Health Benefits Of Regular Stretching

Stretching is a great way to start warming up the body before getting into an intense workout. After all, warm muscles help to reduce the risk of injury from doing too much, too soon. No one likes suffering from a pulled muscle or even worse exercise-induced injuries because they forgot to stretch first.

However, many individuals simply believe stretching is for before and after a workout. They never even consider the possibility of stretching when they get up in the morning, which means they are missing out on quite a lot. Stretching every morning, or even just on a regular basis, provides significant benefits. Start reading for the complete details.

Alleviate Back Pain

Many individuals wake up in the morning with a sore back. Sometimes this is a matter of a bad mattress or pillow, or simply sleeping the wrong way that particular night. It may also be the result of tense muscles. In any case, stretching in the morning is a great help in alleviating back pain gained throughout the night. The best stretch to start with once you are sitting up, of course, is lifting your arms above your head as far as you can, clasping your hands, and arching your back. Folding forward and trying to touch your toes also works quite well, as does gently turning at the waist to twist your back.

Improved Posture

Many do not realize this, but tense muscles are a significant contributing factor to poor posture, which can lead to back pain and other body aches. Regularly stretching the back, chest, and shoulders helps to relax and lengthen tense muscles. In turn, this takes away the desire to slouch and improves spinal alignment. In the end, it puts less stress on your muscles if you sit up straight. Besides the lessened pain and stress from the hunched, tensed muscles in poor posture, sitting up straight communicates confidence and strength.

Better Blood Circulation

When individuals stretch before a workout, they are increasing blood flow and reducing their risk of injuring themselves during their exercise session. Stretching regularly helps improve blood circulation on a more prolonged basis, which, besides helping reduce injuries, also helps regulate body temperature and sharpen concentration, particularly in the morning and as a mid-afternoon boost. Regarding regulating body temperature, those with poor circulation often suffer from cold hands and feet, but with improved circulation, this is much less of a worry. Furthermore, stretching, particularly when it opens up the spine, provides a distinct rush that makes individuals feel good and energized.

Boost In Energy

Muscles tighten as people get tired and while they sleep. This is why your muscles are tight in the morning as well as in the afternoon when yawning starts to set in. In many cases, individuals will reach for coffee to get a caffeine boost to wake them up. While this can be nice, for a natural boost of energy, all you truly need is to stretch your muscles. The increased blood circulation previously mentioned is exactly what provides the body with more energy, since it helps the body work more efficiently and lessens both physical and mental strain. Try bending backward with your hands on your hips or clasp your hands behind your back and arch for a quick energy rush. Even clasping your hands and stretching them in front of you will often do the trick!

Increased Flexibility

Many individuals struggle to touch their toes because they are not too flexible. However, this is easily remedied with regular stretching. Regular stretching and slowly pushing the body to stretch further increases an individual’s basic range of motion. Consider for a moment how during the beginning of a workout, you cannot bend as much as you can later on in the workout, even in the same position, such as seen with Downward Dog in yoga. This happens because your muscles loosen and blood circulation improves as the workout progresses, meaning your flexibility is temporarily increased. Regular stretching on the other hand, such as ten minutes every morning, can help increase the starting level of your flexibility. It may not be to a professional gymnast level, but it will make a clear difference in everyday activities.

Simple Stress Relief

Have you ever noticed how you feel incredibly tense when you are stressed? It is, in fact, more than a feeling. Muscles do tighten when an individual is experiencing stress. Thus, it makes sense to work on loosening the tense muscles. Even if you do nothing else but stretch in response to stress, you can still experience some stress relief. It will often be enough to calm you down for a little while, giving you enough time to try to think logically or remove yourself from the situation. Additionally, stretching helps the body release endorphins, the feel-good chemical, which can counteract the effects cortisol, known as the stress hormone, has on the body.