Stretching exercises before and after any physical workout are highly important for any fitness program. In fact, there can be many health problems if you begin with exercise directly without stretching. Doing stretches will warm up your body and make it strong, which means it is less prone to injuries and accidents. Stretching exercises also increases muscle and joint flexibility, thus it prepares muscles for a better workout.
Time duration
The ideal time for holding stretches during the warm-up period, is 15 to 30 seconds. During cool down you should hold it for 30 seconds or a minute.
Stretching after exercise helps relieve tightness in muscles, improves their flexibility and cools down the body. After workout is finished, your body is able to stretch even further than it did before your exercise program.
Precaution and tips for stretching exercises
Muscular flexibility increases the most during these longer stretches. Don’t hold your breath during stretching, you should breath normally.
It is better to focus on the stretch itself and on breathing, while keeping your entire body relaxed. When you stretch, you should feel a light stress but no discomfort. Bouncing should also be avoided during any stretching exercise as it can cause cramping in muscles. Get a still object like a chair to maintain body balance and perfect posture, if you feel any difficulty.
When standing during a stretching exercise, you can hold onto a steady object such as a chair to maintain balance and proper posture. If there’s no need for a balancing object, you better keep eyes on a focal point like a painting on a wall. It may help in maintaining posture and proper balance. One of the great things about stretching is that it can be done anywhere and anytime.
Major benefits
Here are some of the benefits of stretching exercises:
o These are good for relaxation and calming
o Make you feel at peace and help improve your well-being
o Increase muscle length
o Help prevent injuries and accidents
o Improve elasticity and flexibility of tissue
o Increase blood circulation
o Enhance suppleness in muscles
o Help maintain coordination and balance
o make posture better
o Relieve stress
Stretching also maintains ideal figure and prepares muscles for heavy exercises. It also prevents cramping, pain, tension in muscles and can be very refreshing. You can do it at any time of the day to relax, limber up and minimise stress. For staying fit on long-term basis, make sure to include stretching in daily routine and do as recommended by the instructor.