13 Stretching Benefits- Why It’s So Important

Stretching benefits exercises should be a part of any good training plan. Stretching has several health benefits, ranging from improved flexibility to injury prevention.

Daily stretching has been shown to increase the range of motion, flexibility, and blood flow to muscles; it also reduces stress, among other benefits.

When we don’t stretch, muscles become shorter and tighter, which can lead to a reduction in range of motion and flexibility or even increase the risk of injuries.

Stretching is important for keeping your joints and muscles strong and flexible, both for today’s activities and as you get older

Types of Stretching

Dynamic

I did before this type of stretching and during workouts. It requires you to move through stretches repeatedly in a fluid motion.

Passive

I do this type of stretching after working out and require help from bodyweight, equipment, or other props so that my body relaxes and the gravity/equipment does the work.

Active

I did this type of stretching, before and after a workout, and involves contracting the opposing muscle to the area you are relaxing into the stretch.

stretching can be helpful to incorporate into your routine, but when and how you should do each of them depends on your goals and the type of exercise you do.  

Here are a few ways that stretching can benefit you and how to do it safely and effectively. 

stretching benefits

Improve your posture

According to NBC News, there are some significant benefits associated with a morning stretch routine. Those who work for a long time sitting in front of the computer especially have muscle got tension. Therefore, they should stretch to help straighten the body muscle and prepare for the next day’s work. 

Whether you’re a young adult who is a serious athlete or an older adult with a more limited exercise program, flexibility is necessary to keep your joints and tissues healthy. Your muscles might become weary and tight if the tissues around a joint become rigid, making you more susceptible to ailments like muscle strains or ligament tears.

Reduce muscle pain

Stretching helps to prevent the muscle from injury. Stretching is a method that is commonly utilized in the sports business to aid in the recovery of athletes’ muscles.

Muscle pains and joint discomfort can occur during the day. While the discomfort can occur at any moment during the day, it is most common in the morning after a long period of rest. Stretching in the morning helps reduce muscular and joint aches and pains while also warming up the body, just like it does in sports.

You should not sleep in after turning off the alarm, but wake up to sip water and stretch your muscles. We should do stretching every day.

Increase blood flow

Morning stretching, according to the American College of Sports Medicine, helps boost blood flow throughout the body, particularly in the brain. The body will benefit from increased blood flow, which will improve attention and mental clarity.

You can save a thousand cups of coffee if you set aside a few minutes in the morning for stretching.

Wake your body up

Stretching first thing in the morning prepares your entire body for a full day of work.

Of course, you can stretch your muscles soon after drinking a large glass of water to rehydrate your body after a long night’s sleep.

You must avoid sleeping in after the alarm has sounded. Sleeping in does not make you feel more energized or fresh. Instead, stretch to wake up and energize yourself for a productive working day.

Stretching maintains mobility

“If I don’t have a better range of motion, it’s going to limit my ability to do things like kayaking and hiking and all the other things I want to do,” says Barbara Bushman, an exercise physiologist and kinesiology professor at Missouri State University who is also a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Stretching helps to preserve a range of motion, which is important for everyday tasks like walking, bending, and twisting, as well as sporting endeavors.

As people get older, their range of motion decreases. Flexibility is reduced with age, according to a big 2013 study, starting around the age of 30 or 40. The study also discovered that some joints, such as those in your spine, lost more flexibility than others, making it difficult for individuals to move around.

As people age, they become more stooped over and their walking stride shortens, making stretching even more vital.

“It’s incredibly important to maintain flexibility and joint mobility to age gracefully and stay active,” says Michael Fredricson, a professor of orthopaedic surgery at Stanford University and the lead physician for the Stanford track and field and swimming teams.

Michael Fredricson

Get Fresh Oxygen Flow

A lack of oxygen might impair your performance and cause major injury to your joints. If we have not supplied these areas with oxygenated blood, you may have pains, aches, and tension when you exercise. Stretching promotes the flow of fresh oxygen via your bloodstream to the rest of your body, which helps with not only pain relief and injury prevention but also movement performance.

Increase Coordination

This is especially useful for folks who are doing strength training. Stretching when a muscle is tired or burned out allows you to re-establish the mind-muscle pathways, making you feel more coordinated and allowing you to refresh your technique to maintain your motions safe for the duration of the workout.

Get an Energy Boost

It’s just as important to do this mid-exercise as it is to give new oxygen and wake up your body before your workout. You’ll stay energized and re-energized as needed to get through the difficult times.

Reduce Lactic Acid Build Up

Lactic acid will be felt in the body, especially if you are doing intensive strength training or high-intensity interval training sessions. Stretching aids in the removal of it from the body. Lactic acid buildup can cause fatigue and soreness, which might impair your performance for the rest of the workout. Stretching relaxes the muscles and aids in the removal of lactic acid buildup.

Intensify Body Movement

Stretching allows your body to move more freely by lengthening muscles and eliminating tight regions in the connective tissue. When you conduct repetitious or strong training activities, the muscles contract as you work, therefore, it’s essential to recreate the length to do the movements when you switch to a new activity. If you’re doing lunges, for example, stretch your quads and hamstrings before moving on to a squat. That way, you’ll be able to squat deeper and with greater technique.

