How did you wake up this morning? 🙂
The reason I’m asking it is because the first thing some people do after waking up is to stretch every inch of their bodies. But have you ever wondered why? After all, they come after a couple of hours of sleep, which are supposed to be relaxing.
If you haven’t got an answer yet, I’ll give you a hint: in the morning, we need to get our bodies going and improve the blood circulation throughout our whole system. And this is only one of the reasons.
Stretching has various benefits, both physically and mentally. Just as yawning, it helps restore the chemical balance within our brain, and loose the stress to which we’ve exposed ourselves during the day. It promotes the release of dopamine and serotonin, two of the hormones that are in charge of the happy mood.
But stretching is more than that, and here’s why you should consider including a routine of 10-minute relaxing exercises to your daily schedule.
If you’re an active person, then you definitely need it in order to release the muscular tension that accumulates in certain sensitive points. Be it your legs or the area along the backbone, it surely needs some relaxation after being constantly stressed. On the other hand, if your schedule involves a more sedentary activity, then it is mandatory to take a 5-minute break every hour, for the same reason you’d stretch in the morning. If you’re not moving for a couple of hours, your muscles enter a state similar to the one as if you were sleeping. You need to “switch it back” on and improve the blood flow, without being too aggressive to your untrained muscles.
Secondly, if you’re an active sports enthusiast, performing a couple of stretching exercises at the end of your routine can prevent as much as 80% of the muscle cramps, of the sore feeling after a heavy workout, and sprained joints. This happens because, during the physical activity, your muscles grow larger and tear at a micro- level, due to the intense stress to which they’re exposed.
Not stretching them after your workout simply latens the healing process, and causes pain that can last from a couple of days to a couple of months. If you continue your routine without having your body completely recovered, chances are you’ll end up losing pounds of muscle mass.
Last, but not least, it protects the joints and helps you maintain your flexibility. This translates to having a decreased risk of suffering from degenerative joint and muscular diseases later in life.
Bear in mind that your overall wellbeing is the result of the small choices you make on the long term. Stretch your muscles every day, and your body will thank you for it!