Stretching can be as intense as other forms of exercising such as squatting, jogging, weightlifting, etc. but that is not the point. Exercising as many people take it, involves energy, power, speed, strength, and a certain degree of aggressiveness.
These and more are what define exercising. That is not at all true. Any activity that enhances your body activity has a positive impact on your metabolism and homeostasis, improves one’s flexibility, and general well-being is exercise.
Stretching, like any other form of exercising is beneficial for body flexibility, strength, and overall health. This, and the fact that it can be done literally anywhere – the office, at the gym, in your bathroom, between meals, while walking, etc. makes stretching stand out for its simplicity and universality.
According to a Massachusetts General Hospital – a Harvard affiliated institution physical therapist, David Norlan, stretching is an exercise that ought to be done with absolute regularity.
David says that although people don’t know much about it, stretching should be a daily activity. So, again why is stretching considered an exercise? Let’s examine this more;
Stretching: Why Is It Important?
Most people relate stretching to gymnasts or athletes. What they are ore oblivious to by assuming so, is that one needs to regularly stretch to protect their frame, and mobility and enhance their independence.
As earlier mentioned herein, stretching is essential as it increases one’s flexibility, strength, and overall health. You need the flexibility to effect certain joint movements with ease and without pain or strain. Without being flexible, your muscles become shorter and tighter.
This is dangerous as it exposes you to muscle damage or tears, pains, and strains when you try doing a strenuous activity. Most muscle injuries result from a lack of flexibility.
For instance, sitting for long hours causes the hamstrings at the back of one’s thighs to shorten. An attempt to abruptly stand or straighten your leg may not be possible.
This is accompanied by intense pain. You may have witnessed this occurrence with athletes for instance in soccer and tennis. A sudden stretch on your muscles regardless of its location in your body will ultimately result in strain or damage, all of which are painful in different degrees.
Regular stretching helps your body to achieve particular strength that is beneficial when performing your daily activities. For instance, sitting for extended hours, say in a long office meeting tends to make one’s muscles less lean and weak.
The effect is low concentration and reduced overall productivity. However, you can quickly turn the situation around by getting your team to stretch regularly in intervals in the meeting or seminar.
Exercising is generally an activity that has attracted a huge following. All physicians, caregivers, therapists, dieticians and anyone keen on their lifestyle seem to agree that those who don’t exercise miss out on a lot.
This is because stretching, and to an extent, exercising is one of the surest ways to ensure a healthy and productive lifestyle that ultimately contributes to a positive vibe and leads to a happy life.
Norlan adds that apart from flexibility and leanness, stretching helps one to maintain stability as it enhances balance and posture. This is particularly beneficial as one is able to avoid unnecessary falls – instances that can be costly to sportspersons.
Get Started Now!
The idea is to incorporate stretching into your daily schedule or in between activities throughout the day. Of course, it sounds overwhelming.
However, once you begin, and make it as seamless and comfortable as you possibly can, will make it more acceptable and that activity you mostly look forward to. According to David Norlan, you don’t need to stretch every muscle in your body.
Nolan says that the most critical muscles that need constant attention are the calves, hip flexors, hamstrings, quadriceps shoulder, pelvis, neck, lower back and front thigh muscles.
Even these don’t need to be worked on daily. You just need to plan for two or three for the day and work on them twice or thrice a week.
You can visit a health facility to assess your muscle strength and program a stretching schedule that suits your lifestyle, or you can hire a local therapist to take you through the entire exercise.
Benefits of Stretching
Here is a summary of how stretching can be essential to you;
- Improves body posture
- A stress relief
- Enhances one’s range of motion
- Prevents and heals back pains
- Relieves tensions and headaches
- Calms the brain
- Increases blood flow in the body
- Enhances performance and productivity
- Improves flexibility
- Builds strength
- Boosts a healthy lifestyle
- Stretching Techniques
Your therapist or a professional lifestyle trainer will tell you that there are various techniques for stretching. Here is a list;
- Ballistic
- PNF
- Active
- Dynamic
- Static
- Passive
Of these, the most common are static and dynamic stretches. With static stretching, you are supposed to hold a stretch in a position for some time.
On the other hand, dynamic stretching involves engaging in a series of movements that would make your muscles stretch.
Final Thoughts On Why is Stretching Considered Exercise
Regular stretching is magical for your body. Stretching is considered an exercise because it involves deliberate movement and exertion of muscles, just like any other form of physical activity. It serves to improve flexibility, increase muscle control, enhance circulation, and promote better posture.
When performed regularly, stretching can aid in injury prevention by maintaining a healthy range of motion in the joints and keeping muscles loose and flexible.
Additionally, it encourages mind-body coordination and can contribute to overall wellbeing by reducing stress and tension.
Therefore, while stretching may not contribute significantly to cardiovascular fitness or weight loss like aerobic or strength training exercises, it plays a crucial role in overall physical fitness and muscle health. And this is the main reason why is stretching considered an exercise.
