Why It’s So Important to Stretch When You Exercise

Exercise is essential to maintain a healthy lifestyle and reduce your risk of illness, but it’s not enough to just follow an exercise routine a few times a week. In addition to your cardiovascular and strength training exercises, you should also incorporate stretching into your routine. Stretching offers a lot of benefits that can improve your workout performance and your overall health. Read on for more information about how you can benefit from stretching, and to get some tips from a sports medicine doctor in Las Vegas, NV to help you incorporate stretching into your routine:

• Relaxation: Stretching is a relaxing activity that can help alleviate some of your stress and clear your mind. Taking time to focus on stretching your muscles and resting your mind can help improve your productivity, your focus and the quality of your sleep.
• Reduced injury risk: Perhaps the most important reason why you should be stretching is because it can reduce the chance that you will be injured when you work out. Warming up your muscles with a stretching session will prepare your body for a workout and improve your range of motion and flexibility during exercise. Even five minutes of stretching can help you avoid sports injuries.
• Improved posture: Stretching helps improve your flexibility and the strength in your back and neck. Regular stretching sessions can help you develop better posture, and that can contribute to improved comfort when you’re sitting or standing, and even better performance during your workouts.
• Balanced strength and flexibility: Stretching sessions are designed to be balanced so that you can develop equal strength in all of your muscles on the left and right sides of your body. Stretching helps you alleviate tension in your muscles and focus on improving your flexibility and range of motion so that you can enjoy more balanced physical health.

Getting started with stretching

If you want to incorporate stretching into your routine, but you’re not sure where to begin, there are a few simple steps that you can take. First, start small—beginning with just five minutes of stretching is a good way to try out different stretches and get used to this process as part of your exercise routine. Hold stretches for 10 seconds at first, and then progressively hold stretches for 20 to 30 seconds as you get used to the positions. Try to stretch for at least five to 10 minutes before and after your workout, and try to stretch for longer periods of time before and after particularly intense or strenuous workout sessions.

Talk to a sports medicine doctor in Las Vegas, NV

No matter what your exercise and health goals may be, you need to have professional support to help you achieve improved performance and long-term health outcomes. If you’re looking for a sports medicine doctor in Las Vegas, NV, reach out to Bernard Ong, M.D. For over 10 years, our committed team has been dedicated to promoting positive health outcomes for all of our patients. Regardless of your health history or goals, our team is here to help you. Contact us today to schedule your appointment.

Categorized in: Sports Medicine Doctor

This post was written by Writer