Why Stretching Can Be a Great Tool for a Pain Free Life

The key to life is movement, the key to movement is flexibility without pain.

Stretching is highly underrated...if you want to be healthy long term add some good ol' fashion stretching to your workout. Poor flexibility inhibits your ability to build muscle and makes you more susceptible to injuries especially in your low back region. Here are just a few more reasons why we should all take a few more minutes each day and STRETCH...

Stretching Can...

• Increases and maintains complete range of motion in the joints.

• Relieves muscle soreness. Light exercise promotes a better supply of blood and oxygen to the muscles than rest and should be pursued unless the severity of the injury to a muscle or muscles precludes further activity.

• Helps improve our capacity for activity. Stretched muscles require less energy for completion of movements.

• Assists in decreasing unnecessary neuromusculuar tension, promoting general body relaxation and reducing emotional stress.

• Relieves muscle-joint stiffness associated with the aging process.

• Increases musculotendinous extensibility of a muscle, it can be stretched 1.6 times it's resting length before it tears.

• Elongates the fascia. The fascial system is the binding that supports the muscle system. Elasticity varies between individuals and is a major reason some individuals experience slower progress in obtaining flexibility.

• Helps prevent joint sprains, muscle strains or tears including preventing re-injury to previous joint and muscle trauma.

• Major part of the pre-activity warm-up, helps in increasing tissue temperature by increased metabolic rate.

• Part of the cool-down process to increase blood flow to the fatigued areas of the body, eliminates toxic waste products from cells, reduces soreness, muscle relaxation and additional flexibility improvement.

• Helps provide greater potentials of physical and athletic skills.

• Reduces tension that may contribute to pain, spasm and cramping.

• Plays an important adjunct role in recovery during the rehabilitation process.

I hope that after you read this , you are compelled to make flexibility and stretching key components in your daily activities...it only takes a few moments to improve your overall well-being. Until next time...Stretch it Out!