Holistic Exercise, Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach

Our bodies were meant to move! Many of us do not move enough to maintain adequate ranges of motion around our joints. As we lose flexibility we may be more prone to injury from muscle pulls, or if the muscle/fascia imbalance is one-sided, a joint may be pulled out of alignment creating discomfort or pain. Stretching is an easy and relaxing way to maintain your range of motion, and to increase it if needed.

For best results, stretch gently enough to feel a pull, but no pain, and as you hold the stretch over 30 seconds to a minute or two, wait to feel the area loosen. If you feel a tightening sensation as you are holding the stretch, you are probably stretching too hard, and the muscle is contracting in order to prevent injury. This ultimately defeats the purpose of stretching. Be certain that you feel the stretch between the joints and not at the joints, as it is important not to stretch the ligaments that hold your bones together, or the tendons that connect the muscles to the bones. For example, as you stretch your hamstrings (the muscles in the back of your upper thigh) you do not want to feel the stretch behind the knee. Try bending your knee slightly, or adjusting the angle of your leg to move the stretch into the muscle.

You may notice as you stretch, that one side feels tighter than the other. Your stretching goal is to achieve balance, so stretch the tight side twice as long. A few weeks to months later, when both sides seem even, stretch them equally, and congratulate yourself on correcting a muscle imbalance!

Stretching needs to be done a minimum of five days a week to be effective. Once or twice a week will not achieve results. So schedule 15 to 20 minutes daily, and enjoy the luxury of a relaxing stretch. The best time to stretch is before any type of exercise and before going to bed. This will restore the muscle to the best possible length – which is important – because you do not want to do strength training or cardio-vascular exercise on tight muscles. This can lead to injury. Stretching feels wonderful, and is a soothing way to let go of some of the day to day stress that infiltrates our being.

If you would like help designing a personalized stretching program that addresses your specific muscle imbalances, I can design a specialized stretching program based on an in depth assessment that includes muscle-length testing. If you want to try designing your own stretching program a great book that can help you is How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy by Paul Chek. Yoga is another fantastic way to increase your flexibility; yoga tends to stretch entire fascial lines (many muscles that are connected together with connective tissue) at once, doing away with stretching individual muscles, and in the process, teaches us how to stretch as our body was meant to be used. At Serenity Health Resources there are two Yoga classes a week – Wednesday evening and Saturday mornings. Call 847.526.4040 for specifics.

Linda DeFever

Vitality, Inc.

Wauconda, IL

847.722.4376

Linda DeFever