Stretching Revisited
by Canyon Ranch Health Resort:

Motivation can be a pain in the neck ... and a twinge in the lower back ... or tight calves. Or anything that makes you say, "Boy, I need to stretch."

Stretching is often the most ignored element of a fitness program. Let's face it – we sometimes need to be prodded to stretch after we work out, and unfortunately it's usually pain or tightness doing the prodding.

Got Five Minutes? You can take a stretch break by doing these stretches by yourself or with others. Low Back Lie on back. Hug knees to chest. Tricep Place hand behind your head to the middle of your back. Your elbow points up. Push your elbow down with your other hand. Repeat other side. Neck Stretch Tilt your ear to your shoulder and hold. Repeat other side. Lateral Side Extend arm overhead, place opposite hand on hip. Bend sideways at hip. Repeat other side. Calf Keep back leg straight and heel on the ground. Place both hands above bent knee. Move hips forward. Repeat other side. Full Body Raise arms over head, stand on your toes and reach for the sky. Flex and extend fingers. Hamstring Place both hands on outside of thigh. Bring chest over knee, head and back straight. Repeat other side.

Reba Schecter and Rob Hughes, Canyon Ranch exercise physiologists, say that stretching is important for everyone because it reduces muscle tension and makes the body feel more relaxed. Rob says that a good rule of stretching is to do it "a little and often” rather than in one massive dose.

“If you only go to a stretching class once a week for an hour, it’s like only brushing your teeth for an hour on Sunday night,” Rob says. "Stretching can be done anytime, anyplace, to help offset the postural tension that we build up all day.”

Tension and the shortening of muscles that happens in daily activity can eventually put stress on the joints. This can lead to chronic pain and postural and joint problems. Stretching, by promoting relaxation, eases tension increases flexibility. This may help prevent injury.

Because stretching promotes relaxation it is best done after a workout. Prior to a workout, a warm-up or a slow-paced mimic of the activity is best – walking before a jog, shooting around before basketball, shadow strokes in tennis, etc.

“Think of a pre-workout as loosening up, to get into the rhythm of what you’re going to do,” Rob said. “In a warm-up the goal is to take your circulation to where your muscles get warm and your blood delivers nutrients to your body. Stretching is not bad before a workout, it just doesn’t warm you up.”

How to stretch
Tread lightly. The safest, simplest and most effective way to stretch is to stretch the muscle only 10 percent beyond its resting length. You need only a moderate stretch to be effective, Reba says. Hold the stretch in as relaxed a manner as possible for 30 seconds (it’s not necessary to go beyond 30 seconds) or twice for 15 seconds. Within that time you may feel the sensation of stretching subside as the muscle relaxes. If you do, try to stretch further gently.

“Hold and relax into the stretch. This is when your muscle truly has a plastic adaptation,” Rob said. “People tend to stretch too vigorously. You shouldn’t get sore from stretching.”

“You should only feel a moderate amount of tension in a stretch,” Reba said. “But never to the point of shaking the muscle.”

Another way to decrease muscle tension and all the aches and pains that come with it is through postural awareness. How you sit. How you stand. Do you bring your mouth to your fork or your fork to your mouth (the proper way)? The way you carry yourself through the years influences your posture, muscle tension, aches and flexibility. Identify poor posture habits and break them.

Isn’t this a bit of a stretch?
OK, back to why we don’t stretch. Who has the time? Rob says that if you’re only going to stretch for about five minutes at a time and you have more than 600 muscles to choose from, be selective.

“The key is to find the stretches that will do the most good. If you carry your tension in your lower back, you don’t need to spend a lot of time stretching your calves. Target your stretches.”

Stretching is easy and doesn’t take forever. Reba and Rob offer these suggestions:

Always warm up.
A warm-up should last about five minutes.

You don’t have to limit yourself to stretching at the time of a workout.
Do it in the morning, before bed - anytime throughout the day when you want to relax your muscles.

Do no harm when you stretch.
Stay relaxed. Move slowly in and out of a stretch.

Aim toward symmetry.
If you have too much tension on one side and are too loose on the other, you may need to consider strengthening the loose side and stretching the tight side.

Don’t bounce,
it’s counterproductive. Bouncing will actually tighten your muscles.

Stretch within your limits.
Your big toe doesn’t have to touch your earlobe to get a good stretch.

Breathe.

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