Stretching a Powerful Way to Tune Up the Body
April 28, 2008 by Terry
Filed under Weight Loss Exercise Tips
Perhaps one of the most basic and most overlooked forms of tuning ones body is flexibility training or stretching. Even though I understand the power of stretching I had allowed myself to become physically lazy. Over two years ago I stopped exercising as frequently as I should and was no longer stretching on a daily basis. For the past two years my mobility and balance have not been nearly as good as they should be and I have not been able to raise my arms above shoulder height. During the past two or three months I have again been devoting 10 – 20 minutes each day to stretching. Additionally I recently started adding 4 to 5 minutes of stretching each morning to limber up my arms and legs. Day-by-day it has been easier for me to walk, get up from my chair and even get in and out of my car. With the increased mobility I have increased my walking, spent more time doing yard work, performing neglected chores around the house and have been working out with lightweights.
This past weekend stretching provided me a special gift. We had arrived early to my grandson’s Babe Ruth baseball game. He wanted his dad to play catch, as he knew grandpa was no longer able to lift his arms high enough to do so. His dad was busy helping to prepare for the game and without thinking I grabbed my sons glove and a ball throwing it to my grandson. My grandsons through it back. With ease I caught the ball. For the next ten minutes we continued to play catch. What a wonderful bonus stretching had provided me.
Let me share with you an article I wrote during a period in my life that I was working out on a regular basis. Unfortunately I have a tendency to be better at giving others advice than taking my own. The following is an article that I had written for use in a sexuality book that I was writing at the time.
Flexibility Training (Stretching)
Great sex requires good flexibility, physical and muscular endurance. If a person is out of shape it is never too late to get started. At the gym I will regularly see both men and women in there 70s and 80s that work out 2 – 4 days per week and they look absolutely great. Seeing these people has certainly been a good motivator for me.
Stretching is a key ingredient to improving one’s health and yet many individuals overlook this very important aspect of their training program. Daily stretching or even yoga is one of the best things you can do for yourself. If you have time to vegetate in front of the television you have time to stretch and, in fact, you can do both at the same time. Experts recommend that you stretch for at least 10 to 15 minutes and a minimum of three times per week. As an alternative they recommend shorter bouts of more frequent stretching. We hit age 30 and it’s downhill from there if we don’t take care of our bodies. The great thing is you can start the climb back up the hill and stretching is a good place to start.
Stretching will also:
- Help you to feel better in all of your daily activities.
- Reduce risk to injury, muscle soreness and stiffness.
- Improves your performance and range of motion in your joints.
- Reduce arthritis pain.
- Reduce the incidence of back problems while improving the back.
- Expand range and mobility, allowing a broader variety of sexual positions.
Basics Stretching Safety
- Warm up your muscles before starting to stretch.
- Stretch slowly and smoothly, avoiding unnecessary bouncing and jerking.
- Exhale while extending your muscles to the point of tension, (not pain) and hold the position for 20 to 60 seconds. Breath evenly and continuously while stretching. Do not hold your breath, for this causes muscle contraction and raises blood pressure.
- Inhale while returning to the relaxed position and as you prepare to repeat the stretch.
- When performing stretches that involve the back, relax the spine by keeping your lower back against the mat while working only the abdomen or other muscles required for position changes.
Stretching should not be performed before warming up and is appropriate for the cooling down period. When the muscles are still cold they are more easily injured by over-stretching.
Related Posts
