I never used to stretch. I then lost over 186 pounds. Now I stretch.
If you don’t exercise, you probably won’t, so do what you can easily do for your health. If you exercise and are going to continue, you can easily add stretching for your health. Take a lesson from cats.
Cats don’t exercise. They stretch a lot; Cats immediately stretch in various directions when awakened from sleep or a nap, most often stretching almost every time they go from lying or sitting to standing. They even stop to stretch just because they are walking somewhere.
Stretch your way to better health. Stretching has previously been considered a program for the elderly or in recovery; however, if you are overweight, stretching can save your life. Stretching promotes elasticity in our muscles and joints and keeps us agile. How agile you are determines how you react to a slip and fall; makes the difference between getting injured and being able to recover to prevent or minimize injury.
Stretching is also an excellent diet and weight loss aid for people who are overweight or obese, and particularly those who are morbidly obese; it is even appropriate for adolescent childhood obesity. The more overweight we are, the more difficult it is for us to exercise even if we want to: stretching allows us to keep our muscles working and is the perfect way to get into the realm of exercise as you lose weight.
Overweight and out of shape, or trim and fit, any stretching program must begin with care and caution. Consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program. Stretchercise as a program is done in multiple small doses many times throughout the day. If you don’t exercise and get little physical movement, you should stretch for 2 to 5 minutes every hour.
One of the best things I discovered about stretching is that you can do it for a long time, with or without music, like an exercise program. Gold you can do it for 30 seconds to a minute once an hour. In fact, much of this can be done while you’re working, as a little chore to reduce stress. You can do it while watching TV, you can do it when you cook: you can actually do any movement that you do a stretch.
And it feels good. And it increases circulation. And it reduces stress, muscle tension and fatigue. And it gives those back muscles that have been holding you up a much-needed periodic breather. And it gives you energy.
As we age, flexibility decreases: use it or lose it. Stretching is an important factor in keeping muscles and joints flexible. The more flexible we are as we get older, the fewer things become too difficult for us, and the fewer aches and pains we have. Regardless of health, it certainly expands our ability to maintain a satisfying life. quality of life. Stretchercising also helps if you have weight control issues.
When it’s time to stretch, you can use the corner of a wall as a stabilizing factor, allowing you to lean and stretch without fear of losing your balance. Whether you’re stretching on the floor, in bed, in a chair, or standing up, stretching to your favorite music tape will make time fly by if you’re stretching for exercise. (The minimum time to call it a stretch should be 3 minutes to start with, and as you get used to it, gradually continue to increase the amount of time.)
Stretching out in front of the computer, whether it’s with your arms or just easily leaning from side to side, is good for you. You can tighten and loosen the muscles in your arms, legs, and buttocks anywhere, almost anytime. You can turn your neck; this is a great stress buster and helps prevent headaches.
When you stretch, be sure to reach as far as is comfortable. Stretching should never hurt. You will probably find that, over time, you will begin to be able to do each stretch a little more comfortably. You may want to do some research at your local bookstore, library, or on the internet about yoga; it will provide lots of ideas and lots of useful information on healthy stretching.
One last great thing I discovered about stretching: there are so many ways, places and times to do it and so many muscles that can and should be stretched, anyone can become a master stretcher through trying and stretching.
