Rachael Morsole - Stretching: Stretches To Increase Flexibility, Relieve Pain, Avoid Injury & Move Better

Heres the thing: we all need to stretch every now and then. The body needs it so much that you could even feel a sense of relaxation and contentment after a stretch. Heck, you could even see the satisfaction in a dog or cats face when it stretches. And we know that, for some reason, stretching is good for us. But why?

Probably the main reason why we stretch even if we are not always aware of doing so is to help loosen up tightened muscles. Stretching as soon as you wake up in the morning, for instance, helps to make the muscles more limber after hours of being on a certain sleeping position. Likewise, a few stretches after carrying a heavy bag helps to ease the discomfort caused by the bags weight.

But what happens if we forget to stretch?

The typical lifestyle of modern-day folks can be described as fast-paced and hardwired, but terribly sedentary. We are too fixated on the screen in front of us that we tend to forget to give your bodies a break from maintaining this rigid posture for long periods of time. This leads to long-term damage on your muscles as well as your skeletal alignment. Keep in mind that as we age, the muscles naturally shorten and become tighter. In time, the range of motion in the joints becomes greatly limited and what used to be easy everyday activities become more arduous to do.

But, if we make the conscious effort to incorporate stretching exercises into our everyday routine, we are more likely to extend (no pun intended) the capabilities of our bodies.

So what are the most important benefits of stretching? You will find the answers listed below:

You become more flexible and resistant to injuries.

Flexibility is the quality of the body in terms of its ability to bend without breaking. As you stretch your muscles regularly, they become more adapted to the range of motions that you subject them to. When that happens, you are more likely to perform well in physical activities and at the same time, become less likely to experience discomfort as you work your muscles. This is because stretching minimizes the strain in the joints and sprain in the muscles since they have already been conditioned by the exercises.

You are less likely to experience sore muscles after a workout.

Whatever strenuous physical activity you engage in on a regular basis, your chances of experiencing delayed onset muscle soreness (or DOMS, for short) after it will be significantly reduced when you regularly stretch. DOMS occurs when the muscles develop microscopic tears in their fibers after they have undergone new, unfamiliar movements. However, when the muscles are trained to be more elastic through stretching, they are much less likely to get these tears.

Your mind becomes more relaxed and calmer.

Aside from benefiting your body, stretching can also benefit your mind. Unlike most other exercises such as lifting and cardio, stretching is more of a slow, calm and relaxing exercise. It enables you to relax the muscles and to follow slow, methodical movements. Also, you will notice that you will only have to focus on your breathing and the muscles you are stretching during each exercise.

As you practice stretching exercises regularly, you will be able to discover even more benefits for yourself. One of the most common responses of those who have been doing stretching exercises for a while is that they have noticed that they tend to feel less stressed throughout the day. It may be that the physiological discomfort they experience has been reduced. It may also be that the mental strain they usually experienced has lowered. However you will respond to regularly engaging in stretching exercises, it is certain that your overall quality of life will improve.

But, before you begin learning the different stretching exercises, it is important to first know about the right techniques to ensure that you will do them all effectively. You will find such information in Chapter 2.