Top 10 Health Benefits of Stretching - Health Fitness Revolution

Stretching is very important for flexibility, range of motion and  injury prevention. Incorporating stretching into your daily workouts is a  given but including it in your day routine is just as important to  health and body functioning as regular exercise. It relaxes your muscles  and increases blood flow and nutrients to your cartilage and muscles. Here are the top 10 health benefits of stretching:  

• Encourages an optimistic outlook – A buildup of stress  causes your muscles to contract, making you feel tense and uneasy. This  tension can lead to having a negative impact on mind as well as your  body. Stretching exercises have powerful stress-busting abilities.  Stretching soon after waking up can help jump-start the mind and body.  Stretching loosens tight muscles which helps your muscles both relax and  increase blood flow. It also encourages the release of endorphins,  providing a sense of tranquility and euphoria. Stretching directly  before bed will even give you a more comfortable sleeping experience.

• Fortifies posture – Stretching helps ensure correct posture  by lengthening tight muscles that pull areas of the body away from  their intended position and keeping your muscles loose. Stretching the  muscles of the lower back, chest and shoulders can help keep the spine  in better alignment and improve overall posture by relieving aches and  pains. With reduced pain, there is a reduced desire to hunch or slouch.

• Enables flexibility – The most established and obvious benefit of stretching is improving flexibility  and range of motion. An effective flexibility training program can  improve your physical performance and help reduce your risk of injury.  By improving your range of motion, your body requires less energy to  make the same movements and you also will have more flexible joints thus  lessening the likelihood of injuries acquired during workouts or during  daily activities.

• Increase stamina – Stretching loosens your muscles  and tendons which relieves muscle fatigue and increases blood flow. The  longer you exercise the more energy you be burn, typically causing one  to grow fatigued. With stretching, you can delay the onset of muscle  fatigue by ensuring oxygen is efficiently flowing through your blood,  thereby increasing your endurance.

• Decreases risk of injury – it will help to supply a  greater nutrient supply to muscles, thereby reducing muscle soreness  and helping to speed recovery from muscle and joint injuries.

• Improve energy levels – Sometimes you may have  trouble staying awake during your long, dragging day. If you’re feeling  this way then it might help to get out of your seat and do a few good  stretches for a boost of energy,  helping your mind and body be more alert. Muscles tighten when we get  tired and that makes us feel even more lethargic, so feel free to stand  up and do some stretches. It will help you to quickly and efficiently  revitalize your energy levels.

• Promotes blood circulation – it increases blood  flow to the muscles. Not only will this help reduce post-workout  soreness and shorten recovery time, but it will improve overall health.  Greater blood circulation helps promote cell growth and organ function.  The heart rate will also lower since it doesn’t have to work as hard and  blood pressure will become more even and consistent.

• Improve athletic performance – If your muscles are  already contracted because you haven’t stretched, then they will be less  effective during exercise. Regular stretching will relax all of your  muscles and therefore enable them to be more available during exercise.

• Reduced soreness – Stretching before and after a  workout gives your muscles time to relax. Increases in blood flow  increase nutrient supply to the muscles and relieve soreness in the  muscles after a workout.

• Reduces cholesterol – Paired with a healthy diet, engaging in prolonged stretching exercises can help reduce cholesterol in the body. This could prevent and even reverse the hardening of arteries, helping one avoid heart diseases.