Every being stretches - cats, dogs, and people. Most times, these stretches are involuntary, but as humans, we can choose to stretch. Whether it is to solicit a desired response, or just to get more flexible, we can choose if we want to stretch or not. People see the benefit of stretching, and most of us want to stretch more, it’s kind of like drinking water. When we recommend that a person drinks more water, we hear “ I know, I know….”, but then they usually go back to tea, soda, and coffee. Some people that are actively pursuing better health are involved in a yoga class, or they have a specific fitness regimen that includes stretching. Not everyone realizes all of the reasons that they should stretch, they just know that it feels good, and that they move more efficiently after it than before it. Some other reasons to focus on stretching are:
stretching promotes relaxation and relieves soreness in muscles,
it aids in rehabilitation and recovery
it prepares muscles for activities, and returns them to resting length after activity,
it elongates fascia and muscle tissue, increasing flexibility and elasticity,
it increases joint mobility and range of motion,
it increases circulation of blood.
It helps coordination
It helps to develop greater body awareness,
It may help you to understand the benefits of stretching if you look at you body as a machine, perhaps a car. What we eat and drink is the fuel. What we put in it determines how well we perform. If you use cheap, watered down gas in a high performance engine, you will get sluggish performance and unwelcome noise. Likewise, if we put high octane gas or high endurance oil in, we will get better speed, and more efficient operation of the engine. The beauty of the human body is that it is a sealed system. The only input that we really need is fuel, and that can be monitored and metered to provide optimal performance. We don’t need to put in oil or grease in our joints to get them to move freely – we are born with it naturally built in. Also, if you want a car to run more efficiently, you can buy high performance parts. Humans don’t need to add anything – we just need to tune up our system. Along with good nutrition, stretching can be that high performance edge to make our bodies operate at maximum effectiveness.
With all of these benefits, why don’t we stretch more? Why do people have to wait until they are injured or sore to start stretching? Almost everyone stretches right after they wake up, to “get going”, so why don’t we all stretch to “keep going”? Certain professions study stretching – Massage Therapists, Athletic Trainers, and Physical Therapists, and we highly recommend that you use their training for your benefit. Schedule a massage with an emphasis on stretching as soon as you can. Feel the benefits of elongating your soft tissue, and remember how it feels, see how you react differently to physical activity.
At Rē, we have several options if you want to focus more on your stretching:
add a stretching consult to your massage session
schedule a stretching session
schedule a Nōga session
come to a Nōga class