If you’re a runner or if you participate in a variety of athletic activities, you know how important stretching can be. Stretching exercises provide your body with a pre-view to your workout – preparing your body for the stress and impact of physical activity. Whether you utilize static stretching techniques to flex and pull various muscle groups or use dynamic stretching to prepare certain muscle groups for strenuous and repetitive activity, stretching can help improve flexibility and decrease your risk of muscle strain. Regular stretching can even reduce expenses associated with medical treatment for injury. If you’re looking for new ways to incorporate stretching in your life, learn more about how stretching exercises like Yoga and Pilates can best work for you.
The Benefits of Stretching
While most people associate stretching with what they do before and after a difficult workout, many would be surprised to learn about the natural benefit stretching provides. Stretching provides a variety of health benefits that can lead to increased flexibility, improved range of motion and assist in muscle toning throughout the body. Stretching is a great fitness tool because it works to increase joint flexibility and can significantly improve balance as well. Stretching can lengthen the muscle – ultimately creating firm muscle tone and a long, lean physique.
Yoga and Pilates
Yoga has been around for hundreds of years and is renown for its ability to stretch the body and calm the mind. Yoga is a stretching technique that utilizes a variety of different poses to target different areas of the body while simultaneously focusing on breathing and meditation techniques. There are many different types and intensities of yoga. Most people will feel comfortable exploring Iyengar and Vinyasa-style yoga, which are both great varieties for beginners. You will need to purchase some equipment to get started with this type of activity. Visit your local thrift store to see if you can find a discount yoga mat for sale or save money on other yoga accessories like hand weights or stretching bands.
Pilates is another popular stretching exercise that focuses on conditioning the body through activities that build flexibility, endurance, coordination and strength. These types of stretching exercises often work to develop the core and limbs.
The Importance of the Warm Up and Cool Down
Whenever you engage in physical activity, you should also make sure to engage in warm up and cool down exercises. Warm up exercises are very helpful for the body because they prepare your muscles for the strenuous physical activity you may engage in during the course of your workout. Warm up stretches work to raise the body’s core temperature and increase the heart rate – moving oxygen-rich blood to the areas of your body that need it most. A good warm up or cool down session should take anywhere from 3-5 minutes and should target the areas of the body you will be using during your more intense workout activities. Likewise, cool down exercises help to slowly bring down the body’s heart rate after intense physical activity. Proper stretching before and after a workout will reduce your instances of strain and sprain.
The author of this post is Holly Miller, a writer for Coupon Croc. Shop online and use a Comet discount code to save on everything from fitness equipment to scales.
