Why does stretching food good? When you stretch your muscles, your body responds by increasing blood flow to the area. This increase in blood flow allows the muscle you stretch to receive more oxygen as well as get rid of metabolic waste products.
Regular stretching increases your flexibility whether you workout or you live in a sedentary lifestyle. As you age your flexibility decreases and the only way to combat this is stretching daily. If you are a sprinter or a high-level athlete static and dynamic stretches can help with improving your range of motion.
Why does stretching food good? iStock- photo credit: carles miro
Static stretching is reserved for post workouts and dynamic stretching is reserved for pre workouts. Regular stretching combined with core stretches can help improve posture, alignment, and tightness.
The older you get the harder it is to get out of bed without tightness, aches, and pains. And sometimes the best time to stretch is right after you get out of bed, especially if your back, shoulders, or neck is tight and stiff.
The first stretch is Seated Torso Stretch.
This targets the muscles in your core and back. And you do this stretch by sitting upright in a chair with your feet on the ground. Hold the back of the chair with one hand and twist in the direction of the hand. And hold the twist position for 30 seconds and then repeat on the other side.
A second stretch is the Neck Roll.
- Relax and sit up right in a chair.
- Roll your head forward and then to the right so that you feel a stretch and hold this position for 10 seconds.
- Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side and do these 3 to 4 times.
A third stretch is the forward bend stretch. This forward bend stretch stretches your back, groin, and the back of your legs.
- Sit on the ground and extend your left leg in front of your body. Position your right foot in the inside of your left thigh. Lift your hands over your head and bend forward from your hips and reach forward as far as you can. Rest your hands on your leg and hold the pose for about 30 to 40 seconds. And then repeat the other side.
Some good tips to stretch in safe way is:
- Try not to stretch on a cold muscle. Do a 5-minute warm up to warm your muscles like a jog or walk before stretching your muscles.
- Avoid bouncing while stretching as it can cause an injury to your muscles.
- Stretch slowly and gently and try not to force a stretch if your muscles are too tight.
The Bottom Line is stretching feels good because after you stretch your body feels warm, loose and it doesn’t feel tight. It gives you a relaxed limber and loose feeling. The older you get the more flexibility you lose. And that is why it is so important to stretch regularly to avoid having tight muscles.
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References
- Kruse NT, Scheuermann BW. Cardiovascular Responses to Skeletal Muscle Stretching: “Stretching” the Truth or a New Exercise Paradigm for Cardiovascular Medicine? Sports Med. 2017 Dec;47(12):2507-2520. doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0768-1. PMID: 28780647.
- Nishikawa Y, Aizawa J, Kanemura N, Takahashi T, Hosomi N, Maruyama H, Kimura H, Matsumoto M, Takayanagi K. Immediate effect of passive and active stretching on hamstrings flexibility: a single-blinded randomized control trial. J Phys Ther Sci. 2015 Oct;27(10):3167-70. doi: 10.1589/jpts.27.3167. Epub 2015 Oct 30. PMID: 26644667; PMCID: PMC4668158.
- Kruse NT, Scheuermann BW. Cardiovascular Responses to Skeletal Muscle Stretching: “Stretching” the Truth or a New Exercise Paradigm for Cardiovascular Medicine? Sports Med. 2017 Dec;47(12):2507-2520. doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0768-1. PMID: 28780647.
- Chaabene H, Behm DG, Negra Y, Granacher U. Acute Effects of Static Stretching on Muscle Strength and Power: An Attempt to Clarify Previous Caveats. Front Physiol. 2019 Nov 29;10:1468. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.01468. PMID: 31849713; PMCID: PMC6895680.
- Kim D, Cho M, Park Y, Yang Y. Effect of an exercise program for posture correction on musculoskeletal pain. J Phys Ther Sci. 2015 Jun;27(6):1791-4. doi: 10.1589/jpts.27.1791. Epub 2015 Jun 30. PMID: 26180322; PMCID: PMC4499985.
