Why Does Stretching Work?

Do you still remember how your coach demanded you to do warm-up exercises before you start your training? Do you still remember how many stretches you would usually do before you start practicing? Your coach did not tell you to stretch for no reason. It is a step in every physical exercise that one must not forget.

Why does stretching work in loosening up the muscles? You may already have known that when you stretch, your muscles become warmed-up and pulled. This is the reason why you do not experience so much soreness after exercising. Researchers have done several experiments proving the benefits of the activity with regards to reducing muscle soreness. According to one experiment, stretching has reduced the pain by 5% to 10%.

Moreover, stretching is good for preventing sports-related injuries. When you play sports or do several physical exercises, there are times when you get injured accidentally. Some of the injuries that you may experience are strain, sprain and pulled muscles. These things usually happen because your body was not prepared for the vigorous action you were doing. In order to prevent them, you need to prepare your body. The best way to do this is to warm-up through stretching and other simple movements.

Stretching is also great for improving the blood circulation in your body. The reason why you sometimes experience cramps when exercising is because the blood is not flowing freely inside your body. When you stretch, the blood vessels become more accommodating therefore the blood flow increases. This increase in blood flow is great for the muscles to help them recover faster.

Some studies have also found out that stretching your muscles especially those in the lower area of your body can lead to improved balance and coordination. This is very important in everyday life. If your body is well-coordinated, you will be able to perform the physical tasks you need to perform better. You will not have to worry about falling and tripping a lot of times. That’s right! If you are having problems with your balance, you should try stretching.

If you are still not convinced that stretching works in so many brilliant ways, you can try asking the physical fitness instructors around you. If you take a survey, you will find out that most, if not all, of them recommend stretching to ensure that the body will have the optimum benefits from the exercises. Therefore, you should always incorporate it in your daily routines. Always keep in mind how important it is for your body. It will help you loosen up your muscles. It will help you improve your blood circulation. It will help you maintain good body coordination. It will help you in avoiding injuries related to physical activities.