Stretch This

Have you ever attended a fitness class with what seemed to be 100 squats, 100 walking lunges, 200 bicep curls and oh, let’s say 500 sit-ups…only to have the instructor end with a five-second hamstring stretch, then send you on your way?

I guarantee you one thing: You are probably not going to look forward to bathroom breaks the next day.

What could make or break you? Some good ole’ fashioned stretching. Research shows stretching dynamically before exercise, and statically afterwards can reduce injury, promote stronger muscles, reduce soreness and improve your performance.

Many class formats just don’t allow time for proper stretching. That leaves it up to you to build in time to do it on your own. So what’s all the verbiage with dynamic and static? Here are the basics:

Dynamic stretches: Moving through the range of motion you are about to do before your workout. Warming up the muscles and preparing them for exercise. For example, marching in place with high knees before running.

Static stretches: Once muscles are warm, after a workout, 10 minutes light cardio, or even a shower or bath. These are the stretches you can hold to elongate and add flexibility to muscles. For very tight muscles, work up to a two-minute hold.

Your team leader, coach or fitness instructor is a great resource for stretches. Here are a few online references as well:

10 Basic Stretches

This article shows 10 stretches, most of which will be familiar to my Moms in Motion clients who do them at each workout.

5 Fantastic Stretching Exercises

This one shares just a few stretches, geared toward runners/walkers. It has a good amount of basic info on why stretching is important.

Enjoy. Share any resources you have here. Elk Grove Patch is a great forum for exchanging ideas. And remember to take care of your body, and it will take care of you.

Keep movin!