Your fitness coach must have time and again told you to stretch before and after a workout. Even if you are not hitting the gym it is vital for you in-cooperate regular stretching in your daily routine. Experts advise that one should pay attention to lower extremities – calves, hamstrings, hip flexors in the pelvis and quadriceps in the front of the thigh – as these are critical areas for mobility. Stretching shoulders, neck, and lower back is also beneficial. Experts suggest a program of daily stretches or at least three or four times per week.
Stretching not only helps you limber up for movement but can also eases an achy back, the stress of the day, and even improves your sleep. Let’s take a look at 5 reasons why stretching is important.
- Energy levels pep up: If you start your morning with some stretching exercises, it will only help in increasing energy and productivity through the day. Few minutes of stretching, involving mimicking movements of a sport or activity, can give your brain a boost, increase blood flow, and help you shake off a mid-afternoon slump.
- Improves Motion: Stretching gives people a bigger range of motion —it allows you to scratch your shoulder blade, and reach that item on the top shelf. Stretching helps in retaining the flexibility that advancing age robs one of. Along with this, it help you stall or beat joint stiffness and pain.
- Overall health benefits: A simple stretch can improve blood circulation, the health of blood vessels in the body, and reduce risk of heart disease. Whether you are attending office or doing work-from-home – the hours at the desk are bad for your neck and other joints. Stretching helps in improving neck function and quality of life for office workers and keeps chronic moderate-to-severe neck or shoulder pain at bay.
- Better balance: If you want to hold the yoga poses like Vriskshasana (tree pose) with ease, you need to improve your body’s balance which comes from from stretching. Stretching not just involves muscles, but joints too. It helps in maintaining balance perhaps by helping the subjects eliminate the gross muscle contractions that are caused by large stabilometer displacements.
- Sleep: If your muscles go through the stretches, it helps them expend calories and feel spent. There is no doubt that stretching helps sleep come more easily. It also relieves or lessens the pain of restless legs syndrome and similar maladies won’t allow you to sleep at night.
