Stretching really is one of the best things we can do for our bodies but so few of us take the time to do it, which seems a little crazy when there are so many benefits. If you sit at a desk all day, drive a vehicle for long periods, take part in regular exercise or even none of these, stretching will benefit you.
But don’t take my word for it. An article by The Harvard Medical School recommends daily stretching and states: “We all need to stretch in order to protect our mobility and independence.”
Whether our muscles have been shortened by inactivity or are put under pressure by strenuous activity, they can become injured and injured muscles can lead to damaged joints.
As a former dancer, stretching was key to being flexible and trying to stay injury-free. You do not have to be dancer to want to achieve these goals. Just think about the effortful noises you may make as you get off the floor or out of the car – “ouuff” is my personal favourite – …stretching can help eliminate these.
Here is a round-up of the benefits of stretching:
- Better flexibility
- Better posture
- Better range of motion
- Increased blood flow to muscles
- Improved performance in physical activities
- Injury prevention
- Stress and tension relief
Basically, you will be a better you and everyday tasks will be easier. Seems like a no-brainer, right? But where do you start? Stretching every muscle in the body may take a while, even the Harvard Medical School recognises this, so stretch the ones you know are tight. We all know where our tight spots are.
The quality of the stretching is important, and this is advice I give in my stretching masterclasses. If you can hold a stretch for 30 seconds or longer, you will gain the maximum benefit. It is worth taking a little more time to do the stretch properly, so you are working harder to get deeper into your muscles.
My stretch masterclasses are 90 minutes long so it gives me an opportunity to really work with you to teach you how to stretch so you feel like a better you! I also do some mindfulness exercises as the end, so you should leave my masterclass feeling fabulous.