When you are feeling tight or stiff, especially from exercise, sitting or standing a lot or doing any kind of one-sided work, stretching can make all the difference in relieving the tension in your muscles and joints.

Following a consistent stretching routine of flexibility exercises will have many benefits.

Most people enjoy doing stretching exercises and they are so easy to implement.

Here are the main reasons why stretching will help you:

1) Improved range of motion – As you age, your muscles get tighter, and the range of motion in your joints can be minimized. This can compromise your daily activities. Regular stretching will lengthen your muscles making you move through your daily activities with ease.

2) Reduced risk of injury during activity – By using simple stretching exercises, your limbs and joints can move further before an injury occurs. The more conditioned your muscles and tendons are, the better they will handle the demands of exercise and sports.

3) Prevent Post-Exercise Muscle Soreness – When you stretch after you exercise, it will aid in the recovery of your muscles, and your tendons and muscles will be in better condition.

4) Improves Circulation – When you stretch, the blood flow to your muscles increases bringing them more nourishment, this is why it helps your muscles recover quicker when they are injured.

5) Relieve Stress – When you are tense, your natural reaction is to tighten your muscles, stretching relieves the tension accompanied by stress and helps bring you to a more relaxed state… it feels good!

6) Reduce Lower Back Pain – When you do back stretches that include stretching your hamstrings, hip flexors and pelvis, you can reduce the tension in your spine that is causing your lower back pain.

7) Improve Your Posture – Stretching the muscles in your back, shoulders and chest can help keep you in better alignment so you stand straighter. Because your muscles work in pairs, stretching can aid those muscle imbalances that cause you to slump.
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Lauren Miller is a Professional Life Coach and Certified Personal trainer who specializes in coaching for weight-loss. Her company is Your Partner For Change. Click here to receive a free copy of her e-book, “Stretching Exercises”.

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-Do you have anything else you would like to share on the topic of proper stretching as it relates to exercise? Please join the conversation by leaving a comment.