Stretching is the combination of some simple activity mostly conducted before the workout or any other physical activities like working and swimming. Though the movements are so simple but the function of those movements are very significant.
- The stretching will make your stiff body a bit relax.
- The stretching will cause your muscles to be accustomed to with whatever exercises they should endure.
- The stretching will help your lung to adapt with the intensive workout session to optimize the exercises.
- Stretching is like an early introduction to your whole body so it would not suffer the shock.
Those are just some examples of stretching function. Some people who don’t realize yet about the significant role of stretching before doing physical activity usually prefer to safe time and skip it. Actually, you don’t even need 30 minutes for stretching so it is not about saving time but much more about people are reckless. Just if they know what could happen to them when they don’t do stretching.
- If doing physical exercises without stretching then the risk of injury is higher.
- When you go swimming without stretching, the possibility of getting cramp during swimming is also higher and it could endanger your life.
- Without stretching, muscles and tendons are not ready to endure with certain exercises movement, so you will get tired easily.
Finding out how important stretching is before understanding more about its benefits is important. However, there is one more thing you should know about stretching. Generally there are three types of stretching that mostly conducted by people:
- First is static stretching. Static stretching is one that mostly people know which is consisting of some simple movement to stretch the muscles by holding them in the same positions for at least 10 seconds.
- Second is dynamic stretching. Unlike static stretching, this one is much more dynamic. Instead of holding your arm in one position for 20 seconds, in this method you will need to swing your arm in the repetitive movement though still in the same normal range.
- Third is bouncing stretching. This kind of stretching will involve some movements like bouncing and jerking with more motions. Mostly conducted by those who are about to do physical activities that required a lot of motions like playing football or running.
Below are some benefits of stretching for some purposes. It is true that everyone has their own purposes of stretching. We are all already know that stretching before workout is a must but do you know that doing the stretching rightly after you wake up in the morning is also good for yourself, especially for you who don’t have time to do exercises in the morning? Let’s find out more about the benefits of stretching:
Stretching before Workout
- Improve Flexibility
By stretching your body and then the possibility of stiffness in your muscle due to lack of exercised could be reduce. So it will make your muscles ready to endure to whatever workout movements you are going to do because it already flexible.
- Improve Range of Motion
Stiffness and tension in the muscles could limit your movement. By stretching it you could wider the range of motion of your muscle by warming them up while doing some simple stretching movement.
- Reduce the risk of muscle strains
Muscles strains are commonly occurring during workout because of muscles are not ready to receive such a pressure. Stretching is possible to reduce the risk of muscle strains and optimize your workout section.
- Reduce the risk of injuries
It is one of the effects when you don’t do stretching before workout, the possibility of injuries. The lack of exercises or inactivity of muscles will make muscles stiff and stretching will prepare muscle by relaxing the tension and making the more flexible and at the same time reduce the risk of injuries.
- Improve balance and coordination during workout
Why do you think you hard to cope with what your coach or trainer ask you to do? It is probably your muscles couldn’t coordinate optimally because they are not ready to receive any pressure during the workout. That’s why, stretching is important to improve your balance and coordination of muscles, tendons and even skeletal system.
- Lengthening tight muscles
Tight muscles could happen if you don’t do exercises in some times. That’s why regular exercises is required but even if you do the regular exercises, stretching is still important to do before the workout section because even inactive muscles for several hours could cause stiffness that could lead tight muscles.
- Improve postures during workout
You need to be in the best postures and body condition during workout so you could cope with whatever movements your coach and trainer asks you to do. Stretching could help you improving the quality of your workout.
- Help Increasing the Blood Flow
During workout the possibility of heart rate and blood flow faster is higher. That’s why, stretching will provide sometimes like an introduction to your body system so it won’t suffer the shock which could lead to some serious medical problems.
- Reduce the Muscle Soreness
Muscle soreness is commonly happening during workout session. Muscle soreness will affect your performance during the workout. Stretching has prominent role in making sure that soreness would be reduced to the minimum level for optimal workout session.
