Improving Your Health, One Stretch at a Time
By Donna Kostiew
We often find ourselves doing this right when we get out of bed in the morning. We watch our children to “kind of” do it before their sports practices. And we never forget to do it ourselves once we are home from work and we plop our bodies down on the couch. But how can we really appreciate it for all of the benefits it brings to our lives if we are barely aware we are doing it? Not only does it feel good in those mindless moments when we indulge ourselves, but It is one of the most important exercise there is.
It’s stretching. And it’s more important and beneficial to your health than you think.
Benefits of Stretching
It’s easy to overlook the importance of stretching because we often think of it as “just” a warm-up to what our real workout session is going to be. But don’t be so quick to judge, stretching is a whole lot more. It …
- Improves flexibility, balance, posture, agility, and circulation
- Reduces injuries, muscle soreness, anxiety, stress, tension, and fatigue
- Promotes relaxation, better breathing, mental alertness, and overall wellness
How to Maximize Your Stretches
It’s pretty exciting that stretching can offer so many benefits to our bodies, and it also happens to be quite inexpensive because it doesn’t require anything special to do it. So in order to reap the most benefits from your stretching routines, consider the following tips.
- Hold the stretch and breathe through it
- Avoid bouncing, as this can lead to injuries
- Perform your stretches in a controlled manner
- Modify the stretches to suit your particular needs
- Stretch to the point of feeling slightly “uncomfortable” but definitely not to the point of pain
- Complete each stretch in the same way for both sides of your body
By setting aside some time to stretch every day, you can prevent countless hours of stiffness, soreness, and pain while also fighting some of the common aspects of aging as well! That’s what we all want to hear, right? Stretching is great for counteracting the wear-and-tear of everyday life that oftentimes will cause our bodies to “shrink” as we age.
Wondering what else you can do that will benefit your body and improve your health and wellness? How about seeing your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic for regular adjustments? Their targeted adjustments and focused care will remove any interferences that are keeping your body from functioning properly. And it’s easy to see them with nearly 400 locations nationwide. So indulge yourself in something more than just a morning stretch while still in bed. Make a visit to your chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic and start improving your health one stretch at a time.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Chino Hills, Calif.