Stretching? Why bother? I’m busy and don’t have time, there are other more important things I have to do, I get plenty of movement in my day, so taking time to stretch just isn’t a priority. But as we grow older, we don’t move our body through a complete range of motion and the joints stiffen, the tendons and ligaments tighten and our world starts closing down.
BENEFITS: Let me reengage this discussion with an understanding of the huge benefits that come from regular stretching:
• Heart: Lowers blood pressure & heart rate
• Improves heart rate “variability” (see articles on HippEvo to understand)
• Vascular: improves the health of the lining of our blood vessels (endothelial health) and nitric oxide production increase.
• Neurons: decreased nerve stiffness and increased pain tolerance.
• Joints: Reduces connective tissue inflammation and fibrosis. Reduces joint pain.
• Immune system: enhances TH-1 cytotoxic immunity. Immune defense.
• Reduces tumor growth in animal studies
I was never taught how to properly stretch when I was a young athlete and in fact was taught some dangerous bad habits so let’s forget our 8th grade P.E. class and learn proper, proven, scientific approach to adequately stretch our body to gain all of the benefits listed above. Here are the “guidelines”:
• Ideally, we wouldn't stretch cold muscles – warm up first.
• A static (holding a position) stretch is superior to dynamic (movement) stretches.
• Stretching should NOT HURT. On a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is pain and 1 is barely stretching, work toward a comfortable gradual stretch that rates a 4-5 on the 1-10 discomfort scale.
• Hold that stretch for 30 seconds. Longer is not better.
• Use “belly breathing” to both extend the stretch and also relax the body
• Do that stretch 3 times.
• Stretch 7 days per week. 5 days is the minimum to see benefit.
Stretching in the evening stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system which is CALMING to our body and facilitates better sleep. But we aren’t typically exercising in the evening (and we shouldn’t) so here is where cold muscles become an issue. Consider a short walk to simply get the body warmed up.
Other considerations for warming up the muscles in preparation for a stretch:
• 15 minutes in sauna
• 15 minutes of zone 2 exercise
• After a meal go for a walk as your warmup and then stretch afterward.
• Walking meditation with breath work followed by a stretch.
• Stretching at the end of a workout is ideal.
Once you begin to stretch, never push any given stretch to the point of pain. A proper stretch involves taking the muscle to the point of feeling a pulling sensation along the axis of the muscle but not to the point that it creates discomfort. The natural tendency of a muscle stretched beyond healthy limits is for the muscle to spasm and retract which is in direct opposition to our goal. We want to gently coax the muscle into an elongated state and avoid spasm. No discomfort – this should feel relaxing and enjoyable.
The Breath is key to good stretching. As you lower your diaphragm and take in a deep “belly breath” you will notice that this puts a little extra stretch into your held position. As you slowly exhale notice that the stretch often naturally progresses further. Focus on that breath and relax into it. You can even use the breath to time your stretch. 3 to 5 belly breaths should be around 30 seconds.
TOOLS
Bob Anderson offers a wonderful PDF you can find online that shows hundreds of illustrations on proper stretching form. It is indexed so you can easily key into your area of interest.
I highly recommend a stretching DVD by Charlie Trezevant who is a 4th degree Master Instructor and can show you everything you need to know about proper stretching. His DVD is entitled “Functional Flexibility” and is a 90 minute instructional video that is comprehensive from head to toe, safe for any beginner and proven to get results even in the most seasoned professional athlete.
“The Prehab Guys” is a website that offers excellent videos as well as some tools for purchase to aid your stretching development.
Stretching needs to be a part of everyone’s fitness regimen and for those of you who are new to exercise or just returning after a long hiatus, then this is an excellent starting point. My recommendation is to select 6 to 8 stretches that you feel best address your body’s needs. For example I focus on low back, hips, buttocks and thighs as these are my stubborn areas where stiffness and ache happen most commonly. I set an alarm on my phone to beep every 40 seconds. When it beeps I simply move into position for the next stretch and begin. This allows 10 seconds to change position and the remaining 30 seconds to stretch. I roll through my 8 stretches 3 times which takes me roughly 15 minutes. Periodically change up the routine to add some new stretches to the mix.
Develop the habit of stretching throughout the day when possible but see if you can’t carve out ONE reliable DAILY time frame that you hit regularly. Consistency pays huge dividends.
