WELLNESS: STRETCHING EXERCISE
Stretching
There are lots of theories on when, how, if and how
long we should stretch with our exercise workout. So
lets start by understanding two key points:
- A muscle expands before it contracts and its strength
is related to its ability to stretch.
- A warm muscle stretches more easily than a cold
one, and therefore more resistant to overtearing with
heavy use.
So stretching is NOT a warm up, instead you must always
warm up before stretching.
The purpose of a warm-up is to get the blood flowing
to the muscles and joints and get the heart ready for
what is to come. For example, typical warm up routines
include:
- Running warm up – 5 minutes walking
- Weight training warm up – 5 minutes on the
stationary cylce or treadmill followed by 5 minutes
of a lower intensity version of the activity you are
about to perform. If you like, you can add some rhythmic
arm movements to warm up upper body joints whilst
on the cycle or treadmill.
Now stretch! At least 3-5 minutes. Then reverse this
routine at the end of the session as your cool down
period.
Benefits of Stretching
Stretching is important to keep the body flexible,
which in turn helps the muscles work in a more co-ordinated
manner, thereby reducing the risk of over exertion of
a single muscle. Stretching promotes a balanced range
of motion in the joints and generally promotes the feeling
of relaxed well-being after a workout.
There are various forms of stretching, all of which
provide similar benefits. Yoga and Pilates are the two
most common.
Yoga
Yoga is one of the best forms of exercise one can
do. It can take many forms, depending upon its origin
and can range from relatively sedentary poses, to those
requiring tremendous strength and flexibility.
At intermediate levels, yoga incorporates both anaerobic
and stretching.
Benefits of Yoga:
- Reduce Stress
- Improve Your Posture
- Strengthen the Immune System
- Alleviate Back Pain
- Relieve Anxiety
- Heighten Your Mood
- Lose Weight
- Improve Muscle Tone
- Reverse the Aging Process
- Increase Flexibility
- Increase Spiritual Conscio
Pilates
Pilates is a method of exercise and physical movement
designed to stretch, strengthen, and balance the body.
It is a systematic practice of specific exercises coupled
with focused breathing patterns, and yoga like movements.
One main difference between yoga and pilates is that
in yoga, the positions are held, whereas in pilates,
the movements are constantly flowing.
Benefits of Pilates
Like Yoga, Pilates yields numerous benefits:
- Increased lung capacity and circulation through
deep breathing
- Strength and flexibility - particularly of the
abdomen and back muscles,
- Coordination-both muscular and mental,
- Posture, balance, and core strength control.
- Bone density and joint health improvement
- Positive body awareness
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