Stretch Me Now… Or Stretch Me Later: Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Start Stretching
In these past few months, I have been given the really high honor to be able to work with several students who are new to stretching. Working with them has strengthened my belief that “stretch me now or stretch me later” is so very true!
Almost every new student has said to me, “I wish I had met you 10 years ago.”
Maybe they would not have gotten so stuck in the bodies?
Maybe they could have avoided surgeries?
Maybe they would have been more active and been able to live with less pain?
You see, our bodies naturally decrease in flexibility and range of motion by 10% each decade—unless we help to reverse it by stretching!
Our muscles won’t become less tight without effort. We will only get tighter and tighter as we age, until our joints can’t take it anymore and they give way to injury and pain.
There is hope though: You CAN get relief and not be stuck in our bodies.
You CAN open up tight muscle tissue, and create pathways for blood and oxygen to flow, energizing your body.
You CAN stand tall, with less pressure and pain in your back and knees.
You CAN sleep better and step out of bed in the morning without pain.
Assisted Stretching can offer that relief.
I know that it sounds so simple—because it is!
We fill our days with lots of activities, and most think that they do not have time for another thing, especially to stretch!
But I ask you…
What if stretching is the missing link to your overall health and well-being?
What if stretching is a secret weapon that can help keep you mobile?
What if stretching is the one thing your body needs most of all?
What if you took a chance and added just 10 minutes of stretching each day to your busy life?
I encourage you to give it a try! I truly believe it can change your life, keeping you active, mobile, healthy, and free of pain.
This is a really hard question to ask, but…
Are you addicted to Ibuprofen?
If the answer is “yes,” then you are in good company because so many people are.
I have decided to write about it in hopes that this will give people hope that they can find alternative ways to deal with pain and feel better in their mind and body!
I have students that tell me that they have to take Ibuprofen before they work out in order to go through movements without pain.
Could “it” be magic? I can’t seem to get this question out of my head. You see, I have a new private student who is an avid golfer. She loves it and seems to be a bit competitive with her fellow golfers.
At our first session, I told her that stretching would improve her golf game.
She looked a me with skepticism, but said “well, if you think so, I hope so, I’ll give it a try.”
She has been stretching with me for 4 weeks now. Yesterday, she casually mentioned to me that she had her best golf game ever the day before.
Hydration is essential to life!
Think about it…
Every human, every animal, every plant, every tree, every blade of grass needs water to survive. If it doesn’t get enough, it shrivels, dries up, and dies.
What does hydration have to do with stretching, you ask?
Did you know…
Our flexibility decreases by 10% every decade!
It does not matter if you are an extreme athlete, a fitness buff, play a sport, walker, runner, biker, swimmer, or if you’re none of these.
Muscle tissue tightens over time just by doing daily life!
One of the most beneficial ways to decrease tight muscle tissue is a form of Stretch Therapy known as Partner Stretching.
Many people have the misconception that you have to be flexible to be able to stretch. They think that an Assisted Stretching class means trying to touch your toes or strain your muscles.
This is not true at all.
Assisted Stretching is NOT about trying to touch your toes or straining to stretch.
You don’t need hours of your day to stretch! And I’m going to show you how with this easy 10 minute beginner-level stretch routine.
You can call on any of these stretches throughout the day if you find yourself feeling tight and stiff. You don’t need any special equipment—only yourself and your home.
Our quads are responsible for every step we take. They stand us up and sit us down.
You don’t have to be a big athlete or work out every day or walk 20 miles a week—everyone’s quads tighten over time from our normal daily routines.
When our quads are overly-contracted, the muscle tissue shortens. These shortened muscles pull the hip flexor down which, in turn, tilts the pelvis down in front and up in the back.
This is a posture problem!
“If you don’t stand up straight… you are going to grow that way.”
This is what my mom used to tell us if she saw us slouching as we were growing up. At the time, we were made aware of our poor posture mostly for its appearance—not its health benefits.
Little did my mom know that poor posture is the cause of many health issues and she was right—you WILL grow that way!
Thank you, mom!
We can’t escape poor posture unless we are aware of it and take steps to correct it.
Here are 5 stretches to help you improve posture.
The truest form of Assisted Stretching is when someone (a partner) helps stretch your body into a deeper range of motion that you cannot do on your own. I call it “partner stretching.”
I first learned this technique in the late 1980s when I was at The Cooper Clinic doing research for my personal training business’ soon-to-be-launched Step Aerobics Program.
When I came home from Cooper Clinic, I started partner stretching my clients at the end of each workout session. I had many of them tell me that they would pay me to skip the workout and go straight to stretching—no joke!