Protect Your Joints

Connective tissue surrounds your joints, and muscles attach to them. You may reduce tension around your joints (think knees, hips, and shoulders) by practicing moving through your range of motion. The pressure on joints is relieved, allowing them to move more easily. Stretching after an exercise, massages your joints while your body is still warm.

Reduce the Risk of Cramping

When you stretch to get rid of lactic acid buildup, you’re also relaxing your muscles and allowing energy, body fluids, and blood to move freely without getting stuck anywhere, which can lead to cramping.

Because dehydration might contribute to post-workout cramps, we recommend drinking some water while stretching.

Cool Down Your Body

Improved circulation results in a reduced heart rate that progressively returns to resting levels. Stretching helps you rebalance your body at a slower speed, giving your body and mind a sense of patience, mindfulness, and relaxation after your workout.

Now you have every reason to stretch at the start, middle, and end of your workouts—so get stretching! Your body will be grateful!

How to stretch properly?

Stretching should not be a painful experience. Instead, stretch until you are slightly uncomfortable. Stop if you are in excruciating agony, especially if you have an injury in the area.

If you’re stretching before an athletic activity, use dynamic stretches and concentrate on the joints you’ll be utilizing. This could involve arm circles for your upper body. Leg swings and lunges are examples of lower-body exercises. We should repeat each stretch many times on each side.

Bushman also recommended dynamic stretching on all major joint areas at least two or three times each week to preserve a complete range of motion. These are some areas:

• Shoulders
• Neck
• Lower back
• Hips
• Legs
• Ankles

Static stretching, according to Fredericson, should be done every day to enhance flexibility and posture. For static stretching, Page explains, “The slogan I’ve always stated is: You have to warm up to stretch.” Static stretches, according to Fredericson, should be done after a workout while they warmed your muscles up.

According to Fredericson, when stretching statically, hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds before repeating it three times on each side. Reaching for your toes while standing or dragging your foot toward your glute are examples of static stretches.

“I’m a huge believer in mixing stretching with foam rolling or some other sort of soft-tissue mobilization,” says Fredericson.

+10 benefits of stretching yoga

People of all ages can benefit from yoga’s physical and mental health benefits. Yoga can also be an important part of your treatment if you’re sick, recuperating from surgery, or living in a chronic condition. It can help you heal faster.

Patients can work with a yoga therapist to create tailored regimens that complement their medical and surgical treatments. As a result, yoga can aid in the healing process by allowing the person to experience symptoms with greater calm and less discomfort.

Yoga lifts, balances, and stretches the body.

Slow movements and deep breathing help to warm up muscles and boost blood flow, while holding a pose can help you gain strength.

Give it a shot: Pose of a tree
Balance on one foot while keeping the other at a right angle to your calf or above the knee (but never on the knee). While balancing, try to concentrate on one point in front of you for one minute.

Back discomfort can be relieved with yoga.

In patients with lower back discomfort, yoga is just as effective as basic stretching at relieving pain and improving mobility.

Give it a shot: Pose of a Cat with a Cow
Place your palms beneath your shoulders and your knees beneath your hips while on all fours. Inhale first, allowing your stomach to sink toward the floor. Exhale while drawing your navel toward your spine and arching your spine like a cat stretching.

Yoga can help with the symptoms of arthritis.

According to a Johns Hopkins assessment of 11 recent research, gentle yoga has been demonstrated to relieve some of the discomforts of sore, swollen joints in persons with arthritis.

Yoga is good for your heart.

Regular yoga practice may help to reduce stress and inflammation throughout the body, resulting in healthier hearts. Yoga can help with several of the conditions that contribute to heart disease, including excessive blood pressure and obesity.

Downward Dog Pose is good to try.
Get down on your hands and knees, then tuck your toes under and raise your sitting bones to form a triangular shape. Keep your knees slightly bent while stretching your spine and tailbone.

Yoga helps you sleep better by relaxing you.

A consistent bedtime yoga program, according to research, can help you get in the attitude and prepare your body to fall and stay asleep.

Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose is fun to try.
Sit against a wall on your left side, then turn right and slowly bring your legs up to rest against the wall, keeping your back on the floor and your sitting bones near the wall. We can hold this position for 5 to 15 minutes.

Yoga can give you more energy and make you feel happier.

After getting into a yoga regimen, you may notice an increase in mental and physical energy, a boost in attentiveness and enthusiasm, and fewer negative feelings.

Yoga can assist you in reducing stress.

Scientific data show that yoga helps with stress management, mental health, mindfulness, healthy eating, weight loss, and good sleep, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Try It Out: Lie down with your limbs gently extended out, away from the torso, and your palms facing up in Corpse Pose (Savasana). While breathing deeply, try to clear your mind. We can hold this stance for 5 to 15 minutes.

Yoga brings you into contact with a supportive community.

Yoga lessons can help to ease loneliness and provide a safe place for collective healing and support. Even during one-on-one sessions, loneliness is decreased since each person is acknowledged as a distinct individual, listened to, and helped to create a specific yoga strategy.

Summary

Stretching is important for keeping your joints and muscles strong and flexible, both for today’s activities and as you get older. “The issue is that as we become older, we lose our flexibility. You lose it if you don’t use it, “Page explains”.

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