Do you Have stiff hips? How about tight hamstrings? It is time to do some stretching to loosen up. It may not be exciting to do some stretching but doing flexibility exercises not only helps you loosen up but is likewise important for a well-rounded exercise routine.
Doing stretching exercises helps improve your flexibility. These exercises also reduce tightness that will make your workouts safer and more efficient.
What is flexibility?
Flexibility refers to your range of motion in your joints as influenced by your ligaments, muscles, tendons, and the anatomy of your joint. Many people do not realize that a flexible body allows you to perform a full range of exercises to get the best results out of your workouts.
Flexibility can be achieved by regularly performing stretching exercises. You also need to be active and make some changes in your lifestyle.
Benefits of Stretching Exercises
When you reach adulthood, more often, you stop playing as kids do. As such, you tend to lose the flexibility required for child play, including lifting a box, squatting, doing the monkey bars, crossing legs while seated on the floor, and moving freely while doing your favorite sports.
You can regain whatever flexibility you lost by doing flexibility exercises. Here are some reasons why flexibility matters a lot. Improving your body’s flexibility has a positive impact on your overall well-being.
Here are some reasons flexibility can help your overall well-being:
Less pain
Lower back pain is often due to tight hip flexors. You experience neck pain because of locked-up shoulders. Your hamstrings can likewise cause many aches in your body.
When you lengthen the opening of your muscles, they become looser and less tense. This makes you experience fewer pains and aches in your neck, back, as well as joint and body pains, muscle soreness, and cramps.
Prevent Athletic Injuries
Poor patterns of movement and not tight muscles cause injuries. When you are tight, chances are you move differently to work-around the imbalance. These imbalances can lead to neck, knee, and lower back injuries.
When you develop body flexibility, your body gets rid of muscle imbalances, reducing your risk of injury while doing physical activities.
More Strength
As your body becomes more flexible, it increases its strength because your muscles will develop the right amount of tension to support your movements. You will then be more physically fit.
Enhanced Balance and Posture
Your posture will improve as you increase your muscular flexibility. When you work out your body, it will straighten up any imbalances and allow proper alignment of your body.
Better Physical Performance
An increase in flexibility allows for more significant movement and allows your body to move better. This is so because flexibility allows your body to work effectively.
Better State of Mind
Regular stretching opens up your body, allowing you to have a relaxed state of mind. You will be able to unwind easily, and your body will feel better.
Stretching allows you to Lose Weight.
Doing stretching exercises allows you to burn calories and therefore helps in your weight loss goals. Doing stretching exercises for about 10 to 15 minutes per day can make you lose a substantial number of calories.
Improved Blood Circulation
You have a substantial vascular system with very tiny capillaries that are affected by your every movement or lack of movement. More flexibility will allow more movement and better blood circulation.
Improved Sleep
Poor posture, abnormal breathing patterns, muscle cramps can affect your sleep. Doing stretching exercises before hitting the sack can reduce your chances of experiencing these sleeping discomforts.
If you feel some tightness or stiffness in any part of your body and need some serious effort in doing simple things, you may need to do some flexibility or stretching exercises.
Best Stretching Exercises for Better Flexibility
Many people stay away from going to the gym, stop running, or engage in many physical activities they love because they lose momentum due to joint and body pains.
Doing stretching exercises for 10-15 minutes a day for at least three times a week can help you get flexible fast.
Quad Stretching
Note: You can hold onto a wall for support while doing this exercise.
Hamstring Stretching
Thigh Stretching
Hip Stretching
Chest and Shoulder Stretching
Upper Back Stretching
Tricep Stretching
Shoulder Stretching
Slide Stretching
Butterfly Stretching
Seated Shoulder Squeezing
Knee to Chest Stretching
Final thoughts
Your overall well-being to have a flexible body. Inflexibility will cause your body to feel many aches and pains, leading to possible injuries during movements.
Doing flexible exercises will not bring overnight results. Some days, you may feel some improvements in your body. Some days, you will feel it working. That is okay and normal. The key is to keep going with your stretching exercises until you feel your body is flexible enough to perform movements without any aches and pains.
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