The most successful approach to overall physical health is a multifaceted one.  However, even those of us with the best of intentions tend to overlook the importance of stretching when compared to other more seemingly important areas of exercise such as cardio and strength training.  For some, stretching appears trivial and too time consuming when we barely have enough time amid our hectic schedules to squeeze in a half hour on the treadmill.  But what is actually happening to our bodies as we continue to overlook the stretching component of our workout regimen?  Well, first we set ourselves up for muscle soreness by not stretching after a strenuous workout.  A recent study published in the Journal of Athletic Training found that study participants who stretched after a workout observed a reduction in soreness during the 72 hours following exercise.  According to the Mayo Clinic a second drawback to ignoring the importance of stretching is that we run the risk of injury when we fail to stretch both before and after a workout.  While muscle soreness and injury are short term effects of not stretching, ignoring this part of your regimen will also have long term effects.  The Department of Kinesiology and Health at Georgia State University explains that as we age our muscles begin to tighten, therefore resulting in a loss of range of motion eventually leading to a hindrance in the performance of daily activities.

Take Action and start implementing a quick and easy stretching routine into your weekly exercise regiment.  Best time to stretch is after your workout.  Find out more and check out our extensive stretching demonstrations under the exercise tab above.

Ali Pergram, CPT