by: Charles Van Order
I remember a comment made by my health teacher back in high school stating that as we get older we start to lose our flexibility. He then went on to prove his point by placing his arm behind his head and not even being able to get his elbow close to the top of his head. I was so amused by this at that time because I was easily able to scratch the middle of my back, in the same position, without even trying. Unfortunately now, though not quite as bad as my health teacher, I am quite as flexible as I nearly once was.
Recently, after watching my dog get up several times from a lazy afternoon nap she had taken, I realized one thing she would always do. That was to stretch! I then realized that this stiffness that we feel in our muscles does not come from age, but more from not properly stretching. Stretching is an amazing and simple exercise that can be done by anyone at any age without the need of expensive equipment. You are even able to perform it in front of the television to help avoid boredom while doing them.
So, what is stretching? Stretching is a way of deliberately lengthening the muscles in order to increase flexibility and joint range of motion. What that really means is that it can actually help you out, especially if you are older. It is my belief that since we never really got into the habit of stretching when we were younger, we were already pretty flexible at this time, many of us do not do it as we get older. But read on to find out some of the benefits to stretching and see why a weekly routine would be good for you.
Stretching has many benefits besides just feeling more flexible. Of course with just that, it can help to improve your daily life and strain on your muscles sometimes you feel from sitting to long, walking to far, or even bending over to tie your shoes. Plus it can be very beneficial in other ways as well.
Stretching can actually improve blood flow to the muscles. Blood flow to the muscles is extremely important. It not only carries the proper nutrition to the muscle, but also rids it of waste byproducts. It can also help in recovery time to certain muscle injuries. Though it is important to note that it is not good to stretch a muscle after it has been injured until after it is fully healed, for obvious reasons.
Two other great benefits to stretching are better posture and stress relief. By doing stretching exercises on a weekly basis, you are preventing your muscles from tightening up and allowing you to have better posture. Not only does it give you a more confident look, but it can also help with certain diseases such as osteoporosis as well as keeping away unnecessary aches and pains. Having a good stretching routine can also aid in relaxing the muscles. Since most of us like to carry our stress in our shoulder and lower back, it can help prevent back, shoulder and back pain.
Maintaining a good stretching routine can help in aiding in your coordination. By having good coordination, it will help to you increase your balance as well as being less prone to injury. As we get older, we have a tendency to be less coordinated than we once were. This is more common with older adults that seem to fall a lot and can have serious injury such as broken hips or knees.
Do you stretch on a daily basis? If not, do you think that you may try a stretching routine after reading this article? Leave a comment and let me know.
