STRETCHING – FAVORITE YOGA POSITIONS

Yesterday’s TIP OF THE DAY: Static vs. dynamic stretches. Static stretching refers to holding a
stretching position for a minimum of 30seconds up to 2minutes, which
will lengthen the muscle. Static stretches should be done during rest
periods or following a workout as this will relax the muscle. Contrary,
dynamic stretching involves a slight bouncing motion in which a
stretching position involves some momentum as opposed to being held;
dynamic stretching should be done prior to or during a workout to loosen
the muscle. While working out, you want to keep your muscles loser to
prevent injury and increase your range of motion; completely relaxed
muscles are not good during exercise (same reasoning for why competitive
pools are kept at cool temperatures to prevent swimmers’ muscles from
relaxing).

Talking about STATIC stretching (the longer stretches) that are to be done after a workout or on their own are beneficial for several reasons. Here are my three favorite:

1. Flexibility –  stretching regularly will lengthen the muscles, providing you with a greater range of motion (leading to better results when lifting in the gym) and decreasing your chances of an injury.

2. Improved Circulation – why would you care about that you may wonder? Stretching increases blood flow to the muscles, providing nourishment to the muscle cells and removing muscle waste byproducts; this can help speed up recovery = results! 

3. Alleviates Lower Back Pain – are we that old that we’re talking about back pain? As someone who has a severe arch in their back, I know all about lower back pain! Interestingly, muscles such as the hamstrings, glutes, and hips significantly contribute to lower back pain, so stretching this muscles will help to alleviate some of the tightness and pain.

MY FAVORITE YOGA POSITIONS TO STRETCH OUT THE BODY:

1) Downward Dog

2) Forward Fold

3) Upward Dog

4) Spine-Twisting Pose

5) Extended Triangle Pose

6) Extended Side Angle Pose

7) High Lunge

8) Cat Cow Pose

Keep in mind – yoga is all about going at your own pace and ALL ABOUT THE BREATH – inhale and exhale; with every exhale move deeper into the stretch. These poses do not have to be preformed in any sort of fancy sequence; begin and go in any order, holding each between 30seconds – 1 minute. Flexibility takes work and time! From years of gymnastics, I could go from my right split and bounce into a middle split then turn into a left split – not so fluid any more 😉 But I couldn’t do that when I began gymnastics – lesson = flexability takes time, but it will come over several weeks of regular stretching!