How to prevent workout injuries

How to Stretch Out Your Fitness Routine

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) randomly called more than 450,000 U.S. adults ages 18 and older across all 50 states. Based on the data, nearly 80 percent of adult Americans do not get the recommended amounts of exercise each week.

The U.S. government recommends adults get at least 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise each week or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or a combination of both. Adults should also engage in muscle-strengthening activities like lifting weights or doing push-ups at least twice per week.

Yes this requires time and effort but the rewards are definitely worth it. Regular exercise helps lower blood pressure, maintain a healthy heart rate, and improve sleep patterns. It’s also often the best prescription for weight loss and increased energy.

Part of the regimen needs to include stretching. The amount should be dictated by your body and what type of exercise you’re doing. Stretching helps you warm up or cool down your body. It also decreases the possibility of injury and strain.

Some people need to lengthen their major muscle groups before they start an exercise. In a dynamic warm-up, important joints such as your hips, shoulders, and lower back are put through their complete ranges of motion. Your large muscle groups, used for support, are also warmed up. Dynamic warm-up activities are similar to core strengthening exercises such as the scorpion, hip crossover and drop lunge. You can implement a variety of dynamic warm-up activities on your different workout days, creating this ongoing interest will help you sustain your exercise routine for a longer period of time.

For others, the choice is to stretch after exercise to re-lengthening major muscle groups.  A dynamic cool-down is the answer here. If you’ve been walking or running, tack on a couple of extra minutes at the end with different stride lengths or pace. Walking backwards at a slow pace is another way to complete a dynamic cool-down. After weight lifting, add a few sets of deep-knee lunges. This stretches your lower back and hips. Big arm circles that go both clockwise and counterclockwise helps open up your shoulder girdles and lengthen the muscles of your rotator cuffs.

Regardless of where you put it in your routine, stretching is an extremely important part of exercise. The extra few minutes spent either warming up or cooling down will help you maintain your exercise program and achieve long-term health and well-being.

Chiropractic care can also help maximize the benefits of exercise.  A chiropractic doctor can work with you to discover hidden reserves for peak performance. Regular chiropractic care removes nerve interference and allows the joints of the spine to move more freely. Elimination of obstructions furthers mobility and function. Integrating regular chiropractic care and stretching into a fitness program will give you the incentive and support to meet the U.S. recommendations for healthy physical activity.

To learn more about how chiropractic care can enhance your fitness program, visit Active Care’s website or give us a call.