Duluth Karate — Becoming healthy is made up of multiple parts, and every aspect is important when it comes to fighting off diseases and aging. As we look to cardio, muscular building, and muscular endurance to get into great shape, the one fitness area to not look over is flexibility. It is the one part of training that keeps us relaxed and prepares the body for the work it’s about to do. And what’s great about it is that it’s simple, light, and easy to incorporate into a busy schedule.
Especially if you’re grunting from having to bend down to pick up something off the floor, or finding it challenging to play with the kids, consider adding stretching to your lifestyle. Set a goal to stretch daily, and experience the difference in how it feels to move around.
Here are at least 4 benefits to stretching:
1) It increases range of motion in muscles and joints, which also helps to decrease injury.
2) If we’re sore after working out, stretching keeps the muscle loose and alleviates the tightness feeling.
3) Less tension in the muscles also helps to feel relaxed.
4) It also decreases and reduces back pain, while fixing our posture.
There are different strategies to add stretching to your daily life. You can aim to stretch for ten minutes after getting up for the day, squeeze in some arm stretches while in the cubicle, do some hamstring reaches during TV time, and stretch before going to bed. In fact, stretching before bedtime improves the quality of sleep because you’re better relaxed.
Go ahead and try it out! Stretching may even become your favorite way to de-stress!
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