Ideally we want our muscles to be like rubber bands, strong and flexible. But ease of movement isn’t the only benefit you’ll get from stretching.
Here are 5 incredible benefits that’ll improve your health today:
Improved Flexibility
You’re probably thinking dahh! Here’s why flexibility is so important:
Let’s go back to the rubber band analogy – if the band is always in the shortened (tight) position it is going to be harder to mobilise and over time it can seize up completely affecting your joints and simple movements like walking, cleaning up the house etc. Stretching keeps your muscles flexible, allowing ease of movement in the body. Ideally we want the muscles to have the right amount of give – like the rubber band, we want the balance between strength and length.
Each day as we sit at our desks, drive the car, or even stand on our feet for long periods of time, we are shortening our muscles. Just 5-10 minutes of stretching daily can help increase your flexibility and decompress the body from the day’s activities.
Improved Circulation
This is such a great benefit of stretching. Your health depends on how well blood and oxygen flow throughout the body. This allows every organ to function properly, helps keep your hearth healthy, your brain sharp and your digestion regular.
When we stretch the body we are not only lengthening the muscles but also creating space through to the connective tissues. This allows the breath to filter easier through the body, in turn improving your body’s circulation.
Injury Prevention
Let’s go back to our rubber band analogy – if your muscles & joints are super tight (rubber band with no give) and you twist your ankle, there is more likely to be a bad break and long recovery period because there is no where for your joints and muscles to go. However, if you had flexibility through the joints and the muscles you’re much more likely to reduce the severity of the injury and also the recovery time. You essentially have more give in the body.
No one wants to be injured – it restricts our everyday life and movements, so let’s get our stretch on! 5 – 10 minutes/day 🙂
Reduced stress and anxiety
Our lives have become increasingly busy and stressful. If you didn’t feel it before, I’m sure 2020 and the pandemic threw a spanner in the works in some way, shape or form. Taking time to stretch, slow down, breath and connect to your body is a great way to reduce stress and anxiety. By slowing down and finding that mind/body connection we tap into our parasympathetic nervous system which controls the body’s functions when we are at rest. Also known as the rest and digest state, the more often we spend in this state, the more relaxed we are. The more relaxed we are, the kinder we are, the healthier the mind and the body is and the better we sleep.
Improved Sleep
We all know how important sleep is…particularly if you have kids. Improve your zzz’s by stretching daily, slowing your heart rate down, removing tension from your body and moving into your rest and digest stage.
