The Importance of Stretching

My Story

I don't know about you but as I have aged my muscles just are not as stretchy as they used to be. My activity rate may fluccuate but I am always walking and climbing stairs. A couple of years ago, my knees started to hurt. I played tennis several days a week for years and loved to go for five mile walks almost every day. My knees were in the kind of pain where you cannot sleep, it hurts to sit or stand for long periods and in general I felt miserable.

After seeing several knee surgeons and having an MRI I was ready for the knee replacement. As I sat in the surgeon's exam room he looked at me and said, "You don't need a knee replacement. You need to do a series of stretches properly each and every day." Off to a new physical therapist and no more knee pain. Doing these stretches daily is what keeps me walking, hiking and maintaining an active lifestyle. Are there days when I forget to stretch? Yes, and if I wear the wrong shoes with no support, my knees (muscles) scream at me. So I get out my foam roller and yoga mat and perform the exercises for relief.

Stretching for Life

It does not matter if it is your knee, shoulder, back or neck that hurts, stretching is vitally important to keep muscles strong and flexible. Have you ever watched a runner before or after a race? They always stretch, and that is for a good reason. Even if you are not interested in doing great amounts of physical activity, keeping your muscles strong and stretchy will mean getting out of a chair without groaning, being able to sit on the floor ... and getting up from the floor!

Yoga for Better Movement

My go to group exercise program is yoga. There are so many different types of yoga to try and they have levels and stretches for all abilities. There is Gentle yoga, Flow yoga, Hatha yoga and Yin yoga to name a few. Each involves stretching and strengthening the core muscles (think lower back and stomach). Even doing yoga once a week will help. You can find yoga studios almost anywhere. Local studios are in most large and small towns. You can even search your town's community center or YMCA for classes. Finally, look for classes on YouTube that are free to join. So, take it from me, do not wait until you are miserable to start stretching. Get up off the couch or out of the chair right now and start to stretch!