Flexibility: Why you should make stretching part of every workout

Forgotten the last time you spent more than three minutes stretching? Here’s why you should not only make it part of every workout but consider it a workout in itself

When was the last time you made an effort to do more than some quick-and-dirty toe touches and arm circles before or after a workout? You probably can’t recall when you last had a proper stretch, and maybe you’re not even sure what this entails. In fact, when most of us exercise, we don’t want to ‘waste’ what little time we have stretching. Instead we use every minute to pound the treadmill, pump iron or even punch our way to a fitter body. Through the upsurge of yoga and Pilates, our poor, stiff muscles have gotten some of the attention they deserve, but in truth we still give stretching short shrift.

Because we tend not to stretch our pumped-up muscles adequately, they don’t get used to their full capacity and become tighter and more prone to injury. If you incorporate stretching as an essential part of your fitness plan, the benefits will soon become obvious:

recovery time between workouts improvesinjuries are more easily preventedmuscle fibres become elongated, looking longer and leanerposture and flexibility are improvedworkouts are more efficient as muscles can move within their full rangecirculation is increased allowing your body to cool down safely and muscles to recoverhelps mental relaxation and focus

To reap these benefits, I suggest not only stretching before and after every cardio or strength training workout, but also taking 20 minutes, three times a week, to do the stretches below (warm up first by doing some light walking or cycling for 15 minutes). Keep your abdominal muscles engaged during these moves and hold each stretch for 30 seconds. Exhale from your mouth as you push into the stretch, then inhale through your nose as you release. In a few weeks you should begin to feel longer, leaner and more flexible.