We have all heard that stretching is important. Sure, it’s important for athletes, but the truth is that everyone should be making stretching part of their daily routine. As we age, we may lose lots of things, but we don’t have to lose flexibility!
Here are our Top 10 reasons why you should be stretching your way into the New Year:
1. Reduce Stress
Stretching helps to reduce stress, and it has been proven that stretching provides mental calmness and clarity. When your muscles are well-stretched, they hold less tension and the result is that you feel less stressed.
2. Decrease Stiffness and Increase Range of Motion
Stretching decreases muscle stiffness and increases your range of motion. This increase in range of motion may also help slow the degeneration of your joints and give you better balance.
3. Improve Posture
Stretching will improve your posture. Tight muscles lead to bad posture, but stretching the muscles in your lower back, shoulders and chest will keep your back in better alignment and that will result in improved posture.
4. Reduce Tension
Regular stretching will reduce muscle tension and result in greater relaxation. If your muscles are regularly tense, they will begin to cut off their own circulation which will result in a lack of oxygen and essential nutrients.
5. Lower the Risk of Injury
Stretching will reduce your risk of injury. Flexible muscles are less likely to become injured from a slightly extensive movement. When you increase a joint’s range of motion through stretching, you help decrease the resistance on your muscles during daily activities.
6. Warm Up Muscles
Stretching before you exercise is important because it allows your muscles to loosen up and become resistant to the injury that can result from the impact and stress of vigorous exercise.
7. Relieve Aches & Pains
Stretching helps relieve aches and pains after you exercise. If you stretch your muscles after a hard workout, you will help keep them loose and be less likely to suffer from the shortening and tightening effect that causes post-workout aches and pains.
8. Keep Back Pain Away
You will decrease your risk of suffering from lower back pain if you stretch regularly. 8 out of 10 people will be affected by lower back pain during their lives. Stretching increases flexibility in your hamstrings, hips, and glutes which helps keep your back strong and prevent lower back injury.
9. Improve Circulation
Stretching will help improve circulation by increasing blood supply to your muscles and joints. This improved circulation results in greater nutrient transportation and improves the circulation of blood throughout your entire body which yields a quicker healing time due to all the nutrients in that blood.
10. Relieve Pain
Stretching can act as a pain reliever. If you are already experiencing lower back pain, stretching the quadriceps and hamstrings, as well as the hip and pelvis muscles, can contribute to pain relief. Stretching can also ease headache pain by improving oxygen flow to your head.
Now is the time to start making stretching part of your daily routine!
ProStretch® unique designed products are made of high quality materials to stretch and massage muscles easier and more effectively than conventional methods. They are also proven to prevent and treat tight and sore muscles, tendons, ligaments and stiff joints associated with plantar fasciitis, tight calves, back pain, arm pain, stiff joins and many other common ailments.
OTHER RELATED TOPICS:
BASEBALL ELBOW AND SHOULDER PAIN
Stay tuned for our upcoming series of blog posts on New Year’s Resolution: Stretching Your Way into Better Health.
PLEASE NOTE: The information on this website and article is for information only and should not be used as a substitute for consulting your doctor. Consult your doctor for a proper diagnosis and rehabilitation
