“I never struggled with injury problems because of my preparation – in particular my stretching”
-Edwin moses
Now that I’ve gotten back into a more consistent exercise routine, I feel great. Honestly on my rest days, I’m actually looking to be active. On the days, when I’m not able to complete my planned workout, I feel bad about missing a workout. And let’s not forget, I’m starting to see small changes in my appearance. My stomach is getting (slightly) flatter, and do I see triceps muscles in my arm? Yes!
So while things are going great I do need to remind myself to remain patient and maintain the consistency. One area I need to improve is very simple and critical. I need to remember to stretch.
As you may recall, I include light stretching in my nightly routine to get more sleep. However, I need to remind myself that taking the time to do a full stretch exercise routine following my workouts. This doesn’t make sense.
With my current schedule, my workouts can either come first thing in the morning, in between midday conference calls, or even right before I go to bed. Although I’m exercising on a more regular basis, I still feel like I’m rushing through them for the sake of them. This can be a potential problem because skipping stretching or not stretching property can lead to post workout pains, injury, muscle stiffness. All of this can lead to more rest days which is the opposite of what I want.
The America Council on Exercise published an article noting the top 10 benefits of stretching. This is a great list to serve as a reminder to make sure I’m stretching. Taking this list into consideration, I developed my own list of tips to make sure I am properly stretching.
Schedule My Workouts
Just like anything else, we make time for what’s important for us. Since I’ve re-prioritized exercise, I plan to do a better job of blocking time out of my daily schedule for exercise. This includes the workout as well as the cool down and stretching period. I plan to avoid rushing back to my home office to take a call or sitting in sweaty workout clothes for an extra hour to finish up work assignments.
Take Breaks Throughout The Day
Most of the time I feel like I a tennis ball going from one side to the other to fix breakfast for the kids, start a load of laundry, respond to emails, take a work call, unload the washer, get a snack, etc. You get the point. It’s just contact motion. Since I’m in this constant motion state, it’s important to stop and stretch throughout the day, not just after a workout. I found this Healthline article for some recommended stretches to do every day. I plan to incorporate these into my daily routine.
Get Back Into Yoga
Over the past five or six years, I have really gotten into yoga as a stress reliever. When I had my daughter, I enrolled in a prenatal yoga class, and this did wonders for my mood and limited body aches. In terms of stretching, what is better than completing an entire workout that is focused on breathing and stretching? Whether it’s through a workout on an app, YouTube video, or completing a few sun salutations, I have tons of options to complete a good yoga workout.
With this plan, I feel confident, I will be able to reap all the benefits of stretching!
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