Four Tips to Establish Your Stretching Routine

Stretching is one of the most underrated, yet most beneficial, things you can do for your body. It is important to retain motion in the muscles and joints as well as avoid injuries while being active or as we age.

It can be tough to find motivation after a tough workout or in the morning after we just awoke, but stretching our muscles regularly helps our body feel its best while moving throughout our day. Tight muscles have much to do with the aches and pains we blame on everyday life and developing a consistent stretching routine can be one of the best ways to combat those feelings.

However, there is a lot of advice available in the internet world about how to stretch and when to stretch so we’ve narrowed down four key takeaways to consider while developing a personal stretching routine.

Move into Stretches Slowly

Ease yourself into each stretch that you do. Bouncing around or quickly moving into a stretch can lead to injury and cause damage to muscles. Dynamic stretching or gentle movement with stretching, like yoga, can be beneficial but avoid harsh bouncing in and out of poses.

Focus on Balance

During each time that you have to stretch, focus on stretching evenly on each side of your body as well as attending to as many of your main muscle groups as possible to avoid risk for injury. Try to diversify what you stretch each time, not focusing on just the same muscle groups, to create balance and flexibility throughout the whole body.

Hold Each Stretch

Try your best to rest into each stretch for a considerable time. Upwards of thirty seconds or more can be very beneficial in recovery or increased flexibility in muscles. Aiming for pain isn’t the goal of stretching. If you can’t hold a stretch to 20 or 30 seconds because of how much it hurts, that’s a sign you are pushing it too hard.

Establish Consistency

The best way to achieve or maintain a higher level of flexibility and injury reduction is with consistency. Consider your time and lifestyle habits while establishing a stretching routine that works for you and then try to stick to it as much as possible. Many may see noticeable benefits with stretching routines starting at 2 or 3 intentional times per week.

Thank you for tuning into this week’s blog post! Leave your stretching comments and tips down below or on our social media pages!