It’s early in the morning, your alarm clock is rudely chiming, and you fumble out of bed to turn it off (or, more likely, hit snooze). After you’ve hit snooze a few times and resolved that you need to actually wake up, what is the first thing that many of us do? Stretch!  Stretching can work those night kinks out and help wake you up to start the day. There are also measurable health benefits to taking the time to stretch it out! When I talked to a friend of mine (who was also a personal trainer) about the importance of maintaining flexibility, she explained it to me as flexibility was the difference between being able to go to the bathroom by yourself for the rest of your life, or requiring assistance in your old age. While simplified, it was actually quite a brilliant description because it is something that has always stuck with me, and in the evenings when I’m tired and just want to crawl into bed rather than do my stretches… I think of this. Stretching shouldn’t only be done first thing in the morning or the last thing in the evening, either. Depending on the health benefit you’re focusing on will decide when flexibility training would be the most beneficial for you! One benefit of stretching is increased circulation. Good circulation increases the blood flow and supply of nutrients to muscles and cartilage. This helps reduce muscle soreness after working out. The less sore your muscles are, the less painful it will be to work those same muscles again in your next workout, and you’ll feel the difference in your day to day life as well. There are four main measures of overall fitness: aerobic, muscular, body composition and flexibility. The main way to increase your flexibility is by stretching. As you age, your muscles gradually become shorter and tighter, reducing your overall flexibility. (Isn’t aging just GREAT…) This restriction makes you more susceptible to muscle, tendon and joint injuries. Stretching is primarily responsible for increasing flexibility, and reduces these risks. Increased flexibility also allows you to exercise more easily. Stretching has been shown to effectively increase range of motion in joints. Better range of motion enables you to keep better balance. Better balance means you are less susceptible to falls and the resulting injuries (this is where that going to the bathroom thing comes into play). Increased range of motion also helps to keep you up and moving. And let’s face it, when you’re flexible and have a good range of motion, you FEEL better and WANT to be more active! Stretching can help reduce stress. Everyone is constantly looking for new methods of relief. Like all types of exercise, flexibility exercises like stretching have powerful stress-busting abilities. Stress causes your muscles to contract, becoming tense. This tension can have negative effects on just about every part of your body. Gentle stretching exercises relax tense muscles associated with stress. Also, since stretching is an exercise, it has the same endorphin-boosting effects, improving your mood and the way you feel in general. If you’re goal for incorporating stretching into your life is to help lower stress, stretching periodically through the day, and most especially before bed is a great way to start! Millions of people struggle with chronic lower back pain. Stretching is an excellent way to strengthen the lower back muscles, alleviating soreness and pain. Since many muscles (quadriceps, hamstrings, lower back muscles and hip flexors) contribute to your posture, stretching these muscles has the ability to greatly reduce or eliminate lower back pain. Stretching is something you can do independently, by following a chart (shown below) or joining a Yoga or Pilates class. Since Yoga and Pilates focus on stretching and balance, it’s a great way to increase not only your flexibility but range of motion as well. Stick with it every day for three weeks and you will be amazed at the way you feel! Namaste!

Source Url: http://gobelmont.ca/stretch-it-out/