Benefits of Stretching

Benefits of Stretching
If you want to get fitter, or try to lose some weight, the
first point of call is your diet. You decide what you
should cut back on and what you should add to your diet to
achieve your goals. The second thing that you will probably
consider is a good exercise program. In most peoples views
a good exercise program will initially consist of some type
of cardio exercise. After this some people may try to
incorporate some sort of weight training regime.

An essential part of any exercise program is often ignored
by most people. This essential part is stretching. Some
people may go through the motions with a couple of minutes
of stretching before a workout, but most people do not
realise the wonderful benefits that stretching can give
them. Stretching along with cardio and weight training
should be considered as being a vital part of any exercise
program.

The first thing to remember is that you should always have
a good warm up before stretching. This is because a warm
muscle is always going to be more flexible than a cold one,
and this will avoid the risk of any injury. The second
thing is to make sure that you do not push too far when
stretching. Always go to the point where you can feel the
pull and not to the point where it becomes painful.

As children we are naturally pretty flexible but this
changes as we get older. Our muscles begin to get tighter
and this is why it is so easy to pull a muscle, or often
wake up in the mornings feeling sore and stiff if we
haven't slept with a good posture. As children the bulk of
our world consists of physical play. We run around and move
about in ways that stretch our bodies. When we get older
all this stops. You rarely hear of children complaining of
back pain or pulled hamstrings.

You should have a good stretching program consisting of 10
to 15 minutes. You will get most value from stretching if
you do it after your normal workout. The benefits of
stretching are many, and here are just a few:

When you exercise you are basically stressing your muscles.
It is this stress that is going to make your muscles
stronger or give you muscles endurance. Stretching after a
workout is going to reduce the stress on your muscles
because stretching will allow your blood to reach the
stressed muscles more quickly, and it is your blood that
carries the nutrients that are going to repair you. You
will have less soreness in your muscles the day after a
workout, allowing them to recover more quickly.

Stretching will improve your posture. It will make your
body feel more comfortable. This will be noticeable in the
way you stand and the way you move around. Good posture is
extremely important for good physical health. After all it
is bad posture that will end up giving you muscular
problems in the long term.

Stretching will improve your daily life and allow you to
perform tasks with more ease. It helps movement and you can
improve everyday things such as bending, leaning, and
carrying. How many times have you pulled a muscle or
tweaked something after picking something up and ended up
holding your back? How many times have you turned or moved
suddenly and felt a stab of pain? This is because your
muscles are tight and therefore not prepared for the
particular movement, and end up being injured. Stretching
will reduce the chances of this happening.

In conclusion do not ignore or downplay the importance of
stretching. Incorporate stretching into your exercise
program and it will give you benefits which will make you
physically fitter, help you avoid injuries, and basically
increase the quality of your life on a day to day basis. Do
not underestimate the great benefits of stretching.

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