Stretching: More than just injury prevention

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I’m sure you’ve heard countless times that you should be stretching on a regular basis. If you’ve participated in any of our programs, you might remember the 4 “F”s of Fitness: Fit (aerobic training), Force (strength training), Fast (interval training), and Flex (flexibility training), which should all be incorporated into your regular fitness routine. You’ve also probably noticed a difference between those times you’ve stretched after a workout and the times you didn’t. When you stretch, you feel good!

But flexibility (or mobility training) shouldn’t just be done after a workout. Yes, that’s important, as it helps to align muscle fibres and alleviate some of the tension you’ve acquired during your workout. But stretching is so much more than that, and should be done regardless of if you’ve worked out that day.

However, before we go into the benefits of stretching we should be clear on some definitions.

While there are many different variations of stretching, there are two major categories: static and dynamic. Static is the name for traditional stretches in which you hold your muscles in a stretched position for a period of time. Dynamic activation is the name for any motion that extends your muscles while moving, like swinging your legs or arms, and is the preferred approach before you exercise.

For the purpose of this article, we’re going to be talking about static stretching, which is the type of stretching you would typically do after a workout or after a long day to relax and de-stress.

So what are the benefits of stretching (other than just feeling good)?

1. Stretching improves your flexibility (or mobility), which is important for exercise performance, but also for decreasing the risk of injury. With improved range of motion, the next time you go out for that run, you’re less likely to be in pain or develop a chronic injury over time.

2. These days we sit a lot. Even if you’re really good about getting up and moving several times a day, you’re likely still sitting for the majority of the day. This means that you can get tight, especially in areas like the hip flexors. These muscle imbalances can lead to a lot of issues such as lower back pain, decreased mobility, bad posture, and general soreness. Making sure that you stretch on a regular basis helps to alleviate some of this tightness and soreness that comes with a more sedentary lifestyle. And if your body feels good, you’re more likely to exercise more!

3. Stretching also helps to decrease stress. Taking five minutes to stretch each day gives your body and mind a break. In fact, studies have shown that stretching can decrease activation of the sympathetic nervous system (the “fight or flight” system) and increase activation of the parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest and digest” system). This is why doing a light stretching routine before bed is a really effective strategy to help calm your body down for sleep.

4. Stretching improves circulation! Good circulation is important for transporting oxygen and nutrients to every cell in your body, removing waste, and helping your immune system fight off illness. Increased blood flow also extends to the brain, to improve concentration, alertness, and mental clarity.

Bottom line: stretching is good for you and should be done by everyone at every age.

To help you get started, here is a simple stretching routine you can do after a workout or if you just need to unwind at the end of the day.

Keep in mind that if you’re doing any stretches when you’re not warmed up (a.k.a. not after a workout), you should start slow and gradually increase the intensity of the stretch to avoid injury.

What are we finding in the research?

Vascular dysfunction is a term used for any abnormalities in the blood vessels, including stiffening of the arteries and damage to the endothelium (cells that line blood vessels). Vascular dysfunction occurs with aging and is associated with cardiovascular disease. It is well established that aerobic exercise training improves vascular function and decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the beneficial effects of stretching on vascular function are less established.

A recent meta-analysis looked at the effects of stretching interventions on vascular function in middle-aged and older adults. The researchers found improvements in several markers of vascular function following stretching, including a reduction in arterial stiffness, decreased resting heart rate and diastolic blood pressure, and improved vascular endothelial function. The researchers suggest that these improvements are likely due to increased blood flow, increased parasympathetic nervous system activity, increased synthesis of nitric oxide (a vasodilator), and increased levels of antioxidants in skeletal muscle cells.

While more studies are needed, flexibility training is emerging as a novel strategy for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease!

You can read the full article here.