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Key Health Benefits of Stretching to Increase Flexibility

By Kerri Goodrich, CPT

Proper stretching is one of the most widely recommended methods to help you look and feel younger, live longer, avoid and even overcome serious health issues, along with increasing your mental concentration and emotional well-being. If you suffer from pain in your neck, back, knees, shoulders, arms, hands or other parts of your body, you can help your body heal with stretching.

• REDUCE TENSION IN MUSCLES & HELP MUSCLES RELAX. Many studies have shown that increased flexibility can significantly reduce aches throughout the body - an issue that is significantly on the rise with today's sedentary lifestyles!

• IMPROVE FLOW OF OXYGEN AND INTAKE OF ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS. Stretching allows the muscles to relax. Muscles that are always tense tend to cut off their own circulation, which can result in lack of oxygen and nutrients.

• HELP REDUCE AND MANAGE STRESS. With flexibility comes a significant reduction in the "tension" in your body - you will feel significantly less stressed, which is essential as stress is a leading contributor to chronic diseases.

• IMPROVE YOUR POSTURE. Stretching your lower back, shoulders and chest properly helps to align your back and improve your posture - with the prevalence of sedentary jobs confining people to a desk, standing and holding phone receivers most of the day, this is also crucial.

• PROVIDE BETTER BLOOD CIRCULATION. The act of stretching increases blood supply to muscles and joints, improving blood circulation.

• SLOW THE DEGENERATION OF YOUR JOINTS: Stretching helps to increase your range of motion and may slow the degeneration of joints.

• HELP TO ELIMINATE OR AVOID LOW BACK PAIN: Flexibility in the hips, hamstrings, and pelvic muscles helps lengthen muscles to remove stress from your spine that causes muscle tension and lower back pain.

• HELP TO ELIMINATE PAINS FROM STRESS ON MUSCLES. Stretching lengthens and loosens the muscles, reducing the shortening and tightening effect from working your muscles hard … and the associated aches and pains from it!

• IMPROVE CLARITY AND FOCUS. For many of the reasons noted above, such as improved blood and oxygen circulation and reduced body tension, you will experience greater mental clarity and focus with stretching.

Warrior Pose
Benefits:
· Increases flexibility and stabilizing strength throughout the LPHC.
· Great stretch for all of the hip and leg musculature.
· Increase flexibility in the shoulder girdle when in arms are overhead.


Pectoral Wall Stretch
Preparation:
Stand against an object and form a 90/90-degree angle with your arms as depicted.


Movement:
Draw your belly button inward.

• Slowly rotate your trunk forward around stationary arm until a slight stretch is felt in the anterior shoulder region.

• Hold for 20-30 seconds, repeat for 2-3 reps.
  

Calf - Straight Knee

Hamstring Stretch

Movement:

· Flex at hip until first resistance barrier is felt, hold for 20-30 seconds, then gently contract the hamstring pushing the heel into the table.
· HOLD AT FIRST RESISTANCE BARRIER FOR 20-30 SECONDS, THEN STATICALLY CONTRACT FOR 5-7 SECONDS, RELAX AND MOVE INTO NEWLY ACQUIRED ROM, REPEAT FOR 2-3 REPS.
Levator Scapula – Seated, back and neck

• Benefits: Improved soft tissue extensibility and neuromuscular control.

• Preparation:

In the proper posture sit on the ball with a minimum of 90 degrees bend at the hips and knees.

• Movement: Draw your belly button inward.

Tuck your chin in and rotate the head in right direction of your opposite pocket while retracting and depressing shoulder of the side being stretched.
Hold for 20-30 seconds, repeat for 2-3 reps.

Kerri Goodrich is a certified personal trainer and USA Weightlifting Coach with over ten years of Olympic Weightlifting, athletic and fitness experience in developing healthier hearts, minds and bodies through all stages of our lives. Kerri owns her own athletics and fitness business, specializing in community out reach. You can learn more about these programs at www.performanceinitiatives.org.