Your health and fitness program is never going to be complete without stretching. It is so easy to ignore this activity and barge straight into your workouts but it is stretching that can really add to your efforts by lengthening your muscles and giving your body that lean, toned look. It also lowers the chance that you’ll suffer sore muscles/joints and quickens your recovery time.
Everyone, young and old, male and female, should be stretching
The more you stretch, the more flexible you will be. Not only will this help you complete your training sessions but it also decreases the likelihood of an injury. The older you get the greater chance you’ll have of getting injured, so all the more reason to pay attention to stretching. Of course most people will have different levels of flexibility so you shouldn’t compare your own flexibility to someone 20 years younger than you!
Bad posture can make the most attractive people look unattractive
Stretching can be a great preventative against postural problems (both now and later on in your life). If you start to neglect your posture and just carry on with the rest of your workout problem you could suffer as you become older because unfortunately some posture problems can get to the point where they’re irreversible. Give your future retired body a break now by improving your posture and stretching before and after your workouts.
Stretching should be performed directly after warming up
Warm muscles stretch a lot better than cold muscles so don’t go out and try and stretch outright. Do a low intensity 5 or 10 minute workout such as jogging. Ideally you’ll want to warm up your entire body though so sometimes I like to do some creative jogging on the spot (please don’t ask to see videos of this).
Once you’re all warmed up you can go on and stretch all the muscle groups in your body.
Only use slow and controlled movements when stretching
Don’t jab your muscles into shape! If you bounce around trying to ‘feel the burn’ you’ll actually run the risk of an injury not to mention the fact that you won’t truly be ’stretching’ your muscles as the muscles will engage and tense as a reaction to the bouncing. Just make sure you’re slow and relaxed as you complete your stretches.
Stretching before a workout and afterward is going to really put your body in a good place physically
I would recommend trying to improve your flexibility in the same way one tries to improve their muscle size, or strength. Keep trying to make small improvements until you’re at your optimum flexibility.
Some pointers regarding stretching:
- Try not to favor one muscle group over the other. For instance if you’re stretching your core, make sure to stretch your lower back as well as your abs.
- Try stretching just before going to bed as it can be a great way to calm yourself and prepare for a good night’s sleep
- Make stretching as much of a habit as brushing your teeth and just a week’s time you’ll notice the difference - both in the way you feel, and the way you look.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 0 comments… add one now }