I Could Never Stick to My Stretching Routine. Then I Found This App.

The Bend app offers an impressive library of guided stretching routines tailored to specific areas of the body, such as your neck, lower back, or hips. The app, for which a subscription costs around $30 per year, includes additional modules of varying lengths that range from quick, five-minute sessions to more comprehensive, 30-minute routines. Bend also allows you to create your own custom routines, but for me the premade sessions have been the key to building a consistent habit. All I have to do is pick one and start stretching.

I particularly like starting my mornings with the app’s five-minute Wake Up routine, which gently gets my body moving, and I often break up long workdays with short sessions like the Posture Reset, a routine that targets tech neck and slouched shoulders. If I’m feeling particularly ambitious at the end of the day, I try to tackle a 30-minute full-body stretch session, but more often than not, I prefer winding down with the Sleep routine, a calming 10-minute stretch session that involves a lot of lying on the floor.

What I love most about Bend, though, is its thoughtful design. The app is aesthetically pleasing, with a calming, muted color palette and a streamlined interface that eliminates visual clutter.

Each stretch includes detailed instructions accompanied by a video of an actual human demonstrating the stretch, a visual countdown timer, and a gentle sound cue to signal transitions. The app’s timer pauses automatically if you need to revisit instructions, so I never feel rushed or left guessing what to do next during a session. All of this has taken the guesswork out of stretching and in turn has made it more enjoyable and much easier to do. With Bend, stretching has become something I genuinely look forward to rather than a chore I dread.

“The best time of day for stretching is the time of day that you will consistently stretch,” says Milica McDowell, an orthopedic physical therapist with more than 20 years of experience in the field. “When we are trying to incorporate a new behavior into our lives, consistency and routine are key ways to make a behavior a habit.”

That consistency is the real key to reaping the benefits of stretching.

“It can help improve your joint mobility and flexibility over time, which helps prevent both overuse and acute injuries,” explains McDowell. Regular stretching also primes your body for physical activity, whether it’s sports or everyday tasks, by enhancing coordination and movement patterns. And for folks like me who spend long hours sitting at their desks, stretching tight areas such as the back, hips, calves, and shoulders can gradually improve posture and reduce discomfort.

To help make stretching habitual, Bend allows you to set reminders at your preferred times of day. I have mine set for 9 a.m., 1 p.m., and 9 p.m. Seeing those notifications pop up on my home screen throughout the day is very effective; they’re helpful reminders to uncurl my back and pull back my shoulders, and then to get my body moving in a meaningful way.

My favorite accountability feature, though, is how the app tracks my progress with streaks. As a former talented-and-gifted kid who thrived on chore-tracking sticker charts, I was immediately hooked on keeping my stretching streak alive. Seeing the numbers add up day by day became surprisingly motivating. Competing against myself to maintain a perfect record — even on days when I would rather skip the stretch — was often enough to get me off the couch and onto my mat.

As for how much time you should spend stretching, the science varies — and each individual body varies, which is why it is best to first consult a medical professional if you are in pain. Some studies suggest that at least five minutes over the course of a week may be enough to offer some benefits.

Though the amount you may need to stretch depends on your body, you can overdo it. “I’ve worked with numerous patients over the years who either stretched when they weren’t properly warm and suffered a muscle strain, or stretched into postures their connective tissues weren’t ready for, suffering a ligament sprain,” says McDowell. “If you are stretching into ranges of motion you don’t really have ‘ownership’ of, you could irritate sensitive tissues like disks in your spine or upset old injuries.”

To minimize risk, she emphasizes warming up your muscles before stretching, avoiding aggressive or forced movements, and steering clear of ranges of motion your body isn’t ready to handle. But generally, as McDowell puts it, “The best answer is as many minutes as you will consistently do.” For most people, five to 10 minutes is a great starting point — and Bend makes those minutes feel purposeful and easy to maintain.

Over the past few months of using Bend daily, I’ve noticed a remarkable difference in how my body feels. I’m less achy, more loose and limber, and I’ve also been more conscious of my posture even when I’m not actively stretching.

But it isn’t just my physical health that has improved — I can feel a difference in my mood throughout the day too. Stretching has become a form of self-care that helps me reset, relax, and feel more grounded. It isn’t just a placebo effect, either.

Stretching plays a crucial role in calming your nervous system and can be a natural mood booster, which is why I like to start my mornings with one of Bend’s routines. “It helps release hormones like serotonin and endorphins, which can improve your mood, reduce stress, and enhance mental clarity,” McDowell says. Incorporating stretching into a daily self-care routine can help you feel more productive and better equipped to handle stress.

However, it isn’t without its limitations. Though Bend’s catalogue of stretches is large, it’s also finite. “There’s a strong chance you’re going to want variety or more challenges in the future,” says Wirecutter senior staff writer Seth Berkman. He adds, “I would advise anyone [looking to begin stretching] to consult with a physician, if possible, before entering into any kind of routine.” You can ask your doctor for recommendations for stretches specific to your needs and also go over proper form to prevent injury. Seth also points out that you can find many helpful stretches and exercises for free on YouTube and other social media platforms.

Bend’s pricing and subscription model is a touch confusing. Whether you get a free trial seems to depend on where you click in from; some of our staff received free-trial offers while others did not. And once you are ready to pay for a full year, the pricing is also inconsistent.

We reached out to Bend, and representatives confirmed that the annual subscription price is $40, but the company often runs promotions bringing the price down to $24 per year. The monthly subscription varies too, with a price of $5 to $15 a month, depending on whether a promotion is running. After my free trial ended, I wavered when I saw the yearly fee of $40, so I decided not to subscribe. But minutes later, I got an alert that a yearly membership was suddenly $24 — so I jumped on it.

Although we can’t be sure when the $24 promotion will run, we can suggest that if you see only the higher price at checkout, it may be worth exiting the app to see if Bend offers a lower price.

For me, the Bend app has been instrumental in creating a consistent habit that makes me feel so much better. It’s like having a personal stretching coach in my pocket, easy to access no matter where I am. I mainly stretch at home, but it’s also a perfect gym companion and great to use while I’m on vacation.

This year, stretching daily is making another appearance on my list of resolutions. But this time, I know I’ll stick with it — because I already am.

This article was edited by Hannah Rimm, Katie Okamoto, and Maxine Builder.