Stretching is one of the best things that you can do to give your body its daily dose of good exercise. Stretching has many benefits and that is the reason medical practitioners and fitness instructors recommend stretching before and after a workout to improve your body motion, muscle control, flexibility and muscle coordination and for better energy levels.
Here we bring to you the top five benefits of stretching, so you can bring it in your daily life.
Stretching improves oxygen flow in your body
When you stretch your muscles before a workout, oxygen flows to various organs in your body via your bloodstream. While exercising, your muscles get tired and achy. The reason for achy muscles during a workout is that the oxygen supply decreases and the tension in the muscles increases. Continuous lack of oxygen in your muscles can further cause problems in the neck, hip, back and knee. Stretching for just 15 minutes before working out can provide sufficient oxygen to your muscles and make them ready for the strenuous workout that follows. Look out for the best body stretching machines in 2018 that can help you reach your stretching goals.
Stretching prevents injury
When oxygen supply to your muscles is inadequate, they cannot elongate properly during a workout and even during performing many household chores. Failing to elongate properly can cause serious injury to your muscles over time. When you stretch for some minutes in a day, your nerves send a message to your brain and remind them about the correct length of your muscle that is required to perform various acts during the day. This further improves your muscle coordination and make them less prone to injury from wear and tear.
Stretching offers flexibility to your body
One of the most important benefits of stretching for some minutes is that it makes your body more flexible by toning your muscles. Stretching is important not only before and after workouts, but also to decrease the muscle tension in your body. Stretching helps to release this tension in your muscles by restoring them to their original form.
It helps to cool down the body
After your workout, your heart pounds heavily, so it becomes important to bring your heart rate down. Stretching after a workout helps to reduce your heart rate gradually, without putting a lot of pressure on your heart. With gentle stretching, you give your body a better chance to regain its natural equilibrium and come back to normal.
Stretching improves your overall body posture
Stretching helps to relieve sore muscles after a busy day. Slow yet gradual stretching movements of muscles and keeping them in their elongated state for some seconds helps to improve the balance between all the muscles in your body, which enhances your body posture and makes it straight.
Stretching is not just a pre-workout and a post-workout practice. It should form part of your daily routine whether you work out or not. Our muscles are always under tension from the body life we all lead in today’s world and stretching is one of the best ways to release that tension from the muscles and give them a healthy regime.