Archive for the ‘Stretching’ Category
There are so many reasons why stretching is good for your body. One of the main and most important reason is to maintain flexibility. As we age, we become less flexible because our muscles begin to tighten. Unless we maintain a regular routine of stretching or Yoga.
Did you know that if you have tight hamstrings and tight hip flexors it could lead to low back pain? Low back pain seems to plague most of us at one time or another. Muscle imbalances can cause pain and injury. For instance, if your quadriceps are stronger than your hamstrings, the hamstrings will be more prone to injury and vice versa.
When we are stretching our muscles, we are elongating and lengthening them. It always feel so good after you have completed a stretching segment. We did not lose our flexibility all in one day and don’t expect to get it back in one day. It is a gradual process which cannot be rushed. Stretching should always be done after lifting weights, or any kind of exercising when the muscles are warm. Never attempt to stretch your muscles at the beginning of your workout with cold muscles.
I would be remiss if I continuously talked about building muscles, burning fat, and weight loss, and did not include stretching. Stretching is a vital part of an exercise program. It can be done at the gym right after your workout, or at home while watching TV. You don’t need any equipment. Stretching will help you stay flexible as you age. When we age, flexibility becomes limited, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Think of it this way, when we are getting stronger and building muscles, the muscle itself actually contracts, which can sometimes make you “muscle bound”. Stretching on the other hand, elongates the muscles. Helping to make your range of motion much larger.
Men are more susceptible to tight muscles and have less flexibility than women. I’m not
saying to jump into a Yoga class (although that would help), but do some basic stretching when the muscles are warm. By the way, if you have tight hamstrings, (behind the thigh) and tight hip flexors (where thigh connects to the hips in front) it may cause some low back pain.
Stretching like anything else, the more you do it the deeper you can go and the better you get at it.