Pet Peeve: Neglecting Flexibility

Stretching is one of the four main components to fitness, along with cardiovascular endurance, strength, and nutrition. But flexibility is the most neglected aspect of a person’s workout routine. A lot of people feel like they are wasting time or an intense workout opportunity if they take the time to stretch.

Here are a few reasons why you should make flexibility training a priority:

Flexibility Training Builds and Elongates Muscles:  Stretching increases your flexibility improving your overall physical ability by allowing you to move through the full range of motion with your workouts. You receive more of a benefit for weight training when the muscles are pliable and elongated allowing for each of the muscle groups to work independently as needed.

Flexibility Training Increases Blood Circulation:  Stretching helps increase blood flow to your muscles. Increased blood flow carries away toxins, like lactic acid (the waste by-products of working muscles), thus giving you more energy and less muscle fatigue. By increasing blood flow into the muscles you increase the length of relaxed muscles allowing for relief of tight muscle groups that aid each other.

Flexibility Training is Calming and Relaxing:  When you take time to slow down and calm the nervous system, the body responds with a more relaxed and calm emotional state. When the body moves through slow stretching exercises the muscles will begin to elongate, helping prevent muscles and joints from seizing up and helping improve body posture, performance and elasticity. The ultimate benefit is that overall your body will begin to release tension, reduce stress and sore muscles.

Flexibility Training Reduces Risk of Injury:  Look at stretch as a preventative medicine for your body. When muscles stay pliable, flexible and balanced it helps with coordination, muscle control, proper body technique, and prevents muscle tears. Flexibility also aids in speeding up recovery time from workouts and injury by aiding in muscular metabolism.

Stretching gives you improved flexibility with an increased range of motion. Being flexible benefits the human body in many ways not only physically, but also mentally. Allow yourself to have a BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE with the benefits of STRETCH!!

Do you include Flexibility Training in your Workouts? What is YOUR favorite form of stretch? Let us know!