Stretching: Why should you stretch before and after exercise? Here are 6 good reasons.

Stretching: Why should you stretch before and after exercise? Here are 6 good reasons.

We often focus on intensity, number of reps or miles run to achieve our fitness goals. However, we often overlook one of the most important aspects of any workout: stretching.

If you understand the importance of stretching and take the time before your workout to prepare your body for the workout ahead of you, your body will thank you for it. Why?

  1. To help prevent injury: Through stretching of all parts of your body, you improve blood circulation. Improved circulation increases flexibility and reduces the risk of strains, sprains and other sports injuries.
  2.  Performance enhancement: Pre-exercise stretching improves the range of motion of your muscles. This allows you to move more efficiently and effectively during exercise, improving your range of motion, flexibility and overall athletic performance.
  3. Mental preparation: By stretching before your workout, you are not only improving your physical performance, but your mental performance as well! It prepares your mind for physical effort, making mind and body more connected.

 After a workout, you're usually so full of energy that you forget to relax your body. Nevertheless, taking time to stretch after exercise has some advantages:

  1. Muscle recovery: It's important to relax your muscles after you've worked your body so hard. Static stretching - where you hold a stretch for a long period of time - will help to relieve muscle tension, reduce muscle soreness and speed up the recovery process.
  2.  Preventing injuries - again: Not only before, but also after working out, you are at increased risk of injuring your muscles. It can help to correct muscle imbalances, prevent the build-up of scar tissue and reduce the risk of overuse injuries that are associated with repetitive movements.
  3. Relax and de-stress: Picture this: Your body is absolutely tense and vorller adrelanin after training. This is similar to a state of stress. It is now time for your body to relax, and stretching is a great way to do this. This transition helps to reduce stress, lower cortisol levels and increase feelings of wellbeing and calmness.
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