Holidays tend to be stressful and our body feels it. Physical tension often follows emotional stress, stiff muscles, headaches or even back pain. This time of year we are moving at a faster pace with cooking, shopping, bending and lifting more than normal, so soreness and fatigue are bound to happen. Incorporating stretching into your day can help release stress and ease muscle tension.
Stretching should be a regular thing and should be relaxing, not only physical but also for your mental health. It’s really worth taking 5-10 minutes out of your day for a full body stretch to lengthen your muscles to move with more ease and function. Your body will be more acceptable and feel stronger to the demand you may be placing on it over the holiday season.
The more limber you are waking up, the more relaxed your body feels throughout the day. Depending on your tightness or flexibility, the average individual should stretch for 15-30 seconds. Older adults should stretch for about 30 seconds or longer.
There are several types of stretching, static stretching is most common and safely used. This type of stretch involves holding a stretch for a period of time simply using your own body. A stretch should feel like a moderate to low intensity pulling sensation in the muscle being stretched. Stop the stretch if you feel any pain or sharp sensations—this is your body signaling you are pulling the muscle too far.
Remember to perform stretches slowly and smoothly, without bouncing to avoid injury. Avoid stretching on cold muscles, which is normally first thing in the morning, you have a higher risk of pulling something. You need to get your blood circulating and warm your muscles up for a few minutes beforehand.
To target the muscles that are tighter, you can hold the stretch longer, perform several stretches for that muscle group and repeat the certain stretch more than once.
Why Do We Stretch?
- Increase Mobility
- Improving Circulation
- Decrease Risk of Injury
- Improvement In Posture
- Feel Less Pain
- Strength
- Relaxation
Here are several common muscle groups, along with the name of the stretch:
- Neck: Neck Tilt Stretch
- Shoulders: Cross Body Arm Stretch
- Upper back: Cat Cow Stretch
- Lower back: Supine Knee Roll Stretch
- Glutes: Figure Four Stretch
- Hamstrings: Hurdler Hamstring Stretch
Ashley LaMorte is a nationally certified fitness instructor and has been in the fitness industry close to a decade. Over the years, she has gotten the opportunity to instruct group X boot camps at gyms and train private clients from all walks of life, all over the Bay Area. She now has her own mobile fitness business LaMorte Lift. Learn more at LaMorteLift.com.
