good friends at HealthXchange.sg, an initiative by Singapore Health Services (SingHealth), the largest group of healthcare institutions in Singapore.

SingHealth says this workout, shared by physiotherapists from Changi General Hospital (CGH), is meant for office workers aged 35 and below. But with a few modifications, anyone can do it.

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

One exercise – the Pectoral Stretch, where you pull your shoulders back and stretch your chest muscles – relieves tension caused by a poor sitting posture and encourages you to sit up straight while doing computer work.

The workout begins with one minute of light skipping or jumping jacks, a cardio exercise that increases the heart rate. This can be done slowly at first to warm up, building speed towards the end of the minute.

It is followed by two minutes of stretching to build flexibility in the limbs and then a series of muscle-toning and strength-building exercises before finishing with cool-down stretches.

So, without further adieu, let's get to it.

The Wake Up

The warming-up part of the exercise begins right after you wake up. Just take a minute and start with some deep breathing exercises and trunk twists.

Just inhale deeply and expand your lungs as much as you can. Exhale slowly and repeat.

For trunk twists, turn your hips and left leg to the right while pulling your upper body back towards the left. You should feel the stretch around the core muscles. Repeat on the other side.

You can have a light snack like a slice of toast or a glass of juice before the workout, but if you have a heavy breakfast, wait two hours before exercising.

The Main Workouts

Jumping jacks (for warm-up and cardio)

• Stand with your legs together and your arms by your side.
• Jump, spreading your legs and arms.
• Do it for one minute, warming up slowly before building up speed to get your heart rate up.

Seniors ​can replace jumping jacks with brisk walking or marching and modify some of the other exercises depending on their endurance levels.

For seniors: Brisk walking or marching on the spot

• ​Walk or march briskly on the spot for one minute instead of doing jumping jacks.

Pectoral stretch (to improve posture)

Sit upright in a comfortable chair and lift both hands as if you are surrendering. Then, take your elbows back as much as you can and feel the stretch in the pectoral muscles in your chest.

Do two and hold each for 20 seconds.

Quadricep stretch (for flexibility)​

• Hold on to something stable, such as a sturdy chair.
• Stand on one leg and hold the other leg up with your hand. You should feel a gentle stretch at the front of your thigh. Try to bring your heel up to your buttocks.
• Stretch each leg twice and hold each stretch for 20 seconds​.​​

Hamstring stretch (for flexibility)​

Sit at the edge of a chair.

Stretch one leg and bend your body forward from the hips, but keep your back straight. You should feel a gentle stretch at the back of your thigh.

​Stretch each leg twice and hold each stretch for 20 seconds.​

Wall squats (for strengthening muscles in the thigh and buttocks)

• Lean against the wall with your feet pointing forward and shoulders straight, touching the wall.
• Slide down the wall until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Keep your back against the wall and ensure your knees are not past your toes when you lower your body.
• ​Revert to the starting position.
• Do three sets of 10.

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

Calf raises​​​ (for strengthening calf muscles)​​

• Start by holding onto something stable, such as the back of a sturdy chair. With your feet pointing forward, keep your knees straight and raise your heels off the floor.
• Lower your heels and repeat.
• Start with three sets of 10, then work your way to 15.

Shoulder retracting (for strengthening shoulder blade muscles)​

• Push your arms against your body while you tighten and move your shoulder blades inwards. Then, relax your shoulders and arms.
• Do two sets of 20.

Front planks (for strengthening trunk muscles)

• Lying flat, face downwards on a mat, lift your body up using your toes and elbows. Keep your body as straight as possible.
• Hold for 20 seconds and return to the original position.
• Do it one to three times.

** For seniors: If you cannot hold your position, try an easier version by doing it on an incline.

​For example, prop your arms on a sofa and raise yourself up from the knees, not your toes. Otherwise, eliminate this exercise from your workout altogether.