Health Benefits Of Regular Stretching

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.