Thursday, July 9, 2009

The Importance of a Stretching Routine

The Importance of a Stretching Routine

by Gordon Taylor

Stretching routines are an easy, effective means of improving your fitness levels. There are a number of advantages that you can realize by sticking to a regular stretching program. This type of workout is recommended by most fitness professionals as a means of regaining or improving flexibility and protecting yourself from injury while participating in sports, fitness activities or just day to day living.

The most noticeable benefit of regular stretching routines is greatly increased 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.

Some people are aiming to achieve complete flexibility and they tend to use stretching techniques that incorporate all their muscles during each session. A good stretching routine can play an important role in preventing a number of everyday injuries. When you're flexible, you have much more protection against a muscle strain, sprained ankle or pulled ligament. This is because your muscles become accustomed to moving in different directions.

If your stretching program becomes a regular habit, you are almost certain to have less pain in your joints, since you're continually loosening them up during this activity. 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.

However, a flexibility routine will be effective only if you are performing the moves properly. This means you need to pay attention to your movements to ensure you're doing them the right way. Therefore you're more likely to get the most benefit out of your workout.

A stretching routine will improve your sense of well being and boost your body image, whether your objective is muscle toning or an increase in strength. In order to receive the most benefits from a stretching program, you should include it in your workouts at least three times each week.

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