Stretching Before And After Activity

Stretching Before and after activity:

Light stretching after your warm-up followed by a more thorough stretching regimen after your workout is your best bet. With your new-found knowledge of the proper techniques and benefits of stretching, it will be easy to incorporate this activity into your exercise/rehabilitation regimen. Here are a few good stretches to try:

Flexibility:

Flexibility is the degree to which an individual muscle will lengthen. Lack of flexibility causes your movement to become slower and less fluid and makes you more susceptible to muscle strains, ligament sprains and other soft tissue injuries. The most effective way to increase your flexibility is by stretching.

Improves circulation:

Stretching increases blood flow to the muscles. This increased blood flow brings more nourishment to the muscles and removes more waste byproducts from the muscles. Increased blood flow can also help speed up recovery from muscle and joint injuries.

Coordination:

The increased flexibility that comes from stretching improves balance and coordination. Improved balance and coordination lowers your risk for falls.

Lower back pain:

Stiff and tight muscles in the lower back, hamstrings, hips and buttocks is one of the more common causes of lower back pain. Stretching these muscles will alleviate the pain.

Low Back Stretches:

Three quick and easy exercises to stretch the lower muscles of your back:

Morning Stretches:

Stretching in the morning is a great way to "waken" up your muscles, and get them ready for the day.

Neck Stretches:

Stretches can be done with self assistance to obtain a more efficient stretch. Here you can learn how to perform self assisted stretches of the neck. Although the benefits of stretching are many, is not for everyone. Conditions in which stretching should be avoided include:

Muscle Strains:

People who have suffered an acute muscle strain should avoid placing further stress on the muscle through stretching activities. The injured muscle should be given time to rest. Stretching muscle fibers in the acute period can result in further injury.

Fractured Bones:

After breaking a bone, the fracture site needs time to heal. Stretching muscles that surround this injured area can place stress on the bone and prevent it from healing as well as further displace the break. Stretching a joint that surrounds a broken bone should never be done until cleared by your physician.

Joint Sprains:

When you sprain your joint, you overstretch the ligaments that help stabilize the bones that form the joint. For this reason stretching early after a joint sprain should be avoided. As with fractures, these structures need time to heal and stretching too early in the injury will delay this process.

Cardiovascular health:

Recent studies have found that stretching can improve artery function and lower blood pressure. In conclusion, don't overlook the benefits of stretching. Make sure that stretching is a regular part of your fitness program. Stretching Properly...........