5 reasons why you should stretch

Stretching is very important at the beginning and end of an exercise. But its functions go beyond preventing strains and sprains. So why stretch?

1. Stretching before beginning an exercise prevents injuries. Helps muscles “warm up” and prepare before moving on to more intense exercises. Helps prevent “pulled muscles.” Allows for a greater range of motion. For example, if you are going to punch hard without stretching, you will ‘jolt’ your relaxed muscles into motion, thus causing pain and discomfort. To prevent this from happening, start by gently pumping your arms or extending your arms above or below. You can also do leg extensions, either on the floor or elevated. For high leg lifts, it should not be immediate, but gradual and slow. The higher the leg stretch, the more the muscles are pulled, so do it slowly. When stretching, don’t bounce. Bouncing can cause small tears (microtears) in the muscles that can cause scar tissue. These scar tissues can make movement painful and future stretching more painful and difficult. If you feel the stretch become more painful, it means you’ve gone too far. Focus on a more comfortable and pain-free stretch. Be sure to stretch both sides as well. It extends your range of motion more that way. Also, the movement doesn’t just go in one direction, right?

2. Stretching improves flexibility. When you constantly stretch, you also become more flexible, so activities that require flexibility, like dancing and kicking, sprinting and running, even basic tasks like lifting and tying your shoes, can become easier. Flexibility also decreases with age, so it’s best to stretch regularly so you can maintain your flexibility.

3. Stretching promotes better breathing and respiratory (or oxygen) flow. Stretching allows oxygen to flow better through your body and also helps improve blood circulation. Body aches and sores are usually caused by increased tightness and tension due to lack of oxygen flowing to different parts of your body. Stretching allows oxygen to move freely and move better.

4. Stretching reduces stress and improves posture. Stress causes muscles to contract and knot, which can cause tension and back pain. Stress causes negative effects on your body. The muscles stiffen and slow the flow of oxygen (carried by the blood) to the brain, which confuses thinking. Stretching returns the flow of oxygen and regulates it, reoxygenating the brain and also the heart. In addition to greatly contributing to circulation, or blood flow, stretching also releases endorphins, or feel-good hormones, into the body that can lift your mood and make you feel good. Stretching also greatly improves posture, as it prevents muscles from becoming too tight, causing the body to slouch and stiffen. When you have good posture, circulation flows better and you can look good and feel good all day long.

5. Stretch after exercising. Lactic acid builds up in your muscles while you exercise, leading to fatigue and soreness. This can be remedied with “cool down” exercises or post-exercise stretching. Post-exercise stretching can aid in workout recovery, decrease post-workout muscle soreness, and ensure your muscles and tendons are in good working order. If you stretch after working out, you are conditioning your muscles and, in a way, relaxing them after a vigorous regimen. Its goal is to return the muscles to the pre-exercise stage. It’s like telling your muscles that the hard part of the workout is done. This part of the exercise is called a “warm-down” and generally consists of light exercises such as brisk walking, calf stretches, and static stretching. In addition to relaxing your muscles, cool-down exercises are also meant to re-oxygenate your heart, since it has used up too much oxygen for exercise. This means allowing steady breathing and allowing the muscles to push oxygen back to the heart.

Stretching, although it takes minimal time throughout your workout or exercises, is still a very important part of the activity and should not be taken lightly. The degree of pain you may feel or how good you feel after a workout depends on the proper and effective form of stretching.