In this 10‑minute video, MaryKate Schmidt guides viewers through an upper‑body recovery stretch as part of Day 14 of her 30‑day Beginner Babe Challenge. She opens by celebrating the halfway point, reminding participants to follow the challenge calendar and to treat the session as a chance to slow down and recover. The workout proceeds from a seated breathing warm‑up into a series of upper‑body stretches: arm lifts, cross‑body shoulder stretches, tabletop rocking, downward‑dog variations, neck rolls, and seated spinal twists. Throughout, she cues deep nasal breaths followed by sighs, encourages participants to listen to their bodies, and highlights the long‑term benefits of consistent stretching. Interwoven are reflective prompts asking viewers to notice changes in energy, confidence, stress, and overall mood over the past two weeks. The video concludes with a motivational reminder to check off the session, share a photo, and continue the challenge, emphasizing that daily consistency yields gradual improvement.
Chapters
Hey, hey! We are back in the Movement by MK studio, and I am so excited to be with you here today, as always, especially because we are on day 14 of the Beginner Babe Challenge. We are almost halfway, which is seriously something to be so proud of. So what we're going to do today is focus on an upper body stretch. We have been putting in so much time and so much energy and so much effort, and I want to make sure we take the time, as always, to just take a step back and really slow down and just make sure we recover properly. Sound good? Okay, just Remember, you can pick up this stretch at any time that you feel like you need it. And of course, make sure you're following along the challenge calendar. You can check it off one day at a time. All right, so come down on the mat. We are just going to start in a seated position with your feet together here. I want you to close your eyes and just take a moment to take a big deep breath in through your nose and sigh it out through your mouth. Good. A big deep breath in. Sigh it out through your mouth. Good. When it feels right, I just want you to place a little bit of pressure with your elbows just by your knees and drop that head down. Like I said, almost halfway through this challenge, so really taking this moment today to recognize that and to embrace how you feel each and every day that you're giving back to your body. Good. We're gonna roll it up. Arms are gonna come up to the ceiling. We're gonna take a big deep stretch at the top. Same thing, always breathing into your nose and sighing it out through the mouth. Good. You can cross your feet together here. Bring them a little bit closer together. Bring your right arm down and your left arm is gonna reach over. If it feels right, you can even drop down to that right forearm, feeling this big deep stretch all along those shoulder blades. Good. Bringing it center, arms coming on up. Big deep breath in, sigh it on out. Feel free again, dropping down this shoulder, whatever feels good. Forearm can be down on the mat. I'm telling you, do not underestimate the power of stretching. It will do you so well in the long run. Although sometimes it's hard to slow down, it really will pay off. Let's bring it center. Good. We're just gonna bring these arms behind us here. Bringing our feet on up in the center, taking a second to flip our fingertips towards our back, and we're just going to drop it down and bring it forward. Good. So as we go through this stretch together today, think about how you have felt the last 14 days showing up for yourself through movement. Have you felt more energized, more confident, stronger? Have you noticed a difference in your feelings each day? Less stress, less anxiety, less worry, you name it. Hold it here for just a sec, and we're gonna roll out that neck side to side. Good. Feel free to even hang your head heavy and bring it forward or to the side, whatever works. Good. We're gonna flip on over and come into a tabletop. I want your knees positioned down on the mat. Your hands are going to come directly underneath your shoulders. You're going to flip your fingertips towards your knees, and we're just going to rock it back and forth. I do this stretch often, but it just feels so good to get those shoulders loosened up, the low back. Allow your wrists to loosen up as well. Good. Maybe those hip movements get a little bit bigger. Maybe you start circling it out. Whatever feels good. We're going to flip and turn your fingertips to face towards the front, and when it feels right, you're drop that right arm through, holding it here if you can. Left arm is going to come a little bit further in front. Good. Or even better, if you want, you can bring it behind low back. Whatever feels good today for you works for me. Good. Releasing that hand on down, bringing your left arm through Allowing that shoulder blade to rest on the mat. Again, reaching that right arm long, or right arm comes behind your low back. Good. Still focusing on that breath. Big deep breath in, sighing it out through the mouth. Good. We're going to come back into that tabletop. We're going to come into a downward dog here. We're going to hold it center, allowing that head to hang heavy. We have a slight bend in the knees here. Good. We're going to walk our hands all the way back to meet our feet. We're going to shimmy those feet closer together. You're going to place your hands underneath the front of your toes if that feels good. If it doesn't, just keep a slight bend in your knees and keep your hands as far down to the mat as you can. Good. Again, breathe in, sigh it out. Reaching for those opposite elbows, I want you to start swinging it side to side. You'll feel this in your hips as well as those shoulders. Same thing, allowing that head to just loosen on up. Good. We're going to walk it back down into our tabletop and work our way back into a seated position. We come down into that tabletop for just a sec here. We bring it in center, we release it back down. Bring it in, release it back down. Good. Coming back into that seated position, I want you this time to kick your feet long. You're going to bring this right leg over and we're going to stretch out low back, but you're also going to roll out your neck if that feels good. Gaze can come over that shoulder. Good. Switch it on out. Same thing on this side. Slight look behind. Feel free to roll it out. Good. Bringing your feet together, crisscrossing them here. We're going to take your neck and push it over to the side. And just hold it with a slight little pressure, still concentrating on your breath here. Good, bringing it back center, switching it on out. Same thing, just a little bit of pressure. Meeting your hands in front of here, you here, crawling them forward allowing that head to drop down, bringing your hands over to the right. Feel free to stack your hands if that left hand wants to come on top. That will give you that deeper stretch. And bringing it over to the other side. Good. Meeting me back in the center one more time, this time extending just a little bit longer. Feel free to lift your fingertips off the mat if that feels better, and releasing them back down and lifting them back up. Good. When it feels right, I want you to roll it on up to the Bring your arms up one more time for that big deep stretch at the top with that big deep breath in and sighing it on out. Bringing your hands to your heart for just a moment here to think about how you are halfway through a 30-day challenge that you signed up for, maybe not knowing or expecting what you would receive in return. Take a moment to step back and today and think about what energy are you receiving back by showing up for yourself. Sometimes we get so caught up in the end results that we forget about the little feelings we're getting each day. So like I said in the beginning of this stretch, maybe you've been feeling more confident, more energized, less anxious, less worried, and maybe you just feel a little bit lighter inside. That is something to recognize, and as much as you working towards the end result, don't forget about the day-to-day. Every single day that you continue to show up in this challenge, you are going to get a little bit better. And that's why I've broken it down in an easy digestible way for you. So I hope today you have taken that step back and you really realize how far you are coming. Good work, you guys. Thank you so much for doing that upper body stretch with me. Trust me, as your trainer, I know it is very, very challenging to just slow down, release it out, and really get back to your body in a low-impact way. So I tell you, stretching will take you a long way, so just don't forget about it. And remember to let me know how this challenge is going for you. Even check off this upper body recovery session off your calendar and send me a picture and let me know that you did it. I can't wait to keep crushing this challenge with you, and I will see you again tomorrow. Thanks so much and have a good day.