- Calming the Mind before the workout
You need this because the pressure during workout could lead to stress if you don’t know how to handle it. Stretching provide an adaptation for your mind before entering the real pressure during workout session.
Stretching after Workout
- Cooling Down Your Muscles
Stretching before workout is important to warm up the muscles, tendons and skeletal system while stretching after workout will assist in cooling down your body from the excessive flexibility of muscles up to the body temperature.
- Reduce the Post Workout Pain
Workout pain is possible to occur after workout especially for those who don’t do the workout in a while. Stretching after workout would assist in reducing the post workout pain effectively. It is also recommended to be followed with light massage to relax the tension.
- Reduce the Risk of Delayed Muscle Soreness
Delay muscle soreness usually occurs several hours after the workout. Mostly people start to feel the soreness when they are about to go to sleep. By doing the simple stretching after the intensive workout could reduce the risk of this kind of soreness. The soreness could be really painful sometimes especially when you wake up in the next day.
- Alleviate Muscle Stiffness after Workout
Muscle stiffness also could occur after the workout session especially when muscles are getting to much pressure during the workout. Focusing on stretching the muscles that got most of the exercises during the workout could alleviate the stiffness.
- Slowing Down the Heart Rate
During the workout session, all part of your body will be busy to move including the heart muscle which required delivering and producing blood to make sure all parts of the body get enough blood during the workout. Stretching after workout will assist in slowing down the heart rate.
- Energize Your Body after Workout
The point of doing the workout is of course to energize your body but without proper stretching what you will get is only tiredness.
- Balancing your Mind
Stretching after workout will assist in balancing your mind and releasing the stress and pressure you’ve got during the workout.
- Increase Muscles Coordination
Feeling tired and weak after an intensive workout is possible to happen and stretching will help your body to get back to the normal condition.
- Promote Muscle Tone
Workout session will cause your muscles to be flexible and weaker but surely you don’t want to happen in longer period. By doing stretching after workout could contribute in promoting the muscle tone.
- Reduce Cramping after Workout
Cramp is also one of the effects that could happen after the intensive workout session and stretching could reduce the risk of cramp.
Stretching in the Morning after Waking Up
- Relieve the Muscle Tension
During sleeping some muscles will be in the inactive mode. Even only for some hours the possible of stiffness could happen in the muscles. Doing stretching right after you waking up could assist in realizing the muscle tension.
- Relax the Mind
Sleeping with the position of your body lying in the bed could reduce the circulation of oxygen in your brain. Stretching will assist in making sure the oxygen enter your brain to relax it and you’re ready to start the day.
- Ease Away the Stress
The cause of stress could be external and internal. During sleeping, your brain will receive less oxygen and lack of oxygen in the brain is the internal cause of stress. Stretching could assist in easing it away by making sure your brain receives enough supply of oxygen.
- Improve Flexibility
Generally stretching could improve flexibility. Stiff muscle is commonly suffered by most people in the morning and by doing the stretching could release the tension and at the same time will improve the muscles flexibility.
- Aids in Better Blood Circulation
Inactive muscles during sleeping could affect the blood circulation. Doing the stretching rightly after you’re waking up is recommended because it will assist your muscles and as the result better blood circulation.
- Increase Strength
The point of stretching is to comfort your muscles. The condition of muscles after stretching will tend to be weaker but when it comes to the strength the result is quite opposite. Flexible muscles will make your body stronger.
- Energize Yourself
It is closely related to the better blood circulation after stretching. Blood circulation will affect the body cells by oxygenized them to produce energy. Since without oxygen, body couldn’t produce any energy.
- Have a Better and Clear Purpose
Fresher body and clearer mind are the best combination for you to start your day, so you are ready to face whatever possibility that waits ahead.
- Improve Mobility
Flexible muscles are what you need so you could start your day with whatever activities you have. If you have some problem with movement just because of the tension and stiffness caused by sleeping for several hours what you need to do is just stretching to stretch them away.
