Good Ways to Do Strecthing Exercises

Stretching Exercises Tips

Stretching is a vital part of maintaining physical fitness. It helps you perform your exercises better and keep your tendons looser and more flexible. Aside from this, regular practice allows you to retain a full range of motion in the later stages of your life. Despite its importance, stretching is often ignored and not given its due importance, leading to injuries. Here are 5 stretching tips to avoid such injuries. 

1. Stretch often

Stretching daily can loosen up your muscles and make us healthier. Therefore, the first tip is to stretch often—before, during, and after a workout. With the stationery lives that we lead as we work, stretching can help you warm up your body after long hours of immobility. Just 10 minutes of daily stretching can do wonders for your balance, flexibility, and strength. 

2. Don’t Push Past Discomfort

Stretching is all about pushing your body to loosen up more. However, you shouldn’t push too much. Make sure to never push past the slight discomfort you may feel when stretching after a long interval. The moment you feel pain is when you should stop. Therefore, constantly monitor how your muscles feel as you stretch. A pro tip would be to focus on one area at a time. 

3. Try New Varieties

Doing the same thing over and over again, every day can turn any activity boring. Moreover, you may even find yourself taking the routine for advantage, leading to careless injuries. Prevent this by frequently mixing things up with your stretching routine. Doing this can also help you work through all the different muscle groups, getting equal levels of stretching for all. Yoga and Pilates are great sources to find new stretch varieties. 

4. Breathe during Stretches

The biggest benefit of regular stretching, especially before bedtime is its ability to relax your body and mind. This happens when you are breathing just right throughout your stretching routine. In fact, when you breathe properly, you also avoid muscle pulls and injuries. Therefore, as you stretch, make sure to breathe slowly and deeply. Doing so makes you comfortable during the task, giving you better outcomes.

5. Don’t Bounce

Bouncing causes frequent shifts in your body, which ultimately tightens your muscles. When this is combined with your stretching routine, what you will have is a higher risk of pulling a muscle or tendon. Therefore, when stretching, make sure your posture is right and that you aren’t bouncing. Getting the help of a trainer or a doctor for this is recommended for better safety.