Stretch it Out !!!!!!!!
by Kimberly Duren

Have you ever felt like the man in the picture above.   You wake up in the morning and your back is stiff , your knees hurt, and your shoulders pop.  It is not a good feeling.  Once you start moving you feel a little better but as the day goes along, you may experience the same stiffness you felt that morning.  What do you do?

                                                                               Stretch it Out !!!!!!

Stretching is one of the most neglected parts of the exercise program.  If stretching is done incorrectly, you may not get the full benefit out of doing the activity.  In my experience, there are 3 types of stretchers

             1.        The no stretcher.  This type of stretcher doesn’t stretch at all.  It doesn’t even cross their mind.

           2.       The quick stretcher.   The quick stretcher does a shoulder and a quad stretch, counts to 2 and they're done.

           3.       The only when it hurts stretcher.  This stretcher only stretches when parts of their body hurt or are stiff.  No  
                     stiffness=no stretching

None of these 3 are good when it comes to avoiding the morning aches and pains.  Dedicating 15 minutes a day can help improve range of motion, increase circulation, and decrease discomfort or pain.  Becoming a good stretcher can literally help you loosen up. 

Below are a few tips to help you become a good stretcher.

               1.  Stretch from your head to your toes.  When looking for stretching exercises, focus on exercises that involve 
                    stretching your neck, shoulders, elbow, hips, knees, and ankles.    Don’t leave anything out.

               2.  Don’t cheat .  Do each stretch twice and hold each for about 10 to 60 seconds .  Use a watch or you can count  
                      slowly (Remember 1-1000, 2-1000) That’s a slow count.

               3.  Don’t stretch a cold muscle it could lead to injury and may not be effective at lengthening the muscle.  Walk for 
                    about 5 minutes to loosen up your hips and knees.  Swing your arms as you walk to loosen up your shoulders and                       elbow joint.

              4.  Know your body.  Stretching should not be painful.   It may be uncomfortable but not painful.  As you stretch, you                          should feel a slight tug in the muscle as it lengthens that eases during the 10 to 60 second stretch.  It should not                          hurt.  Know what activities make your joints hurt so you can  modify stretches accordingly.

                5.  Stretch periodically through out the day instead of once a day ensures you get the benefit needed.  

Contact me  with questions.  Please fill out the pre-exercise assessment in order to provide me with more information.  An exercise calendar can be provided, please see link for a sample calendar. If you need a starting point a try the stretching program below.