Health Benefits Of Stretching
There are many benefits of stretching, both physical and mental. Stretching can be done anywhere and at any time. It doesn’t require a set amount of time, equipment or cost you anything!
Some of these benefits include;
- Improved blood flow throughout muscles, including the brain. This increase in blood flow will stimulate both your body and mind. Rather than needing some caffeine in the morning or throughout the day to help get you through, why not do some stretching.
- Improves the flexibility of your muscles. This will help decrease your chance of experiencing physical aches and pains, and will also improve your sports performance.
- Improved muscle co-ordination. This again will help your sports performance, but is also important the older we get. It will decrease the likelihood and severity of injuries.
- Stretching can reduce your stress levels. When we are stressed our muscles tighten and stretching will help relieve this tension and can even convince ours brain that we are relaxed. As stretching also helps reduce the likelihood of physical aches and pains, this will also help your stress levels.
- Some recent studies have found that stretching can even reduce your blood sugar level. This holds great importance in the management of weight and diabetes.
Anyone can stretch and at any time. However there are a couple of points to be aware of in order to achieve the benefits of stretching.
1. Be gentle and don’t push yourself too far. Stretching shouldn’t cause pain and if is does then you are doing something incorrectly. The more often you stretch the further you will be able to stretch, but be patient and don’t rush for results.
2. Stretching is best to be done in motion. Do not hold a stretched position for extended periods. Move into and out of the stretch in a smooth motion.
We understand that a lot of people live a busy life and don’t have a lot of available time. However 5 minutes of stretching a day is better than none at all. You don’t need to break a sweat, there are plenty of simple stretches that can be performed in your office.
At Body Care Health & Chiropractic we understand the benefits of stretching and which stretches are best for each individual. If you would like to know more about stretching or get some guidance on which stretches you should be doing, call us on 0409 712 075.
We also offer FREE spine & posture checks which will help you see and understand what stretching can do for you. Call us today!