Stretching Should be a Part of Your Fitness Routine!

Do you prioritize stretching? If not, then you should! As you incorporate flexibility exercises into your routine, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to keep your body supple, young, and limber. Flexibility is often overlooked; however, it plays a crucial role in role in overall health, fitness, and function. Tight muscles can lead to aches and pains, poor posture, and difficulty performing simple tasks, such as household chores, getting out of bed, and playing with your kids or grandchildren.

Reduced flexibility can also lead to poor balance. While that’s typically a concern for older adults who are worried about the risk of falling, balance also plays a vital role in sports performance and injury prevention. Simply put, reduced mobility (a result of poor flexibility and decreased strength and muscle mass) can adversely affect daily activities, negatively impact your quality of life, and limit you from doing what you love most.

Although joint flexibility decreases with age, the fortunate news is that flexibility can be improved across ALL age groups with proper flexibility training. In fact, range of motion can be improved with as little as 4 weeks of regular stretching 2 – 3 times per week.

In addition to increasing range of motion and functional capacity, flexibility exercises have been shown to improve posture, stability, and balance. While the research is somewhat mixed, some studies have shown that regular flexibility exercise can reduce the likelihood of injuries, prevent low back pain, and reduce muscle soreness.

So how do you go about improving flexibility? 

According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), there are several important variables to consider:

• Frequency: At least 2 – 3 days per week is effective for improving flexibility, and greater gains can be attained if performed more frequently.
• Type: A series of flexibility exercises for each of the major muscle groups is recommended.
• Intensity: Stretch to the point of feeling tightness or slight discomfort.
• Time: Holding a static stretch for 10 – 30 seconds is recommended for most adults; however, older adults may see greater benefits by holding a stretch for 30 – 60 seconds.
• Repetitions: Repetition of each flexibility exercise 2 – 4 times is recommended.
• Volume: A reasonable target is to perform 60 seconds of total stretching time for each of your flexibility exercises (e.g., two 30-second or four 15-second stretches).
• Timing: Flexibility training is most effective when the muscle is “warmed up” either actively (such as moderate aerobic activity) or passively (such as hot baths).
• When NOT to stretch: Stretching exercises can have a negative effect on muscle strength and power and sports performances. Having said that, flexibility training plus resistance training may result in even greater benefits in posture, stability, balance, and physical function.

If you need assistance incorporating flexibility training into your fitness routine, please contact me.