Would you go to Paris without seeing the sights? Of course not. But a lot of people go to the gym, and or consider themselves to be fit, without ever doing a regular stretching routine.
In fact above aerobics, and above strength training, healthy bodies depend on having a full and regular program of stretching. Arguably, stretching our muscles for our grandparents and all the generations that came before them was not nearly so essential. In an agrarian society where people ate what they planted and raised up from the soil; bending, stretching, and lifting was a part of everyday life six or more days a week. Later when millions migrated from farms into urban areas stretching was still a part of life because manual labor had not yet been replaced by machines. Even office workers who spent a good part of their day at a desk had to regularly rise up and go to a file cabinet. Now you click a button on your computer and that file comes to you. When you reached home, you got out of the car, bent down and pulled up the garage door. And after dinner you sat down to watch TV, but got up again and again to change the channel and adjust the sound.
Today we’ve done away with all that as well. Stretching is largely a thing of the past. Here are four important benefits that we don’t get when we don’t stretch…
First, stretching is important to circulation. It’s true, the simple act of stretching increases the blood flow to our muscles. Best of all, improved circulation can speed recovery after muscle injuries so if we have overdone at the gym, the well stretched body is far more likely to recover quickly than the one that lacks stretched and toned muscles.
Second, stretching relaxes tense muscles that often accompany stress. Few of us realize that during a tense day, our muscles respond by constricting. Stretching reverses this damage and in so doing helps to send tension back out of our bodies.
Third, stretching creates flexible muscles that can improve your daily performance in a variety of ways. Take the example of performing simple tasks such as lifting packages, bending to tie your shoes or hurrying to catch a bus, all of these become easier and less tiring for the individual whose muscles are ready to respond when a degree of exertion is needed. So many of us find ourselves losing the ability to perform relatively simple physical tasks because our muscles are not well stretched, and not ready to perform.
Fourth, stretching greatly improves your range of motion and that helps to support healthy joints. Good range of motion keeps you in balance, which will help keep you mobile and far less prone to falls, not to mention related injuries, which occur with greater frequency as we age.
The bottom line, is that stretching creates relaxed and ready muscles. And that can make an amazing difference in our overall level of fitness. For one simple and fun way to increase your flexibility check out John’s Bounce and Shake Method.