- Longer Endurance during Workday
It is a wonder of doing stretching after waking up. You don’t need a lot of time but the effect could be all day. With clearer mind, fresher body, high in mobility and flexibility you will have longer endurance during workday.
Stretching for Pregnant Mother
- Relieve Stiff Muscle
During pregnancy a mother will experience some limitation when moving especially when they need to stand from sitting position. This condition could lead to several muscles stiffness and regular stretching is required to reduce the stiffness.
- Get Rid of Muscle Pain
One of the problems that most of pregnant mother should suffer during pregnancy is muscle pain. The weight a mother should carry will increase everyday and it will put more force to muscles to adapt with the weight. Stretching could assist in getting rid of the pain.
- Energy Booster for Pregnant Mother
By doing stretching and then the blood circulation will be improved. It could help a mother to be more energetic during pregnancy since some movements are already limited due to the weight a mother should carry.
- Lessening Muscle Soreness
Muscle soreness is often suffered by a pregnant mother. Even a normal activity like walking could cause the soreness. By doing the stretching could lessen the muscle soreness.
- Reduce the Risk of Back Pain
Back pan is the first symptom that usually suffered by a mother because the back need to support the weight of the fetal inside the belly which weight will increase progressively. By doing stretching will assist in relaxing the back section so could adapt with the new weight.
- Optimizing the Oxygen Delivery to the Fetal
Stretching will improve the blood circulation. It means a pregnant mother will have normal and healthy blood circulation since red blood cells are prominent for fetal and the healthy circulation will optimize the oxygen delivery to the fetal for optimal development.
- Relax the Mind
Healthy blood circulation will guarantee the supply of oxygen in the brain will be fulfilled. Oxygenated brain means relax mind so a mother could do all the activities during pregnancy with better focus, concentration and clearer mind.
- Coping with the Stress during Pregnancy
A pregnant mother is very susceptible with stress and depression. This condition could lead to more serious mental problem like baby blue or post partum depression. Stretching which has ability to relax the mind and reduce the stress will decrease the risk of those kind of mental problems.
- Aids the Mother to Rest Better
Insomnia is one of the problems that every pregnant mother will suffer. This condition is almost unavoidable but stretching could assist in reducing the symptoms and help a mother to have a better sleep pattern during pregnancy.
- Prepare the Labor Process
Some simple stretching movements have been proven to be able and even recommended for mother who has entered the last semester in order to ease of the labor process. However, stretching during pregnancy should be under strict order of doctor.
Stretching for other Reasons
- Stretching before Swimming Reduce the Cramp Attack
Some people thought that stretching is not required before swimming. Well, do you know that stiff muscles could lead to cramp attack? Just imagine that you got the attack in the middle of the pool and during that attack you cannot move your muscles at all. The result could be fatal.
- Stretching during Workday Aids in Enlightening the Mood
Stretching could be done in anywhere and anytime even when you are in your office doing a workload. Just stand from your chair for a while and do the stretch could help you relieving the stiff muscles and at the same time clearing your mind so you have a better mood.
- Stretching Aids in Releasing Stress for Parents while Doing Parenting Jobs
Parenting job is not an easy and time consuming job. If you don’t have time to do, even the simple exercises, then stretching anyway since you could do it whenever you have time. You even could do the stretching when carrying your baby.
- Stretching for Inspiration and Better Focus during Study
Studying is one of the activities that so energy consuming. Though what you mostly do is just sitting but your brain should work extra during studying. Whenever you feel tired, just stand for a while and do the stretching. The movement will provide your brain enough oxygen that could shake off the sleepiness as well as improve your focus and concentration.
- Stretching as Habit for Better Lifestyle
Since stretching is so easy and could be done in anywhere and anytime, why don’t you do it as part of your daily habit? Yes, just by doing some simple stretching movements you could be a better person with healthier lifestyle.
The 45 points mentioned above should have opened your mind about how important stretching is. Though most of the movements are so simple but the result is a wonder. Even if you’re not about to do any physical exercises; doing stretching regularly could assist in releasing some tensions as well as relieving some pressures during workday.