(Photo credit here.)

Stretching is important to incorporate into your daily routine for multiple reasons. First, it improves your flexibility (range of motion), and will benefit you in other exercises and improve your performance in sports. It will also strengthen your muscles so that you are less likely to get injured. It’s beneficial to circulation, overall movement, and helps you feel more comfortable. Sometimes we get that uncomfortable stiffness built up in our bodies, and stretching is a great way to get rid of that and feel great. Avoiding soreness is also a benefit of stretching. As you can see, stretching can be extremely beneficial to our lives. Incorporating slow breathing during your stretches can also be emotionally relaxing and help calm your mind.

There are many stretches you can do easily by yourself. You should push yourself so it feels good, but is not painful by any means. Usually a stretch is held for about ten seconds or longer depending on how you feel.

You’ll want to stretch on a soft surface, like carpet or a yoga mat. If you experiment with stretching and find a series of stretches you really like, a great habit would be to do them every day and night. Rejuvenating stretches and relaxing stretches can be a great method to waking up and going to sleep. Creating great habits like these will help you pave your way to a healthier lifestyle!

Here are a couple of links to good stretches you can do right now. Here is a website with some diagrams, and here is a great video!

If you really want great flexibility, you might look into gymnastics. Have you always wanted to be able to do flawless cartwheels, back handsprings, and other amazing flexible moves? Gymnastics could be your answer. If you’re the type of person that would prefer a solo sport over working with a team, this could be a great sport for you.

Like running, gymnastics will support and require you to be in best physical shape. You need a very lean and toned body to succeed in this sport. Gymnastics will test your physical strength, flexibility, agility, balance, and coordination and help you be in killer shape. If this sounds like something you want to try, you just have to find a local gymnastics club in your area and you’re on your way to being in killer shape and finding an exercise you might really love!