Promoting Health Through Stretching

Mind is All

Many people fail to realize that part of the reason why they wake up tired and groggy and ineffective each day is because of something that is really quite easy to fix. Many people do not stretch often enough, or - worse still - they do not stretch at all! There is a widespread misconception that has led people to believe that the only time they really need to stretch is before and after exercise. But actually, it does not matter what you do in the course of a normal day; stretching is important for you regardless! Stretching actually makes the body much healthier, as it causes the muscles to loosen, causes breathing to improve, and causes the body's circulation of blood to be far more effective.

You might think that it is too much work to stretch throughout the day, or that it will take up too much of your time. But actually, most stretches are very easy to do, and they can be done in bits in pieces throughout the day or in a single ten or fifteen minute block of time.

If you are looking for an upper body stretch that is easy to do, and that you can do no matter where you are, try stretching your arms straight back behind you, about level with your shoulders; then, with your legs about shoulder-width apart, bend straight forward so that your torso is parallel over the ground. With this stretch, your arms, chest, and abdomen will all be significantly loosened.

Leg stretches are somewhat more difficult to do at times, as you can not especially do most of them while wearing your work clothes! Toe touches and butterfiles are great stretching exercises for your legs, as are lunges; you should try to do these either in the morning before you get dressed, or in the evening before you go to bed!

Your body will begin to improve remarkably when you get in the habit of stretching for ten or fifteen minutes each day.