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I’ve never been a fan of stretching.
I can’t really pinpoint any exact reason why, I just know that I’ve always hated the thought of it – it seemed so silly to me to spend 10-15 minutes stretching before doing any physical activity. And then to spend even more time stretching after exercising? Forget it.
I can remember back to my days of playing sports as a kid and then onto my days of playing Varsity softball and swimming in high school – I always hated stretching.
I just wanted to get to the exercise, and get it over with. And I felt that stretching was just prolonging the torture that awaited me (I was never fully enjoyed the sports I played in high school, can you tell?)
Even worse, once I was actually done exercising and powering through the agony that was sports practice, I certainly didn’t want to spend even MORE time stretching.
Like I said, I hated it.
But recently, and especially this semester, I’ve really come the appreciate and respect the importance of stretching before AND after working out – and I can attribute my newly discovered mind sight to Jillian Michaels and her 30 Day Shred workout video.
Jillian impresses upon her viewers the value and necessity of stretching before and after doing any form of physical activity – she notes that you should stretch beforehand so that you don’t hurt yourself, and you should stretch afterward in order to let your muscles cool down and properly relax.
It’s kind of crazy, but my thoughts on stretching have turned nearly a complete 180 degrees. I wouldn’t say that I love it, because there are still some days that I catch myself trying to go straight for a run before stretching my muscles, but I definitely now understand how important it is to stretch before working out.
Stretch your legs, your thighs, your arms, your neck, your shoulders, your feet, your hamstrings, your quadriceps, your back or your torso – it doesn’t matter what you stretch, just as long as you do before you work out your muscles! And it doesn’t even matter how long you stretch for, because any stretching you do is sure to improve the quality of your work out and diminish your chances of injuring yourself.
I’ve found that 5-10 minutes of stretching before a work out will get your energy flowing, your muscles loosen up and your body ready to get in motion. And I’ve also found that 5-10 minutes of stretching after you work out is a great way to let your body cool down after some strenuous physical activity and let your muscles de-stress after being exercised.
Now I know how easy it can be to just skip stretching entirely, but I promise you that it will really make a difference in how your body processes the physical activity and how your muscles feel the day after being used.
So the next time that you’re tempted to forgo stretching before and after exercising, take a minute to think about how you’d feel if you pulled your hamstring or tore a ligament in your shoulder because you didn’t properly stretch beforehand.
Doing so will surely help you realize the importance of stretching.
Do you have a favorite stretch that you do before and after you work out? Share it with me! Leave me a comment below, email me at sarakaner@hercampus.com or tweet me here! I’m always looking for new stretches to try out.