The Flexibility Coach, LLC

Related article:  What IS a Stretching Workout?

Have you ever caught yourself saying, "Oh yeah, I'm not flexible. I can't even touch my toes!" and leaving it at that?  Did you know that not only can this be changed, but doing so is essential to your remaining active, injury-free, and at your peak sport abilities, especially as you age?

As the field of fitness evolves, training methods are becoming smarter and more sophisticated.  Gone are the days when we robotically threw ourselves into blisteringly grueling workouts, focused on just one or two activities, and treated the body like a jigsaw puzzle ("Buff up those biceps!" "A chiseled rear end in 14 days!").  Instead, we now have a more integrated approach to sports and fitness, which takes into account the complexity of movements, and the fact that long-term, sustainable success depends on smart training AND smart recovery.

Stretching, interestingly, actually falls under both categories.  In training terms, stretching and stretch exercises help to set the proper foundation for optimal technique, correcting muscle imbalances (for example, weakness on one side of a joint, stiffness on the other), improving balance, creating a strong core and low back, and re-teaching the body how to move with maximum efficiency and minimum stress on the joints.  In the recovery sense, proper stretching helps muscles relax and elongate following an intense workout.  This is important because the very nature of exercising for muscle strength or endurance means the muscle must be stressed to a degree that inspires growth and adaptation.  While natural and essential, such stimulus creates both wear-and-tear and inflammation in the muscle(s).  When we're young, the body rebounds from this low-level trauma quite easily, but as early as age 25, we start to see diminished recovery if we're not doing our part to help the body heal in between workouts.  In other words, we can no longer "rest on our laurels" and expect the same recovery.  We must actively add these measures into our training regimen.  This is where stretching starts to play a more important role, especially after age 40.  By then, it's absolutely imperative to counteract the effects -- good and bad -- of exercise through well-chosen stretches and flexibility exercises.

If that isn't reason enough to stretch, here's an eye-opener:  Even if you don't engage in vigorous workouts or even exercise at all, the mere fact that we spend much of our day sitting means the body is exposed to constant repetitive stress.  Sitting places the body in a state of flexion, resulting in certain muscles becoming tighter and stiffer, and other muscles becoming weaker.  Stretching, even just 2-3 corrective stretches done on a regular basis, can reverse this effect, helping to offset the kind of slow deterioration that can sneak up on you until there's been irreversible damage to the back, knees and neck.

In short, stretching is a tool we can't live without if we wish to stay active!  Let your Flexibility Coach show you how....today!