Stretching
Stretching enhances flexibility, prevents injury and improves daily movement. Regular practice helps counter modern sedentary lifestyle effects on the body.
Last updated
Stretching enhances flexibility, prevents injury and improves daily movement. Regular practice helps counter modern sedentary lifestyle effects on the body.
Last updated
Stretching has many benefits. It can help improve muscle range of motion, making it easier to perform physical activities and everyday tasks. Stretching also helps blood flow, can prevent injuries, and improve the connection between the mind and body.
Technology has led more people to spend long hours sitting and staring at screens. This sedentary lifestyle can cause various physical problems. As a result, stretching and corrective exercises have become important to counter these issues. Just as animals stretch after a nap, humans need to stretch after long periods of inactivity. Our modern way of life has made our bodies stiff and rigid, making regular stretching necessary to maintain flexibility and overall health.
Exercises inspired by our natural abilities, like those we used as children, are becoming more popular. People are exploring activities that mimic everyday movements and playful actions. This approach to fitness helps prevent stiffness and rigidity while allowing people to enjoy activities such as playing with their children and going on adventures.
Our daily lives involve much less movement than in the past, leading to reduced muscle mass and range of motion. For example, if you never lift your arms overhead or always keep your hips at a 90-degree angle while sitting, those positions become fixed. Stretching helps prevent this "cast-like" stiffness.
For someone with stiff shoulders from years of sitting at a computer, shoulder and upper back stretches can help. For those without significant stiffness, activities like lifting weights overhead, doing handstands, or hanging from a bar can maintain mobility. Using your full range of motion regularly is required for a healthy body.
Using full range of motion in strength training can also improve flexibility. Exercises like deep split squats, push-ups with hands elevated, stiff-leg deadlifts, and pull-ups with pauses at the hang position all stretch various muscle groups. The goal is to incorporate range of motion into everyday exercise routines.
Children don’t usually need to stretch because they naturally use their bodies’ abilities. Engaging in activities like swimming, martial arts, climbing, sprinting, and dance encourages full body movement and helps maintain flexibility and health.
Incorporating stretching into daily routines can be simple. Practices like yoga and tai chi offer physical and mental benefits. These activities can be low-effort and meditative while helping you use and maintain your range of motion. For more targeted mobility work, higher intensity stretches may be necessary. For high intensity stretches, recovery is important, similar to strength training.
There are many different stretches and routines that can be used on targeted areas of the body and it is simple to search online to find a routine that works for you. If you are just getting started, the two most impactful stretches that help promote mobility and flexibility are:
Hang: This involves grabbing hold of a bar or tree branch with an overhand grip and hanging for as long as you can support yourself. It provides a safe, full-body stretch and also serves as an effective strengthening exercise.
Start with 30 seconds to 1 minute per session.
Gradually increase to 2-3 minutes total, broken into sets if needed.
Squat: Place your feet approximately shoulder-width apart, bend your knees with a straight or slightly arched back, and lower your torso all the way down until your butt is nearly touching the ground. This stretch is comprehensive, targeting your feet, calves, achilles, hamstrings, quadriceps, buttocks, lower and upper back, and shoulders.
Hold for 30 seconds to 2 minutes per stretch.
Repeat 2-3 times per session.
Here are some general guidelines for incorporating stretching as part of your routine:
Frequency: Stretch 3-5 times per week for general flexibility. Daily stretching can be beneficial for specific mobility goals or correcting postural issues.
Variety: Include hanging and squat stretches to target different muscle groups. Combine them with other stretches for a comprehensive routine.
Progression: Begin with shorter durations and fewer repetitions, gradually increasing as flexibility improves. Listen to your body and avoid overstretching to prevent injury.
Timing: Use dynamic stretches before workouts to warm up muscles. Perform static stretches after workouts or in a separate session.
Consistency is key for improving flexibility. It is better to stretch for shorter durations more frequently than to have long, infrequent sessions. Always warm up before stretching and never stretch to the point of pain. If you have any pre-existing conditions or injuries, consult with a fitness professional or healthcare provider before starting a new stretching routine.
Our modern, sedentary lifestyles with lots of sitting make our bodies stiff and rigid, so stretching is important to maintain flexibility and health.
Activities that mimic natural movements and play, like we did as kids, can help prevent stiffness and allow us to enjoy being active.
If we don't use our full range of motion regularly, like lifting arms overhead, our muscles and joints can get "stuck" in a limited position.
Stretching before and after exercise routines, like shoulder stretches if you sit at a computer, can improve mobility and prevent injury.
Combining strength training that uses full range of motion with dedicated stretching is ideal for overall flexibility.
Simple stretches like hanging from a bar and deep squats can provide full-body stretches to improve mobility when done regularly.
Making stretching a consistent habit, 3-5 times per week, is key for gaining and maintaining flexibility over time.
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