Monday, December 22, 2008

Why You Need to Stretch

By John Baker

Stretching routines are an easy, effective means of improving your fitness levels. You can experience many benefits when you establish a regular stretching regimen. This kind of fitness program is recommended by the pros as a way to regain or improve flexibility and to give yourself some protection against possible injury while working out, playing a sport or just your normal activities.

Among the biggest advantages of stretching routines is considerably enhanced mobility. When your body's muscles are stretched frequently, you not only maintain your current level of flexibility, you will also increase it through time. If you give up on your regular stretching program, you will lose any gains in flexibility that you achieved, and it won't be easy to regain them without a lot of hard work.

For many people, total flexibility is the objective and they opt for a stretching routine that works all regions of their bodies during their workout. A well designed stretching program can be a big help in preventing a range of injuries that commonly take place in day to day life. If you're flexible, you're a lot less likely to sprain your ankle, strain a muscle, or pull a ligament. This is because your muscles become accustomed to moving in different directions.

Once you're performing a stretching routine on a consistent basis, you will very likely experience reduced joint pain because of the improved flexibility of the supporting muscles. Plus, muscles that are properly stretched are generally healthier because of the improved blood flow they experience. Improved blood circulation gives your muscles more of the oxygen and nutrition they need to stay healthy and strong.

Concentrated stretching programs like those used in physical therapy will increase the strength of a muscle group a lot. This might require only a few weeks worth of effort if you are focused on improvement.

Keep in mind, though, that a program of flexibility won't do you much good if you're not doing the moves right. That's why it's so important to observe your motions carefully and make sure you're performing them properly. Therefore you're more likely to get the most benefit out of your workout.

A stretching workout can make you feel healthier and more confident about your body, regardless of whether the aim of your workout is toning or increasing your strength. To get the maximum benefit for a stretching routine, you're advised to add it to your schedule at least three times a week. - 16004

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