The Ritual Of Stretching

We all know the importance of exercising but stretching always seems to take a back seat.

When you’re young and fit, you might not see the benefits – but then one day it all comes crashing (maybe pinging) down. You’re tight, you’re sore, or – worst of all – you’re injured.

You’ve torn your hamstring, you’ve got constant back pain, you can’t bend over without cramping up.

What happened? You’re a mess!

Here’s how it starts: your hamstrings are tight, your physio or chiro says, but to release that built up tension, you need to stretch your calves. Ok, you’ve stretched out your calves – but how flexible is the right kind of flexible? And now your hip flexor is the cause of that pesky hamstring trouble. Your whole lower body is a condensed mess of knotted dough.

It’s daunting and confusing, and it’s kind of a pain. You don’t do exercise so you can keep exercising after the exercise. I’ve just finished a run, I don’t have the energy to do a post-workout stretch!

But hold on: what does stretching even do?

You may think of stretching as something performed only by runners or gymnasts. But we all need to stretch to protect our mobility and independence; in fact, that stretching has to happen on a regular basis. It should be daily.

Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, and we need that flexibility to maintain a range of motion in the joints. Without it, the muscles shorten and become tight. Then, when you call on the muscles for activity, they’re weak and unable to extend all the way. That puts you at risk for joint pain, strains, and muscle damage.

It might seem overwhelming to perform a daily stretching routine; with a body full of muscles, the idea is a bit daunting. But you don't have to stretch every muscle you have.

The areas critical for mobility are in your lower extremities: your calves, your hamstrings, your hip flexors in the pelvis and quadriceps in the front of the thigh.

Once you’ve given some of those a crack, you might even find you like it. Performing a daily stretching ritual, especially in the morning, can set you up for the day. It can centre you.

So this week of Movement Month, get down and stretch.

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