The British Journal of Sports Medicine reported that while there is no proven evidence that stretching can prevent injuries, it sure can contribute to muscle flexibility.Furthermore, stretching should be part of your fitness routine to help keep you limber and supple, both before and after exercise. If your muscles aren’t supple, they won’t stretch and contract as far. Continually, this will affect your performance during your exercise. And let’s not forget; injuries to hamstrings, biceps and triceps are common when exercising vigorously, so make sure you do your stretching properly.
Warm up stretching
If you haven’t warmed up before exercise, you can damage your muscles. This is particularly important if you are exercising in cold weather. If you are doing vigorous and energetic sports such as tennis or basketball, doing lunges or other quick movements can cause unnecessary stress on muscles. You need to make sure that you are prepared for this. Incorporating stretching is an important part of your warm up routine. Isolate each body part and focus on individual muscle groups to ensure that your whole body is ready. Don’t scrimp on the time you spend warming up your muscles as it will keep them in good condition.
Returning to Fitness
If you have suffered injury, stretching can help you to return to full health. This is especially important as you get older. Our joints can have a lot of wear and tear as we age, this is natural. Stretching the muscles that support these joints will look after them. Focus on knees, ankles and hips, as these are key in carrying body weight. Hip flexor stretches are great for improving flexibility in this area. If you have suffered from an injury, your muscles need an increased blood flow in order to promote healing. Stretching brings blood to the areas that need it.
Stretching after exercise
After a workout or any type of exercising, stretching can often be neglected, but it is essential to make sure that our muscles don’t become tight and stiff. Along with lowering your heartrate, stretching will bring oxygen and blood to your muscles, ensuring that they remain supple. This will improve your performance in future workouts, making exercise easier. You will relax and your flexibility will be improved. Think about dancers and yoga teachers, they stretch a lot. This stretching helps them to become naturally flexible. We can definitely take a leaf out of their book.
Stretching has a long term effect on your fitness, no matter what age you are. It can help improve your workouts and should be made part of your routine. Stretching can help keep your body fit and healthy for the future.
Thanks for the Contribution from Jane Townsend, Freelance Writer.