Today is Wednesday…that means it’s time for our first Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in! On this day of every week, I will encourage you to hop on the scale (more on that later) and I will share my thoughts on some health and fitness or nutrition topic in the hopes of encouraging you to be and to do your best! Today’s topic is stretching.
If you ever participated in organized sports as a young person, you probably started practice with warm-ups and stretches. I don’t recall any of my coaches ever explaining why we had to stretch, but we weren’t allowed on the court or the field until we were done. If we were late, we still had to do warm-ups on our own. As a kid, I didn’t see a purpose for all of that. I figured the coaches were stalling or using the time to set up equipment that could have been taken care of before we arrived.
Before I became a fitness professional, I really thought stretching before a workout was seriously overrated. If I planned on doing a 30 minutes run, it didn’t see the point of stretching for fifteen minutes before and after my run. I mean, who has that kind of time?!?!? I’d just head outside, run for half an hour, then head back in and get on with my day.
I have since learned that there tons of benefits that come as a result of stretching. And that lesson wasn’t learned during my coursework.
Improves Circulation
When you stretch, you’re stimulating the blood flow of the muscles engaged in the stretch. Have you ever sat at a desk for a prolonged period of time? I’m pretty sure that when you stood up, you arched your back for a quick stretch and suddenly felt much better. Your muscles pretty much have that same reaction when they are stretched. If you haven’t stretched in a while, it might be a little painful at first, but if you stick with it, it will be more comfortable in no time!
Minimizes Risk of Injury
Participating in strenuous exercise with cold muscles is very dangerous. Referring to muscles as “cold’ has nothing to do with how those muscles feel when you touch them with your hand and everything to do with what’s going on beneath the surface. Stretching literally warms up your muscles and gets them ready for movement. If you’re short on time and need to stretch before your workout, head over to YouTube for my quick lower body stretch routine.
Enhances Workout Experience
There’s nothing worse than having to stop a workout because your legs pretty much stop working. Actually, there are quite a few things that are much worse than that, but it’s pretty discouraging not to be able to finish something you truly had your heart set on doing. When you stretch before your workout, it gives your muscles an extra boost, so you’ll be able to push through.
___________________________________________________________
Hopping on the Scale
Weighing yourself every week is crucial. Why? Knowing how much you weigh allows you to reflect on your week to see just how much your day-to-day activity impacts your life. If you have a really active week, you may see the number go down. If your week is really sedentary, the number could either go up or stay the same. The point is: you have to know your number. So hop on that scale. Then write that number on your calendar. I’m excited to see what happens next!