Stretching is a Big Deal
On Designing Your Life Today, the podcast, Ways to Inspire Your Morning Workout, I mentioned stretching while sleepy-eyed as one of the methods for staying on point when it comes to working out in the mornings. While stretching will wake you up, it is important to only do light stretching. This is not so much to warm up your muscles, but more so to wake you up in the mornings. One of the things I learned from my personal trainer, was that stretching is an important part of the exercise regimen. I had gotten away from stretching and as a result I lost some of my flexibility. I wanted to regain my flexibility, and that’s when I realized that stretching is a big deal. Now, I make sure I include some type of stretching in my daily workout. Another thing that I learned about stretching, was that it was important for me to warm up with some light exercise activity before stretching. To make sure I was stretching at the right times, I would warm up with some running in place for about five minutes if I was working out at home. It is important to warm up your body before stretching, so I would either warm-up by running in place for about five minutes or I would wait until after I was finished working out and then stretch. Because I am committed to stretching, my flexibility has increased and so has the range of motion in my joints.
Remember your safety is important, so if you’re not sure how to stretch safely, there are some great websites that can instruct you. There are times when I need a little bit of help with my stretching, so I sometimes use my stretch bands or Yoga Stretching and Flexibility Stretch Straps to ensure that I stretch effectively and safely.
Be sure to talk to your doctor to find out which stretches are best for you.