How Stretching teaches the body to improve flexibility

Flexibility or limberness refers to the absolute range of movement in a joint or series of joints, and length in muscles that cross the joints.

Body flexibility is the most important thing, No matter what your body size is.

Flexibility is one of the main aspects of physical fitness along with cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance.

Most health clubs emphasize weight loss and muscle strength, and give very little importance on how to improve flexibility which is very important.

As we get older it is normal for our muscle and joints to begin to become stiff, it begins to occur in middle age.

It's important for anyone at any age to maintain flexibility to keep fit and help prevent injury.

If you didn’t aware of this and already older, don’t worry, start today.

Flexibility training as an older person might take a little longer to develop it, but eventually, you will see and feel the benefits if you stick with it regularly.

Stretching flexes your body. It teaches the muscles in your body to loosen up, and to not be stiff. If you stretch daily, it improves your body's flexibility and allows you to move more freely.

No matter what your body size or age, you can increase your own flexibility with a daily stretching and exercise routine. Initially certain factors related to size, such as joint pain, joint stiffness due to obesity or aging with sedentary life style can inhibit your flexibility initially and prevent you from performing certain activities, but starting  with the performance of  simple stretching exercise routines regularly will benefit you to  develop flexibility.

As we get older it is normal for our arteries to begin to become stiff, which make then prone to cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure. Research shows that stretching exercises, such as yoga or pilates, improve the flexibility of arterial walls, which can reduce the chance of cardiovascular disease and death. There are many different ways to stretch.

Here are some examples of stretching exercises:

Static stretching:

Static stretching employs the traditional stationary stretches,

Includes :

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Hold Static-Activating an extended position with just the strength of the muscles such as holding the leg at front, side or behind.

Dynamic stretching:

Dynamic stretching is a type of stretching technique, which is stretching combined with movement. Yoga and Pilates are good examples of dynamic stretching. Pilates, yoga or tai chi can particularly help build flexibility and strength in core muscles, which ultimately help control and move the entire body.

Overweight can prevent a person from doing activities for building optimum flexibility, but performing simple stretching exercises such as practicing basic Pilates routine can help people develop flexibility, despite body size. Performing such exercises regularly can also contribute to weight loss when combined with a proper diet.

Warning:

Check with your health-care provider before beginning flexibility training, including Pilates, yoga, tai chi or similar activities, as well as stretching for flexibility on your own. Avoid muscle and joint pulls and tears by gently stretching during exercise, and if you're not sure about how to perform flexibility exercises, seek advice from fitness professional.

And if you are doing the resistance training, you’re doing takes your muscles through a full range of motion — including stretching them. The "eccentric" part of a contraction, such as the lowering of a dumbbell on a biceps curl, lengthens and stretches the muscle.

It always good to do stretching exercises during and after a workout. ALWAYS make sure that you are warmed up before stretching or strengthening your muscles. This will allow a greater range of motion and help prevent injuries.