Health Product of the Week: Bend

I used to be pretty flexible. As a teenager, I could touch my toes with straight legs, give myself a full handshake behind my shoulder, and generally move easily. But my twenties spent carrying kegs and writing articles has gradually eaten away at that. I don’t make noises when I bend over or stand up, but I’m heading that way without an intervention. In short, I can touch my shins, but not my toes anymore.I’ve wanted to change this for a while, as daily stretches can reduce bodily stress, aches, and strains and are a refreshing start to the day. I’m also following an intensive 10-month weight training plan —for a long-term health article I’m writing — and a bit of stretching seems wise when doing 7 hours a week of weights work.Enter Bend: the first product I can recommend in this Health Product of the Week series and the app that finally got me into daily stretching. It’s a fundamentally simple app but extremely handy, containing a series of stretching routines that you can choose, favorite, and customize, which you then go through. Each exercise has a timer, with a simple chime alerting you when to move to the next, and all are demonstrated clearly with simple but chic illustrations. If the static picture isn’t enough, tap the info button, and you’re presented with an animation of a person getting into the stretch position, along with written instructions and tips for doing it correctly, including ways to make it easier or harder.Though you can make your custom stretch routine, the existing ones are more than capable enough for me, at least for my “Beginner” experience level. Some are themed around times of the day, like the five-minute “Wake Up” stretch or middle of the day “Detox,” whereas others are for post-workout recovery, and then there are whole sections focusing on specific body parts. My shoulders can feel ambiently sore on a rest day from workouts, but I can go into the app, tap into the “Targeted” section, and find the shoulder stretch routine waiting for me. Whether you want to relax, feel more energetic, improve your posture, or warm up for a run, there’s everything you could need here.It’s available on iOS or Android, and the only niggle to note is that Bend isn’t free, and the pricing varies a lot. Its monthly cost ranges from $5 a month to $19, and sometimes there’s a free trial, and sometimes there isn’t, but the annual subscription is almost always available for $24, and that’s more than worth it for me. It’s easy to use, doesn’t throw in unnecessary gimmicks, and makes me feel better every day. And it’s not often you can say that about an app.

Health Product of the Week: Bend

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