Taking the time to stretch tends to be the area most overlooked in a fitness routine. Many people only spend time stretching after completing a challenging workout and even then they don’t give it much time or effort. My goal is to change that. I may be a little biased since I am a yoga instructor but I believe any fitness professional will back me in stating that maintaining your flexibility should be a major concern for everyone.
Many people are unaware of when to stretch and how to stretch in order to maintain their flexibility and prevent injuries when completing physical activities. They are unaware of the different techniques of stretching and when to use each one.
Dynamic Stretching
To warm up your muscles you should focus on movements that incorporate all of your muscles and move them through a full range of motion. This is known as Dynamic Stretching and should be a very important component of your fitness routine. This would be your warm-up. It helps prepare your muscles for physical activity and helps to prevent them from injury. You may choose to do some of the exercises that you have planned for your workout with little or no weight. You should always try to spend about 5 minutes warming up your body and performing movements in all of your joints. Simply walking on a treadmill is not a sufficient warm-up.
Static Stretching
When you are finished with your workout you should incorporate a static stretching technique. Static stretching is when you deliberately elongate the muscles to their fullest length. You would hold these stretches for at least 20 seconds and allow your muscles to relax into the stretch. This type of stretching help to maintain and increase your flexibility. It is important to save this type of stretching until the end of your physical activity because elongated muscles may be more prone to injury if you place physical demands on them right after they are stretched.
To maintain or increase your flexibility you should try to practice a static stretching session daily. Even on days where you are not participating in a physical activity you need to stretch. Sitting for long periods of time can be even more damaging to your tissues (or fascia) and a 10 minute simple stretching session may be exactly what your body needs.
Why you need to stretch
Your muscles are made up of elastic fibers. Very much like an elastic band. We all know what happens when we use or stretch the elastic band often, it tends to get larger or stretched out. It often is easier to stretch and there is much less tension when stretched. We also know what happens to an elastic band that has not been used for awhile, it snaps when stretched. Think of your muscles in the same way. A healthy muscle can stretch up to 150% of it’s original length. This provides a full range of motion and allows the body to move without becoming injured.
Muscle elasticity naturally deteriorates with age but this deterioration can be minimized with daily stretching. I am sure we have all seen an older person often hunched forward and walking like every step is agony. Unfortunately, this picture is too often seen. On the other hand I have seen many people in there late 70s and 80s moving better than people in their 20s. I had a gentleman in my Power Yoga class that was outstanding. He made the class look easy when many of my students in their 20s were struggling and barely making it though it. I knew he was an older gentleman but when he told me that he just celebrated his 75th birthday I was completely shocked. I would have guessed that he was in his 50s by the way his body was still able to move.
The Many Benefits of Stretching that you may not be aware of
This story demonstrates why daily stretching is so important. There are actually many more benefits of stretching other than just increasing your flexibility. Some of the other benefits are as follows.
- Improves range of motion
- Increases blood flow to your muscles (keeping them healthy and strong)
- Improves posture
- Helps to heal and prevent back and joint pain
- Helps calms your mind and reduce stress
Hopefully, I have convinced you that stretching should be something that you are doing daily. It doesn’t always have to be a full hour long yoga class (although I am a big fan of yoga), some simple daily stretches will do when you have a lack of time. Focus on all of your major joints. (the areas that you move the most) and stretch to a point that becomes challenging but does not hurt. If you would like some example of daily stretch routines, please check out my stretching & flexibility resources in the self care section of my website. Feel free to use these or create your own. Just try and do something EVERY day.
Are you interested in improving your flexibility or mobility and want help in this area? If so, I can help you! Check out my Corrective Exercise, Flexibility & Mobility coaching. In this program I can help you develop a plan to restore your body and help it to move better.
I am trying. Sometimes I just forget.