Benefits of Stretching Exercises

Most of us stretch a little bit, occasionally, when we really have to; but not many of us turn it into a facet of our daily lives, ensuring that our bodies have the freedom to move as they should. The end result is often a body that uses up far too much energy maintaining far too much tension, locked into painful postures that promote wear and breakage, degeneration and general misery. To a greater or lesser extent, this is the state of the majority of bodies in the Western world, which tends to keep massage therapists quite busy.

What would happen if we stretched, if we spent the little bit of time on a daily or semi-daily basis to keep our muscles and fascia at their proper length, with a minimum of resting tension?

First and foremost, the body becomes a more comfortable place in which to live. We are not supposed to be aware of our bodies, in a manner of speaking. They should have enough freedom and basic health that we are never forced to put our attention on them during the course of our daily activities. Our miscellaneous bends and twists and jumps and other movements aren't supposed to be limited by pain or held back by restrictive tissue - we can simply do what we tell our bodies to do. It sounds straightforward - it also sounds just a bit fantastic to those of us over thirty. It shouldn't.

Once we start easing our muscles and fascia back out to their full resting length, the body will start reasserting its natural movement patterns. Unrestricted bodies move with a natural grace, a grace that can be had by anyone who keeps their body loose. An example of this would be bending over to pick something up. Notice how small children do it - they bend their knees and squat down, just like in the industrial proper-lifting posters. Most of us big people have tight calves, tight hamstrings, tight hips - and our habit of bending at the waist to pick things up contributes to tightening and injury of our back. Start loosening up, and pretty soon it will just seem more natural to squat down rather than bend. It's that simple. Fluid, natural movement can be yours again!

Relaxed muscles lead to a better state of general health and vitality. It takes energy to keep muscles tight, to hold us in the awkward positions we've become accustomed to, energy that could be much better used elsewhere. When muscles and soft tissues are tight, they limit the amount of blood that can flow through them; this serves as an irritation in itself, and also keeps the circulation from properly flushing out our tissues. Our muscles end up trapping toxins and holding onto stagnant blood, which drags on our overall health. Keeping our muscles supple prevents this, freeing up our circulation to do its job and releasing energy for use in more productive places.

Not only can a regular practice of stretching stave off numerous disease conditions and uncomfortable states, it boosts your overall health, vitality and well being. One resistance band stretching routine a day, which takes about five minutes, is just fine, or do two or three at once - whatever you enjoy and have time for. Stretching doesn't have to be an arduous task. It is a revitalization for the body; a reawakening to just how we were built to move and how wonderful our physical self can feel! I can tell you that the benefits of stretching exercises using resistance bands is extraordinary.