Rise and Exercise

One early morning while waking my children for school, my 4 year old son sat up in bed, yawned, and stretched a long drawn out stretch. Then he just sat there for a moment and said “Stretching is the best thing ever invented.” I chuckled, but i agreed with him.

I’m not sure if anyone could claim to have invented stretching, other than perhaps God. But since man and animals have been around, stretching has been a refreshing, relaxing thing we do since the day we are born.

Other than the early morning wake-up stretch there are many other kinds of stretches that we can do. Stretching often is one of the healthiest things we can do for our bodies. It keeps us limber and agile, and prevents injury. It helps blood flow and muscle growth. It keeps us from getting stiff and sore, and it keeps us flexible.

Some of the simplest and most common stretches are: the Hamstring stretch, the splits, the butterfly stretch, the pretzel stretch, and the shoulder stretch.

Before stretching it is good to do a little warming up. I would recommend a mild run for 5 minutes or so. Treadmills are the best for this, because with them you don’t have to get all dressed up to go outside, you could just hop out of bed and hop on your treadmill in your pajamas or even your underwear if you want. You’re much more likely to get on a treadmill than you are to brave the weather outside. (You can find some great treadmill deals at nordictrackcoupons.com)

After you’ve warmed up your muscles will be more loose and your blood will be flowing. Now you’re ready to get down and do some stretching. Whatever stretches you do, make sure that you don’t try to overstretch or bounce stretch. These are not good for you. Just slowly stretch to a level that you can hold for about 15 seconds, and then let go. Push yourself just beyond where it’s a little painful. This is the most effective kind of stretching. Your muscles and ligaments slowly expand when held over time. Do each stretch 3 or 4 times, and then move to the next.

As you consistently do this, you will be surprised at how quickly your body becomes more flexible. Our bodies are made to flexible, but we just have to keep them that way. If we don’t we will become stiff and rigid. It’s a great feeling to be flexible, and very worth the effort.

Let us know how this goes for you. Hope this information helps you. Thanks for Reading! Good Luck!