Stretching regimes are those that include a deliberate lengthening of muscles in order to improve joint range movement as well as muscle flexibility and decrease muscle soreness. These are generally done before and after a workout session.

Finish your exercise regime with a stretching exercise. 

We all know that it is very important to do stretching exercises before a workout but a lot of times, we skip these exercises post workout. Mostly because we think it is too painful or just a waste of time. That’s the mistake you’re committing.  Stretching exercises post workout is the key to  staying fit and losing weight- all at the same time.

If you are among those who thinks that you are saving your time by skipping those stretching exercises post workout, you are indeed causing more harm. We say so because it is only after you finish exercises that your body is putting in more pressure to adapt itself to what you have already practiced. When that is the case, you are more prone to muscle soreness, excessive pain as well as injuries or hurt- that’s when these exercises come to your rescue.

A study named ‘Stretching Before and After Exercise: Effect on Muscle Soreness and Injury Risk’ published in the ‘ Journal of Athletic Training‘concluded, “The data on stretching and muscle soreness indicate that, on an average, individuals will observe a reduction in soreness of less than 2 mm on a 100-mm scale during the 72 hours after exercise.”

Apart from just this, here are 5 more reasons why stretching post workout session is important:

1. Improved performance:  When you finish your workout session with stretching, you are, in deed fulfilling a whole turn of exercises. It improves your performance by ailing pain-free movements apart from just helping you to shoo away the risk of injuries.
2. Reduces back-pain: Practicing stretching exercises will help you to reduce back pain as well as improve your posture as it helps with promoting pain- free movements.
3. Improves coordination.
4. Increases blood circulation to the tissues.
5. Promoting the repair of muscles while decreasing stress caused due to muscle tension.

Therefore, the next time you hit the gym or practice yoga or go for a jog, make sure you end it with a good amount of stretching.

Courtesy of TheHealthSite  • September 3, 2018