The Significance of Daily Stretching

The+Significance+of+Daily+Stretching

Madison Yee, Staff Writer

Looking for a way to benefit your physical and mental health? When it comes to your daily routine, it is essential to incorporate stretching whether it be after a workout, while doing sports, or during your downtime. With the advantages that come with it, you’ll start to consider stretching more often. 

Unexpectedly, much of the population is not aware of why stretching is crucial. When you do this form of physical activity, it allows your muscles to relax, giving you the opportunity to get stronger while moving your joints with ease. 

According to Harvard Health, “without [stretching], the muscles become short and tight. Then, when you call on the muscles for activity, they are weak and unable to extend all the way. That puts you at risk for joint pain, strains, and muscle damage.” Given this, stretching improves your posture while decreasing the chance of injury so, especially for those that do sports, doing this regularly is a prime factor to performing well.

Considering that athletes are constantly using their muscles and are more susceptible to injury, stretching is the solution that gives them the chance to recover and improve their skills at a faster rate. With these added perks come an increased blood and nutrient flow which is what gives the body the extra energy it needs to get through stress. Believe it or not, that flow additionally reduces the soreness or tight feeling you might have in your body when waking up. Once the nutrients are able to distribute themselves, that is the dominant component to reducing pain. 

Yes, stretching also has mental benefits! The repetition of these types of movements, gives you a mental break, letting your mind relax, and releasing any tension or stress. When doing this routine while listening to some background music, it can help you fully reflect and have a moment of peace while getting deeper into the stretches. An easy way to access new stretching positions is by using Youtube. Through this platform, there are a wide variety of videos for you to choose from and after, you will even feel a sense of relief while feeling better about your well being. Aside from this, I’m pretty sure that everyone has gone through their stressful moments. 

What about when your emotions are heightened and you feel overwhelmed? Well, you guessed it because stretching is the cure yet again! When you feel stressed, your muscles tighten and to release that tension, stretching is the best course of action. If you are ever in distress, take a break to dedicate a few minutes to stretching. Later, you will even become calmer to rewind back in the zone so that you can continue your workload.

 

Graphic courtesy of FREEPIK.COM