I’ve spent some time taking care of loved ones in nursing homes. The best nursing homes have physical rehabilitation rooms where their residents can exercise and stretch their tired muscles. While assisting a family member in rehab, I realized how important stretching really is.

As you get older and if you don’t use your muscles often, they shorten and tighten. That means that you won’t have as much muscle movement and range as you did when you were more active. This shortening of muscles happens faster than you think.

So how do we limit that shortening of muscles? Daily stretching and flexibility exercises! They don’t have to take very long, don’t require extra or expensive exercise equipment, and can be added to any schedule.

Stretching can and will:

• Improve your flexibility
• Help release tension in your muscles
• Lengthen your muscles (and keep them from shortening and tightening up)
• Help clear your mind and relax when you are stressed
• Help improve your blood flow
• Help prevent injuries during heavy physical activity

Go for a walk or do some easy movements before you stretch. Some people stretch so that they can warm up their muscles for exercising but stretching isn’t meant to be a warm-up exercise. Your muscles should already be warm before you stretch. I like to walk a few warm-up laps and do some jumping jacks to get my blood flowing and my muscles warm. Then I integrate various stretches into my workout. I stretch the big muscles before and after my workout.

In fact, it’s a good idea to incorporate a flexibility exercise session about once a week. Try something like yoga, pilates, or another type of exercise which focuses on flexibility and stretching all of your core muscles.

Image by jesslef (http://pixabay.com/en/warrior-pose-yoga-rocks-blue-sky-241611/)

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