Stretching will make or break your fitness routine. If you’re short on time or new to exercising, you might skip your stretching exercises and dive right into your workout.
This is the number one mistake people make. Doing a dynamic warm-up before exercising and static stretching afterwards has been shown to help prepare your body, reduce the risk of injuries and aid recovery. An effective stretching routine - supported by comfortable activewear leggings - will help you stay on track with your fitness goals and make working out more enjoyable.
We’re exploring the benefits of stretching with tips on curating a stretching routine to increase mobility and reduce potential injuries when exercising.
Why Stretching Is Essential for a Healthy Active Lifestyle
A balanced exercise routine incorporates different types of activities, including cardio, strength training and stretching. From running to yoga, these activities complement each other to help improve your ability to do other types of exercise.
Whatever you decide to do, starting and ending with a stretching routine should be your number one priority when working out. Dynamic warm-up and post-workout static stretching can help to increase mobility, reduce the risk of injuries and boost your overall well-being.
You don’t need to be training for a marathon to feel the benefits of stretching. Don’t have time for a full workout routine? Do some stretching exercises to get your muscles moving.
The Benefits of Stretching: A Full-Body Boost
Stretching is one of the few things that works your entire body. It’s a low-impact way to increase flexibility, improve your posture, enhance circulation, reduce your risk of injury and even naturally relieve stress.
If you’re struggling with stiffness or muscular pain, a daily stretching routine can be a game-changer for your overall health. We’re exploring five of the main benefits of stretching to show how everyone can benefit from stretching exercises.
Stretching for Flexibility
If you’re a fan of pilates, swimming or yoga, warm-up stretches can drastically improve your flexibility, boosting your movement to make exercising easier and less burdensome on your muscles. You want to choose stretching exercises that align with your fitness goals.
Stretching your back with knee-to-chest stretches and opening your hips with a low lunge can reduce tightness, helping to reduce your risk of injury and boost your mobility when running.
Stretching Before Exercise
Getting injured when exercising can set your fitness goals back by months. If you’re training for a 10k or aiming to lose weight for a specific event, like a wedding or vacation, you want to do everything you can to avoid injuries. That’s where warm-up stretches come in.
Stretching before exercise helps prepare your muscles and joints to better support the movements within your workout routine. Along with helping to reduce your risk of injury, stretching can also boost your performance and enhance the benefits of more intense exercises, such as weight training and running.
Post-Workout Stretching
Once you finish working out, you shouldn’t immediately sit down or hit the shower. Post-workout stretching is just as important as warm-up stretches for preventing stiffness and supporting muscle recovery.
These stretches also help to lower your heart rate back to its usual resting rate, which helps to prevent sore and achy muscles. It only takes a few minutes to stretch after your workout with popular stretching exercises, such as shoulder stretches, hamstring stretches, low lunges and child’s pose.
Mental Health Benefits
You don’t have to be working out to do stretching exercises. If you struggle with muscle stiffness or want to improve your mental well-being, stretching is something you can incorporate into your morning and evening routine as a low-impact workout.
Deep stretching can help promote relaxation and may support feelings of calm by reducing muscle tension. Daily stretching can also help relax tense muscles and reduce mental tension to improve your sleep quality, enhancing your overall well-being.
Increase Mobility
You want to think of stretching as a low-impact form of working out. Having a regular stretching routine is one of the best ways to improve your long-term mobility, making it easier to support active ageing. If you’re starting to exercise for the first time older in life – or returning to exercise – doing daily stretching exercises can reduce muscle discomfort and enhance your agility, making everyday life a little easier.
Types of Stretching Exercises
There are two main types of stretching exercises that you want to incorporate into your regular routine: dynamic stretching (movement-based, great for warming up) and static stretching (held stretches, best for cooling down).
Dynamic stretching involves taking controlled movements through your full range of motion like torso twists and arm circles. These are typically used as part of a warm-up to prepare your body for physical activity.
Static stretching involves holding a stretch in a stationary position, usually for 30 to 60 seconds. This type of stretching is commonly used post-workout and includes stretches like a standing calf stretch, biceps stretch and the cobra pose. Active stretching is a specific type where you hold a stretch using your own muscle strength without external assistance. One example is lifting your leg and holding it in place.
Creating a Simple Stretching Routine
You can create a stretching routine at any time in your fitness journey. Choose stretching exercises that address your health needs, whether you want to focus on flexibility, reducing muscle pain or improving mobility. Stretching should only take a few minutes with a handful of stretches that target different areas of your body.
Start with standing stretches like a calf stretch and incorporate a lying stretch, such as an upward-facing dog or a knee-to-chest stretch. Work your arms with a shoulder stretch and relax into a child’s pose to stretch your back.
Find The Right Activewear for Stretching
The secret to stretching is to wear the right clothing that gives your muscles the flexibility they need to fully stretch. At Llama Leisure, our exercise leggings and activewear are designed to offer maximum flexibility and support during stretching. These versatile activewear staples help you move freely and fully extend your muscles.
Elevate your stretching routine by checking out our activewear collection for the perfect legging and top combo to help you stretch more comfortably. Whether you’re starting your fitness journey or looking to boost your flexibility, our activewear at Llama Leisure is designed to support you through every stretch!
