Muscles are our allies for almost any activity. They’re involved in our walking, lifting, climbing stairs and even the simplest of activities such as sitting or squatting. If you think they’re going to take care of themselves, you’re wrong!

Stress, bad posture and sitting for many hours will slowly tighten your muscles and cause several negative effects on your body. There are many reasons to stretch your muscles and keep them in good shape. Let’s take at look at why stretching is important.

Improve flexibility

This is the most common reason to stretch. People who want to improve their flexibility know stretching on a daily basis is important to slowly train your muscles to go further. And why would you want to improve your flexibility? Good flexibility is related to good posture and lower risk of serious injuries performing everyday movements.

Blood circulation

Stretching is highly recommended for people who suffer from circulatory issues. You might be wondering what do muscles have to do with your blood, and the answer is everything! When muscles are in their place, it sort of ‘unclogs’ veins and vessels, leading to a better circulation. Decreasing high blood pressure and allowing nutrients to reach the muscles better is a pretty good reason to stretch.

Stress and tension reliever

Here’s one of the most sought after reasons to stretch, with more and more people turning to this part of the exercise routine on a regular basis. As you might know, stress levels nowadays are off the charts, and stress has many effects on the body, including causing tension to the muscles. Stretching correctly can lengthen the muscles, release tightness and, when combined with proper breathing techniques, it can help reduce anxiety associated with stress.

Help muscles rest

Just because you’re more into high intensity training such as spinning, weight lifting or gym training rather than yoga or pilates, doesn’t mean you should skip the stretching part of the routine. Before you start any kind of physical activity, it’s always a good idea to prep the muscles for what’s coming. Stretching will elevate your muscles’ temperature and get them ready for intense training. Post-exercise stretching is important to help muscles loosen after putting them under energetic work, giving them the  chance to really rest once you’re done.

Digestive Improvement

Here’s another compelling reason to stretch that not many people know about! Stretching can improve your digestion. Certain stretches your activate blood flow directed to your bowels, strengthening your intestines and slowly reducing inflammation.

These are some of the main reasons to stretch your muscles. If you’d like advice about stretching, our therapists at Muscle Freedom are happy to help. Please book in for a treatment, and in the meantime, let the daily stretching begin!