Creating a balanced program means devoting equal time to all the components of good health and fitness. This is the first in a six-part series of articles which address the building blocks of a balanced lifestyle:
* flexibility
* strength
* endurance
* balance
* nutrition
* rest
Stretching is an important component in injury prevention. It has also been shown to enhance sports performance, increase relaxation and body awareness, and relieve pain. To achieve all of these benefits, however, it's essential that stretching be done carefully and correctly.
Before or after
There is much controversy surrounding the question of when during a workout stretching should be done. The safest answer seems to be to stretch when the muscles are warm. That means a 5-10 minute, low-level aerobic warm-up before you even think about stretching. In anticipation of your cardiovascular workout, you might want to do some very light work of the muscles you'll be using in the workout, but save the deep stretches for afterwards. It's not only safer, but it's a wonderfully relaxing way to end your day's work.
Slow and steady
Remember the days of gym uniforms and bouncing stretches? It's time to toss out both of them. A slow static stretch that allows the muscle to relax gradually is the safest course of action. Our muscles are equipped with a safety mechanism called the stretch reflex. If we try to lengthen the muscle too quickly or forcefully, it responds with a reflexive contraction -- it shortens the muscle in a protective response to the stress, so the muscle is tightened, rather than relaxed. To get the most out of your stretch, begin the exercise gently and hold it in place.
How low can you go?
The essence of stretching is to lengthen the muscle ONLY to the point of gentle tension. This is an excellent time to listen to your body; stretching should NEVER hurt. When starting a stretch, take a nice deep breath in and slowly release the breath as you gradually relax into the stretching position.
To return muscles to their "natural" length after your workout, hold the stretch for approximately 15-30 seconds. This will relax the muscle from the repeated contractions of exercise, thus helping prevent injury. To increase your flexibility, after the initial 30-seconds, try relaxing further into the stretch and hold this position for an additional 15-30 seconds. Remember to stretch only to the point of comfortable tension and stop immediately if you feel any pain in joints or muscles.
Don't forget to breathe
Deep, rhythmic breaths help relax our muscles and our minds. Close your eyes during stretching and focus on your breathing. At the point where the tension in the muscle begins to release, take a deep breath, filling your lungs and expanding your diaphragm. As you slowly exhale, relax further into the stretch and feel the tension in the muscle melt away.
How often?
Your body will respond very positively to gentle stretching. In an ideal world, we'd all have time to start the day with a lovely warm-up and a half-hour of uninterrupted stretching. In the real world, lots of people skip out of the stretching at the end of aerobics classes and we run, run, run right from the running path to the shower and off to work, without taking necessary cool-down time. Minimally, you should stretch twice a week to keep your muscles limber and your mind relaxed.
Body parts
There are five major body segments that need to be stretched for optimal fitness, no matter what your sport or fitness activity -- shoulders/arms, chest, back, hips, and legs. Since we're all online, it's imperative that we also stretch the delicate areas of our wrists to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome.
Shoulders/arms
Our shoulders are a wonderful joint. We can swing our arms in any direction we please. That wide range of motion has its price, however; the rotator cuff is an unstable joint. With so many sports dependent on our shoulders, we need to keep them healthy. Anyone sidelined by a rotator cuff injury knows it can be painful and frustrating. The key to healthy shoulders is strengthening the surrounding muscles (which we address in a future article) and maintaining flexbility.
Chest
Any activity that we do with our arms reaching in front of our bodies -- driving, reading, typing, swimming, tennis -- uses our pectoral muscles and causes them to contract. Gradually, as these muscles get stronger, they pull our shoulders forward and, in the process, pull our spines out of alignment. By stretching the chest and strengthening the back, we can stand straight again.
Back
Over 40% of Americans suffer from back pain at some time during their lives. With increasing amounts of time spent seated in front of computer monitors and driving in our cars, we are destroying our posture. In addition, most of us carry our stress in either our upper or lower back muscles. Again, by strengthening these areas and stretching them out, we can avoid the nuisance of back trouble.
Hips
Happily, our hips are one of the strongest and most stable joints we have. But repetitive sports like skiing, snowshoeing, cycling, and running can take their toll. The ball and socket joint of the hip acts as a suspension system for our whole body, absorbing the impact of every footfall. And if the rest of our body is out of alignment, the hip suffers, too. By keeping other areas of our bodies limber and lined up correctly, and by gently stretching the muscles around this joint, our hips can carry us through everyday actvities and demanding workouts.
Legs
I don't want to overstate the obvious here, but our legs are essential elements in just about every sport or activity in which we participate. Balance is the key to keeping leg muscles functioning at optimum levels. The pairs of muscles that make up the upper and lower leg -- quadriceps in the front of the thigh, hamstrings in the back and gastrocnemius in the calf and anterior tibialis in the shin -- need to be stretched and strengthened equally. Even a walk around the block is a chore when our leg muscles aren't at their best.
Wrists
About 23,000 American are afflicted with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) every year. While it's generally caused by repetitive motion of the hands and wrists, it can also be caused by diabetes, pregnancy, and obesity. In most cases, repeating the same motion for extended periods of time brings on inflamation of the tendons that run through the carpal tunnel of the wrist. If the tendons become inflamed enough, the median nerve gets pinched as it passes through the tunnel, causing pain in the hand and wrist, numbness, decreased grip strength, and swelling. CTS can be caused by raquet sports, cycling, bowling, baseball, softball, tennis, piano playing, knitting, and of course, typing. Be sure to use your wrist pads when surfing the net and do these CTS avoidance exercises regularly:
Median Nerve Gliding Exercises
* Make a light fist palm, facing you
* Extend your fingers toward the ceiling with wrist in a neutral position
* Gently flex your hand back toward your forearm, palm up
* Open your thumb away from your fingers
* Turn your hand palm up
* With your other hand, gently pull your thumb away from your other fingers
Hold each position for 3 seconds and repeat the sequence 5 times
S-t-r-e-t-c-h yourself
Stretching can be a relaxing, energizing reward for a workout well-done. For optimum performance and peace of mind, make a stretching segment part of your workout routine.
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