4 Key Benefits of Stretching (Plus How Often You Should Be Stretching to See Results)

Take a moment and try out these movements:

Movement 1: Stand up straight and reach one arm over your shoulder, and the other arm behind your back. Try to clasp your hands together at the back. Can your fingers touch or clasp together? How close are they?

Movement 2: Stand up straight, then bend at the waist and try to touch your toes without bending your knees. Can you touch your toes? How far can you reach without bending your knees?

If you were able to perform these movements with ease, that’s great! You’re quite flexible.

If you found this exercise a bit challenging, you might want to read on.

Today, I want to talk about an exercise routine that’s often overlooked, but is extremely important for overall physical health — stretching.

As babies and young kids, we’re super flexible. But as we grow older, we lose most of that flexibility.

Part of this occurs as a natural aging process: Our muscles and joints lose flexibility and become stiffer and tighter as we age.

This leads to a limited range of motion (the extent to which a body part is able to move around a particular joint).

If nothing is done to offset this aging process, the range of motion of our joints and muscles continues to gradually decrease, eventually leading to difficulties in our ability to move.

Stretching is a simple, yet highly effective exercise that anyone can do to prevent this.

Why You Should Stretch

Stretching isn’t only for gymnasts, athletes or people who workout a lot.

You may not realize it, but there are a lot of daily tasks that involve some level of flexibility—from squatting to tie your shoes, to bending down to pick up something from the ground.

Even getting in and out of a sitting position requires certain groups of muscles and joints to be strong and flexible.

Without this level of flexibility, it becomes difficult to perform these small but essential movements.

Fundamentally, human bodies are made to move. However, as we grow older, we tend to become less active.

We sit for extended periods, slouch over our desks for long hours, and rarely take the time to move in ways that promote flexibility and well-being.

Over time, this leads to several negative effects on your body like poor posture, increased risk of injury, and difficulties in performing everyday activities.

Stretching, when done consistently over a period of time, has been scientifically proven to be a powerful practice that counteracts these negative effects.

Types of Stretch

There are various forms of stretching that you can do. Two of the most common ones are:

• Static stretch: Involves moving a joint or muscle to the end of its range of motion and holding that position for some time before releasing. The stretches you did at the beginning are some examples of this.

• Dynamic stretch: Involves continuously moving muscles and joints through a full range of motion in a slow and controlled manner. A good example is performing arm or hip circles.

Each of these stretches offers unique benefits.

Static stretching is ideal for improving flexibility and relaxing tight muscles, making it perfect for a cool-down after exercise or a relaxing evening routine.

On the other hand, dynamic stretching is excellent for warming up the body before physical activity, as it helps to increase blood flow, improve mobility, and prepare your muscles for more strenuous movements.

The type of stretch you choose should depend on your specific goals—whether you're aiming to enhance your balance and posture, alleviate muscle pain, or simply improve your overall flexibility.

The Benefits of Stretching

Stretching offers a wide range of benefits for your physical health. Here’s a closer look at some of the most significant advantages:

1. Increased flexibility and range of motion

One of the most obvious benefits of stretching is increased flexibility.

Multiple studies have shown that consistent stretching can lead to significant improvements in flexibility.

Flexible muscles are essential for maintaining a full range of motion in your joints.

The amount of range of motion that’s available in the joints and muscles is what determines how well you’re able to move.

This is particularly important as you age because a decrease in flexibility (and consequently a reduced range of motion) can lead to stiffness, discomfort, and a higher risk of injury.

2. Improved performance in physical activities

For athletes and people who undergo a lot of physical training, stretching is a key component of both training and recovery.

When muscles are tight and are suddenly called on for a strenuous activity, they may become damaged from suddenly being stretched.

This is why it’s important to do some dynamic stretches before exercise to prepare the muscles and joints for the demands of the activity, which improves performance and reduces the risk of injury.

When your muscles are flexible and your joints are able to move through their full range of motion, you’re able to squat and lunge deeper, for example, and therefore get more gains from your workouts.

Meanwhile, static stretching after exercise helps to cool down the muscles, prevent stiffness, and promote recovery.

3. Improved posture and balance

Many of us spend hours hunched over computers or phones, which can lead to poor posture and musculoskeletal imbalances.

Stretching helps to alleviate these issues by lengthening tight muscles and strengthening the muscles that support good posture.

For example, stretching the chest and shoulders can help counteract the effects of slouching, while stretching the hip flexors and hamstrings can improve lower back alignment.

4. Decreased risk of injuries

One of the most compelling reasons to incorporate stretching into your routine is its potential to prevent injuries.

As we’ve seen, tight muscles are at a higher risk for injury especially when put under a sudden strenuous activity.

Stretching helps to improve flexibility, balance muscle imbalances, and enhance joint mobility—all of which contribute to a lower risk of injury during physical activity.

So, How Often Should You Stretch?

This study found that even as little as 5 minutes of static stretches of each muscle group everyday led to increased flexibility and improved range of motion.

It’s recommended to hold each stretch for a minimum of 30 seconds, release, and repeat the stretch for at least 2 times.

Therefore, you don’t have to have a lot of time on your hands to benefit from stretching. Even as little as 5 minutes a day goes a long way.

So, the next time you’re tempted to skip stretching, remember that those few minutes can make a significant difference in how you feel and move in the long run.

Thanks for reading! I hope you found something valuable :)

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