Why Stretch?

Is stretching a practice that you have in your daily routine? Do you know the importance and benefits on why it’s recommended to stretch daily?

1.) Improved Posture

In today’s world, we are always sitting. Whether that be at a desk at work, the car, in class, to eat, and home to watch tv. Our bodies are smart and they adapt to the environment and the lifestyle that we live in from day to day. Constantly sitting can cause changes in your body, especially in the cause of having bad posture. Bad posture increases your risk of injury, back pain, knee pain, etc.

Poor posture can be reversed and healed through daily stretching. Stretching will help to strength your muscles that are used to hold a proper alignment in your spine while sitting as well.

2.) More effective workout

Flexibility training is a huge game changer pre and post workout. Stretching loosens up your muscles and allows you to have a better range of motion and mobility. Having a better range of motion means you are able to lunge lower, sprint faster, and jump higher, causing you to have a more effective workout.

Dynamic stretching is great to do before a workout to increase joint flexibility. Static stretching is better post workout as a cool-down.

3.) Pain Management

Pain can be causes by a number of things, muscle tension being one. Muscles support your spine and keep your vertebras in alignment. By improving flexibility and stretching out your muscles, you will reduce muscle tension and tightness.

4.) Prevent Injuries

Injuries, strains and muscle tears happen when a muscle is stretched too far or too fast. By making it a habit to stretch and increase flexibility, over time, you will increase the range of motion that a muscle can move. Which then will decrease your chance of injuring it.

Prior to physical activity, stretching bring blood flow to the muscles. Warming up your muscles and loosing up any tightness they might have will also help to prevent muscle tears or strains.

5.) Decrease muscle soreness

Muscle soreness is caused by little tears in your muscles. Often this happens due to exercise. The muscles get inflamed and then they start to repair and go back.

The muscles then tighten up around the inflamed tissue in a protective response. Soreness and pain can be alleviated by stretching out those muscles.

Do you have a couple minutes a day that you could put towards your health for stretching?