A Guest Blog By Mallory Wisniewski 300HR CYT & CPT, owner of Mallory Wisniewski Fitness

Daily stretching should be part of your everyday routine. It only takes a few moments out of your day and the impact on your health will be noticed almost immediately. Yes, the juice is worth the squeeze on this one!

As a 300 hour certified global yoga instructor and certified personal trainer with almost a decade of experience, I cannot stress the importance of stretching for daily health, fitness, and function. It’s something I preach to all of my clients regardless of their goals. Below are the Top 3 reasons you should incorporate stretching into your daily routine.

1. Increased flexibility
2. Increased mobility
3. Reduced stress

Flexibility

Increased flexibility (the lengthening of muscle) keeps muscles healthy and strong! We need this for range of motion. Without it can lead to increased injury and strains. There are two types of stretching, static and dynamic stretching.

Static stretching is when you hold a pose for at least 30 seconds. When a muscle is being stretched the muscle does 2 things, the muscle starts to relax and the muscle increases in length-elongates allowing for optimal recovery time. This allows the increase of joint range of motion and improves movement quality. When you improve your movement quality your exercise routine will become more efficient and effective. An example would be pigeon pose and arm crossovers.

Dynamic stretching is typically performed before a workout. It is a controlled movement which prepares the muscles for exercise. An example would be arm circles and leg swings.

Mobility 

Mobility is how well we can move through everyday activities with full range of motion. This is crucial, especially as we age. Increased mobility improves balance, and coordination which ultimately leads to a healthier lifestyle. It is also essential for your joint health.

Movement helps lymph and synovial fluids move through the body and joints which helps the joints be less swollen, leading to less inflammation and discomfort. This is important for someone who suffers from arthritis. Examples of mobility stretches are cat cow pose and squats. Increased mobility can also help with sports and weightlifting performance. When a tight muscle is released with a stretch, your body will send a signal to the muscles on the other side of the joint telling them to wake up.

Stress

Live a more stress-free life by integrating a regular stretching routine, such as yoga. Yoga can balance the autonomic nervous system (regulates blood pressure, digestion, heart rate, respiration, all functions we need to live a healthy life!)  In yoga, there are two major stress relievers- inversions and breath work also known as pranayama.

During inversion poses we create reverse blood flow. Resulting in bringing more oxygen to the lungs, regulating blood flow and overall functioning better. You don’t have to do a headstand to achieve this since an inversion is any pose where the heart is above the head. Downward dog and shoulder stand are some examples. My favorite is legs up the wall pose. This pose is a great way to slow down the breath and mind, while getting all of the juicy benefits of an inversion.

To wrap up, implement stretching into your daily routine/lifestyle and you will improve your overall health through increased flexibility, mobility, and reduced stress.