The Beauty And Reality Of Stretching Exercises For Sedentary Persons

Stretching exercises are not very common these days with some fitness enthusiasts.

Do you keep a dog or cat? I do not period.

But my mother kept cats. My neighbor has dogs

One health worthy thing I usually take not of in these domestic animals is stretching.

What Is A Stretching Exercise?

In terms of physical exercises, what is a stretching exercise? The various muscles in your body connected to joints and bones.

There is a range of movement so to speak, within each joint that is vital for peak operation of the muscles.

Stretching is the action employed to improve or enhanced the range of motion, ROM.

It, stretching elongates your muscles and makes them flexible. This stretching action is necessary before doing any of your aerobic or isometric exercises; and after.

However, some will argue here that you do your aerobic exercises first before stretching as a warming up. This school has certain drawbacks.

These animals above go out and come in. Then their rest or sleep. Not just in the night, but in the day time too. Within an hour or two during the day time nap, they will wake up. The first thing I realize much is their stretching ability. Their will stretch their legs to full as far as their can, thus stretching their entire body.  Furthermore, animals do this before going to sleep.

Stretching In Man

Stretching is an exercise for animals. Man is the higher animal. He needs do some stretch exercises. The contrary seems to be the case with him. Birds, like they inferior counterpart, I observed do stretch on waking up.

Stretching is less prone with human beings. When a sedentary person stretches, I think majority of them will only do so via, yawing!

Chopping woods and vegetables are not stretching. Climbing the stairway or stair case and arranging the living room are not stretching. They are forms of physical activity. Stretching exercises are more superior to those. You have to stretch before all these things.

Stretching will make your body muscles more flexible than anything else. Further, it will keep your muscles supple. It will pay you well during and after your middle age and into old age.

Stretching is a type of warm up prior to exercise. It will raise your body temperature and heart rate. It will improve your coordination. Blood flow to your muscles and the range of motion of your joints will be greatly enhanced. Stretching exercises will prevent injuries before doing any of your aerobic or isometric workouts.

Let me ask a question here. How many times can you claim to stretch in a week? Apart from doing some physical exercises or the ordinary day by day physical activities, do you take time to stretch two or three times in the week? I mean do you stretch before rushing into the bathroom or doing some of your aerobic or isometric exercises? Do you stretch after the exercises? This is vital to good health.

Let’s be honest here. Inactivity leads to sedentary life. Many usually dig their graves that way!

Emphatically, do you ever stretch on waking up from sleep (if you are not used to doing physical exercises like aerobic) before rushing into the bathroom to wash?

Be real with yourself. Perhaps, you are such that you do not have one minute to doing a stretching exercise! But you have spent some minutes, even up to an hour watching your favorite reality shows on the TV screen or you are surfing the net via, facebook and instagram moments on waking up after a good night sleep.

Then, you are not used to exercise once in the week playing sporting games? Do you?

If you are used to sitting that long and doing these things, you need to stretch your neck, eyes, shoulder, back and waist to prevent neck, eye and back pains, for example. 

Can you take an evening stroll to stretch and stir like a sheep or a cow

Sedentary life is bad. It breeds ill-health, deformities and injuries when a small fall takes place.

Digging The Grave

Most of the time, we lay the blame for heart related illness on sugar or starch; and animal fats in the red in eggs, red meat, margarine and lards. But that we do not stretch is where the trouble is. You gain weight. And your blood pressure will go up. Then you go and worry the doctor. His advice and prescriptions can help alleviate the issue.

Some still carry the matter into their graves!

And what about those joint, hip or back pains? Is your joint or muscle stiff or supple? You do not have to live with arteritis all your life; and then dig your grave!

Start Stretching

It is never too late for you to begin doing stretching exercises. If you can do one or two stretching exercise for one minute each, before heading into the bathroom.

 Once a week, you can stretch two or three times as a routine. (You can stretch certain parts of your body daily at odd moments like cats and dogs.) That is just once a week say, on weekends when you are completely free from going to work, if you do not have time during working days. But alas you make time watching the streaming shows on your TV set!

10 minutes is all that you need to begin with. It is the beauty and reality of stretching exercises. It is not taking too much or all of your time. Increasing the time to 15 minutes or more is your opinion and at your pleasure.

Benefits Of Stretching Exercises Summarized

·        It will improve your balance and posture

·        It will elongate your muscles

·        It release lubricating fluids to greased your joints and muscles before exercise, hence

·        Reduces muscle tension

·        Less injuries

·        Transport blood and nutrients to joints and muscles

·        Less pain in the joint, neck, back and muscles

·        Improves flexibility

·        Enhanced performance of physical exercise and physical activities

·        Enhanced sexual performance.

20 Stretching Exercises That Will Rejuvenate Your Body

Ever before you do these stretching exercises, do some warming ups. This will further help grease your joints, muscles, ligaments, bones and tendons. Otherwise, the risk of injuries to these tissues will be high. Some pains will be beneficial to the exercises, but too much pain is a signal to stop what you are doing at the moment.

You can warm up by way of:

1.     Jogging: Yes, you can slightly jog within your living room for 3 to 5 minutes. There is enough space for you to do it, even if you are to go in circles slowly.

2.     Barbell: You can use your barbell or dumb bell to warm up.

3.     Weight Lifting: Light weight lifting can raise your cardiac rate.

4.     Swimming: Some authority recommended swimming as a warming up before stretching. Do you have a swimming pool or have access to it near your residential? If you live near a River or water front, you can take advantage of it to swim and warm up.

5.     Circling: Others suggested circling as alternative to swimming as a warm up before you do any stretching exercises.

