The Importance of Stretching Throughout the Day

What’s the very first thing that you do when you wake up in the morning? There’s a good chance that you crack your eyes just a little before getting in a good strrrrrrretch to get your day going.

There’s also a good chance that you continue to stretch at various points throughout the day. Most people do it when they stand up at work, before and after exercising, and at other times during their days.

You simply can’t overstate the importance of stretching. It’s something that you should try to do early and often since it’ll benefit your body in lots of different ways.

Today, we’re going to talk at length about why stretching is important. It should (hopefully!) encourage you to start stretching more than you already do.

Learn all about the importance of stretching below.

What Is Stretching Important?

If you keep your body in the same position for an extended period of time, your muscles are inevitably going to stiffen up on you. Lying down in bed, sitting in a desk chair, and even lounging on a couch can cause stiffness throughout your body.

The only way to stop this stiffness from setting in is by embracing the importance of stretching. You can lengthen your muscles and prevent stiffness from taking a toll on you by stretching at every turn.

There are well over 600 muscles scattered throughout your body. And you can stretch almost every single one of them in one direction or another. You should take full advantage of this by stretching, stretching, and stretching some more whenever you get the opportunity.

What Are the Benefits of Stretching?

Once you buy into the importance of stretching, you’re going to unlock a long list of benefits that you may not have enjoyed before. You’re going to be amazed by all the different ways in which stretching can help your muscles and your body as a whole.

When you stretch on a regular basis, you’ll experience at least some of these benefits:

• Improved flexibility
• Increased circulation
• Less neck and back pain
• Better posture
• Lower risk of injury

For all of these reasons, you should attempt to make stretching a bigger priority than it is now. It’ll allow you to feel better than you have in a long time.

When Should You Stretch?

As we alluded to earlier, stretching is something that most people do to start off their days. It would be almost impossible for you to jump out of bed without getting in a decent stretch first.

But, why stop there? There are also lots of other times when you should stretch as you work your way through the average day.

You should make yourself aware of the importance of stretching before exercise. You’ll be able to get better workouts in when your muscles are all warmed up and stretched out prior to you exercising.

You should also wrap your head around the importance of stretching at work. Sitting for long stretches of time can wreak havoc on your body and result in you dealing with a whole host of health issues. Getting a stretch in will stop those things from happening.

Knowing when to stretch is almost as important as stretching itself. Stretching at the correct times will benefit your body in a big way.

What Are Some Good Stretches to Do?

Now that you know all about the importance of stretching, you might be wondering which stretches you should do. You’ll be happy to know that there are tons of stretches that you can try to loosen your muscles up.

If you’re stretching first thing in the morning, something like the cat-cow stretch would be great. If you’re stretching during your lunch break at work, something like the pigeon pose might do the trick.

The name of the game is finding the specific stretches that are going to work best at particular times of the day. Consider which muscles you might want to stretch out and set out to target them through stretching.

What Might Happen If You Don’t Stretch?

Let’s say that you decide that you’re not going to take the time to fully understand the importance of stretching. What might happen to you then?

Well, nothing good. Those people who don’t stretch often have tight muscles that are more prone to injuries than they would be otherwise.

They also tend to develop muscle and joint pain over time when they don’t stretch enough. This can eventually lead to chronic pain if they don’t make an effort to reverse this dangerous trend.

Not stretching should simply not be an option. There are too many bad things that can happen to you as a result of it.

What Else Can You Do for Your Muscles Besides Stretching Them?

Accepting the importance of stretching is one positive thing that you can do for your muscles. But it’s not the only thing that you should do to keep them in good shape.

You should also exercise your muscles, massage them, and take in the nutrients that they need to grow big and strong. And when they get sore, you might even want to use something like this muscle salve for relief. It’ll keep muscle pain at bay and make you more comfortable at all times. 

Make Sure You Understand the Importance of Stretching

If you’re someone who is always very busy throughout the course of a day, it’s very easy to overlook the importance of stretching. People don’t always think they have enough time to devote to stretching.

But as you’ve learned here, you really can’t afford to skip stretching at any point. You should stretch when you first wake up, stretch when you’re at work, and stretch when you’re exercising. It’ll do your body a lot of good and make you so glad that you remembered to stretch.

Get some more practical health-related tips by reading through the other great articles posted on our blog.