Stretching is an activity that many of us do not incorporate into our daily routines, but yet has some very positive benefits for our overall health. The key benefits of stretching include:
- Lowers the risk of injury
- Lowers muscular tension
- Increases joint range of motion
- Helps correct muscle imbalances
- Improves posture, balance, stability and athletic performance
- Promotes circulation
While there are several different stretching techniques, the type with which we are most familiar is called active stretching. This involves elongating a muscle to the point of tension and holding for a set period of time. Stretching can be done at any point during your daily routine, but you should always do some stretching both prior to and after doing any physical exercise. The keys to proper static stretching are:
- Only elongate the muscle to the point of mild tension – do not push too far!
- You should not feel pain when stretching – if you do, either lessen the tension on the muscle or stop
- Never “bounce” or “pulse” when stretching – simply hold the muscle in the elongated position
- Hold the stretch for 20-30 seconds
- Do 1-2 sets of stretches for each muscle
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