ALWAYS WARM UP BEFORE STRETCHING? But stretching exercises are a form of warming up prior to doing your aerobic or other forms of physical activities. You will notice for example, that footballers always warm up before actual practice and play on the football pitch. So, you have got to jog slightly as a warming up before doing some stretching.

The purpose of stretching includes a further warming up of the muscles and joints; peak the body temperature in other to prevent any pre-injuries during the exercises.

Before I do my jogging exercises, I always warm up by brisk walking, and stretch briefly for 10 minutes. Then I do some aerobic, isometric and plyometric exercises. Otherwise, I will not benefit from the jogging.

Here are some 20 stretching exercises (do only 10) you can do either out doors or in your living room. Each exercise is to be done 60 seconds, 2 or 3 times in the week. No repetition. Do each exercise gentle first to avoid any injuries.

If you are a new comer here, do each exercise for 30 seconds and rest for 15 seconds before the next workout.

Good luck to you!

1.     Thigh Stretch: Stand straight on the floor or ground and walking from one point and back to the starting point with your toes only. This will stretch the calf and the inner thigh

2.     Hand Stretch: You can sit or stand doing this. Hold out your hands in front of you; and open and close your fingers repeatedly.

3.     Neck Stretch #1: Stand with your hands by your side. Turn your head to one side at 90^o and return the head to the starting position after 30 seconds. Do so the other side at the same angle of 90^o for same 30 seconds.

4.     Neck Stretch #2: With the same position as in #1 above, tilt your head sideways towards the right shoulder and hold for 30 seconds and return the head to the starting position. Tilt the head on the opposite side for another 30 seconds.

5.     Neck Stretch #3: Still with the same starting position as the above two neck stretches, this time you tilt the head forward to stretch back of neck for 60 seconds; and release it.

6.     Shoulders, Middle Back, Arms, Hands, Fingers And Wrists: Interlaced your fingers and stretch out your arm just parallel to your head. The palms should be turn out and hold for 60 seconds.

7.     Triceps, Shoulders And Waist Stretch: Stand with knees with a slight flex and your arms overhead, while holding your elbow with hand of the opposite arm. Pull your elbow behind your head gently to the right side and at the same time leaning to the same side for 30 seconds. Return to starting position and do so the left side for another 30 seconds.

8.     Middle Of The Back Stretch: Standing with your hands on your hips, twists your torso at the waist at the right side for 30 seconds; return to starting position and do so on the left side for another 30 seconds. Your knees should be kept slightly flexed.

9.     Ankle Stretches: Stand and place one hand on the wall for balance or you hold a chair or any support. Lift your right foot and rotate foot and ankle clockwise and counter-clockwise for 30 seconds. Repeat with the left foot.

10. Thigh Stretch: Stand near a wall and place your left hand on the wall for support. Grasp your left foot with your right hand and pull heel to your buttock for 30 seconds. Do so with your right foot for another 30 seconds.

11.  Calves And Achilles Stretch: Stand with your feet at shoulder wide length apart, your heels firmly on the floor and toes pointing straight. Now, assume a quarter squat position and hold this for 60 seconds.

12   Back And Waist Stretch: Stand foot together and hands by your side. Now bend your head forward trying to touch your knee with the forehead. Do not force yourself doing it. If your forehead did not touch your knee the first time, do not worry. You can achieve that at the next try, say when cooling off after your aerobic exercise.

13.  Side Of Hip And Hamstring Stretch: Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Bent the left leg and place it across the right leg. Pull the left knee up toward your left shoulder and hold for 30 seconds. You do so on the opposite side

14.  Hamstring Stretch: Sit on the floor with legs wide apart, bend one leg against the ground, and keep the other straight and extended. Bring your knee against the bent leg, the forehead resting on the knee and flex your toes toward your body.

15. Calf Stretch: There are more than two calf stretch exercises. Here is another one you can do by pushing against the ground. First, take the plank or press-up position. Push one leg at a time against the ground and it does not matter which angle your foot is action against. Try pressing both feet if you can. This loosed your calf and is very good for joggers and runners.

16. Abdominal Stretch: Lie flat on the floor with arms between chest and shoulder; now push upper torso upward with your palms until head rise and form 90^o with the lower body; and hold for 60 seconds. This stretching is similar to the cobra posture in yoga.

17. Biceps Stretch: Reach your arms behind your back and interlock the fingers. Now, raise your arms and pull away from your trunk.

18. Mild Back Stretch: Kneel down and place your hands (palms) on the small of the back behind the hip. Slightly bent back the head facing skywards for 60 seconds.

19. Latissimus Dorsi Stretch: While still kneeling down as in the mild back stretch, extend forward by bringing the forehead to the floor. The palms should be placed flat on the floor too. Hold for 60 seconds.

20.   Inner Thigh Stretch: Sit on the floor and bringing both heel of foot touching together. Push knee down toward the floor with your palm.

These are some of the stretching exercises I did before doing my aerobic exercises and isometrics and before executing my morning jogging.

You should not hold your breath, but breathe in and out slowly during the execution of the routine all the time.

You will notice I do not suggest repeating any of the exercises more than once with any rest periods in other to build endurance strength. But you can rest for 15 seconds after each exercise if you are a new comer to stretching workouts.

At the end of the jogging, I rest for 3 minutes and I repeat some or few of the aerobic, isometric and plyos; and cool down with stretching. My final stretch will be a yogis dead man posture to bring my blood pressure to normal level.

I think when you are used to all these workouts, you may add some more and you can go online to google stretching exercises to add to your exercise bank. Have fun.

To your good health!

Miebakagh57 (Miebakagh Fiberesima) Copyright 2016.

http://greens4food.blogspot.com

Inner thigh Srtetch