Have you ever watched the way cats take pleasure in arching their backs? Stretching feels so amazing that nearly all living creatures engage in the habit!
However, when it comes to the two-legged variety of creatures, humans tend to treat flexibility training as an afterthought. Visit nearly any group fitness class, and you’ll see participants heading for the door during the cool down. Look around many office buildings, and you’ll see workers who could boost their productivity by simply getting their blood flowing through stretches.
Here are just a few reasons to start stretching every day, even if just for a few minutes!
1. Decreasing your blood pressure
You probably think of stretching as something that only benefits your muscles. Guess what? It also keeps your veins and arteries flexible! A Japanese study found that people over 40 years of age who could bend over and touch their toes had improved flexibility in their arteries.
The tension-taming properties of stretching also helps people with hypertension. Research indicates that practicing yoga can lower your blood pressure by 5 millimeters of mercury or more.
2. Alleviating pain
If you have chronic pain, take everyone’s advice and sign up for a yoga class. It works particularly well if you have chronic back pain of any kind. When you have inflammation from injury or disease, your muscles tighten up to protect the area. Moreover, this compression can lead to agonizing spasms. Thus, stretching helps muscle relax gently.
3. Improving circulation
If you stand or sit for significant periods, try getting up and stretching periodically. Staying stationary for an extended amount of time slows down your blood circulation. Poor circulation, in turn, can lead to varicose veins and numbness and coldness in your extremities. Lack of blood flow can also lead to severe concerns such as clots — which is why international airline travelers benefit from stretching when they can.
4. Relieving tension
Rates of anxiety disorders continue to rise in America. However, stretching offers a cost-effective way to manage stress. Why? Because the practice releases endorphins, which are chemicals that create a state of tranquility and euphoria in your brain. The best part? You can stretch nearly anywhere, even at your work desk. So, the next time office politics throw your emotions into a tailspin, pause for 2-3 minutes to relieve the tension.
5. Preventing DOMS
Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) usually occurs in beginner exercisers, but it can happen in gym rats who skip their cooldowns. To prevent the pain, conclude each workout with 4-5 minutes of stretching. As you recover, keep your body moving throughout the day by adding some side bends and neck rolls to your routine. However, if you rest entirely, you’ll extend your suffering.
6. Staving off injury
Picture a rubber band. Now, imagine taking that rubber band and putting it in the freezer for two weeks. If you take it out and give it a yank, it snaps in half. This is because of flexibility and use.
The same principle applies to your ligaments and tendons. If you stretch regularly, and you slip, you then have sufficient flexibility to make your muscles and tendons resistant to tearing. However, if you ignore flexibility training entirely, your connective tissue will become like a frozen rubber band. This is especially important this time of year since a humorous stumble on an icy sidewalk can become a debilitating injury in the winter.
7. Maintaining mobility
It’s heartbreaking to think that you may someday lose the mobility you have now. However, growing older doesn’t need to mean becoming infirm. That is to say, you can preserve your longevity with regular stretching to protect your range of motion.
Researchers found a correlation between a decline in mobility and overall functional decline in seniors. It makes sense — when you lose the ability to move, you stop engaging in other healthy behaviors like prepping nutritious meals and walking.
So, get your stretch on every day!
There are so many more reasons to stretch every day, and multiple times. Above all, it’s one of the few activities that make you feel fantastic in the immediate moment while offering long-term health benefits.
Featured image from Dominik Wycisło via Unsplash.
