The Benefits of Stretching
Increased flexibility – Regularly stretching may help improve your flexibility especially if you live a sedentary lifestyle. Your flexibility naturally decreases as part of the aging process, but stretching may help slow down this process.
Improved circulation – Stretching causes short-term improvements in circulation by relaxing your blood vessels and increasing the amount of blood your heart pumps.
Stress relief – Static stretching activates your parasympathetic nervous system. Activating this branch of your nervous system may help alleviate the psychological effects of stress. This, in turn, may help induce feelings of calmness and relaxation.
Better sports performance – Being able to achieve a full range of motion through all your joints may help boost your sports performance.Â
Improved posture – Muscle tightness and tension can negatively affect your posture by pulling your spine into positions that can put stress on your back, neck, and core muscles. Research has shown that regular stretching in combination with core strengthening exercisesmay help improve poor posture and alignment.