The Oaks at Ojai (California)
I believe that healthy bodies require 3 types of activity weekly: about 4 hours of cardio, 2 or 3 fatiguing strength sessions (30 minutes each), and daily stretching for at least ten minutes-The more flexibility time invested the merrier your body will be.
What's in it for you? Quite a bit, actually! It's easy to undervalue, misunderstand, and overlook the benefits and importance of stretching, but there are so many positives!
The more flexible the muscles are the less likely injury becomes. Your major muscles should be lengthened daily for at least 20 seconds each. Joints also benefit. Want to maintain optimum range of motion over time? Move the joints into the positions you don't want freezing up on you.
Flexibility training is a great stress & tension relief as well. Haven't you noticed that when you stretch you feel calmer after? It's because you slowed down, relaxed, and hopefully made a direct connect between your mind and body, allowing the mind to let go of the million thoughts rushing in swiftly and constantly. Sigh. Go ahead. It is important to breath slowly, steadily, and fully while you stretch. That breath will settle you and your systems down, and having the mind think about the breath is another way to rein in your racing mind.
As you feel more calm and aware, you will be feeding balance and coordination as well. Did you know that slips, trips, and falls are the #1 reason that women over 50 end up in the E.R? We need to slow down and pay attention. Daily stretching can help. If you see that your balance isn't the best, practice standing on one foot every day as part of your stretch regime. It CAN improve!
There's more! Improved flexibility will help your posture. The more flexible your lower back and hamstrings (back of the leg) are the better your posture will be. It also increases blood supply, nutrients, and joint synovial fluid, allowing more mobility in the joint systems. Stretching after strength training and cardio will also reduce next day muscle soreness. All good stuff!
As with every form of exercise, every body is different and the ultimate end result of stretching regularly will vary from person to person. As with everything, you're just looking for the optimum result for YOU- taking into consideration body structure, injuries and other limitations, age, gender, etc. We want to be the best we can be without forcing or stressing or hurting ourselves.
I am NOT stretching the truth when I say that stretching is a MUST for every healthy body!
