5 Reasons Why You Should Stretch Regularly

1. Stress relief

Not the most obvious reason but stretching can relieve stress. Yoga is commonly associated with relaxing the body and mind, however even a light stretch session can bring relaxation. Releasing and lengthening tight muscles helps your body to relax, which aids emotional and physical stress.

2. Increased range of joint movement

Allowing your joints to move freely is essential for safe and progressive exercise. I find lack of flexibility is the main cause for people performing movements incorrectly. Even with proper coaching if a joint’ s range is limited that will dictate the limit to how an individual can perform certain movement. A regular stretch routine will assist in increasing your joints ability to move freely.

3. Improved circulation

Stretching aids in blood circulation to the body. This brings the following exercises benefits:

– Muscle cell growth

– Improved skin health

– Less toxins present

– Assists in cardio health

4. Reduced injury risk

Tighter muscles place extra stress on the joints which results in increased joint pressure. Injury can result in the form of muscle strains or tears as well as more serious damage to joints including ligament or cartilage damage. The more you stretch the longer your muscle length remains.

Preparing the body for exercise via active stretches is recommended whilst finishing off a training session with static stretches also decreases the chances of injury during exercise.

5. Increased performance

The final point relates to the previous 4 in that they all assist in increased performance. Even if you don’t play any sports your performance when training will improve. Examples of this include improved weight lifting numbers at the gym or even longer and faster dog walks pain free.

Sporting performance will be improved as your body will be more efficient with its range of motion, energy output and better recovery.

Sources: www.active.com