Stretching Exercises

Stretching exercises are an important part of an exercise routine. You've most likely heard this time and time again, but did you ever ask yourself why? If you don't understand why you stretch, it can be easy to think it's not necessary or that you don't have time, but think again. While participating in aerobic or strength training workouts, your muscles contract and flex. It's important to stretch those muscles following your workout for equal balance.

The frequency of how often you stretch is up to you, but it's best to include it as part of your regular exercise plan. At the start of an exercise routine, warm up your muscles before you start to stretch. If you stretch muscles that have not been warmed up, you run the risk of pulling a muscle; muscles are more receptive to stretching at the end of your routine. For example, runners should stretch before they run and during the cool down phase. That means they have to warm up their muscles, stretch, run and then stretch again afterwards. However, the intensity of the stretches should differ because you don't push muscles that have not been warmed up.

Stretching exercises can be incorporated in a strength training regime while resting between lifts.

Perform stretching exercises for at least five to seven minutes as part of a warm up before taking part in aerobic exercise, and when you're done, stretch again during the cool down.

For those who don't take part in a regular exercise program, stretching three times a week or more can help keep you flexible. For problem areas, say for instance the lower back, you may want to stretch daily.

Stretching exercises are often promoted when recovering from an injury along with rest, ice, compression and keeping the injured limb elevated. Stretching helps to increase blood flow and can actually speed recovery in many cases.

How long you hold a stretch will be anywhere between 30 and 60 seconds. If you skip stretching during the warmup, then during the cool down you'll want to increase the intensity of your stretch. This doesn't mean bouncing or pushing yourself too far, it means holding the stretch long enough for your muscle to lengthen safely. Most of the time 30 seconds will be long enough, but for tight muscles hold the stretch longer.

Stretching exercises should focus on areas including:

• Calves
• Hips
• Lower back
• Neck
• Shoulders
• Thighs

While stretching avoid the following:

• Bouncing: Avoid bouncing as you stretch. Keep the movement smooth and relaxed. Bouncing can create small tears in your muscle, which in turn can cause scar tissue and a tightening of the muscle as it heals. Instead of becoming more flexible, this will make you less flexible.
• Pain: If the stretching exercise causes pain, stop. Usually when it hurts, it means you've pushed yourself too far. You can anticipate tension but not pain when stretching properly.
• Holding Your Breath: Avoid holding your breath while stretching.

Relax and enjoy the stretching part of your exercise plan. If you're tempted to skip it, consider the following benefits you'd be forfeiting:

• Better posture
• Helps prevent injuries
• Increased flexibility
• Improved range of motion
• Improved circulation
• Stress relief

Before you start a stretching routine, just like any exercise, you may want to discuss stretching exercises with your health care provider or therapist. Once you get their okay, plan to incorporate stretching into your daily life. It's really easy once you set your mind to it because you don't need a lot of room, and you can do it at home, work or even if you're on the road.

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