Exercise Information

The Importance of Stretching Exercises


Muscles and connective tissues shorten over time and that results in less flexibility. If your muscles have gone some time without being used, they tend to become weaker and quite stiff. The risk of injury is greatly increased when you start to use those muscles suddenly. If you are doing regular stretching exercises to lengthen and strengthen your muscles, injury can be easily avoided.

A pulling sensation is normal while you're doing stretching exercises. It can be mildly uncomfortable but if you are experiencing pain then you are probably over extending your muscles. If this happens then you will need to reduce your stretch to maintain comfort. Of course you can push yourself to stretch further but do so gradually and with much consideration for your pain threshold.

A common mistake that many people make while doing stretching exercises is to bounce into the stretch. Bouncing is not a good idea because it's a sharp, abrupt movement that can do a lot of damage to your muscles. You should focus on the specific muscle that you are stretching and gradually push your limit without causing yourself pain.

You should find that you are more limber in just a few short months if you are dedicated to doing some stretching exercises a few times a week. If you are hoping for a faster result then you can always increase the frequency and duration of your stretching exercises. Just remember not to overdo it because an injury could have you off your feet for an extended period of time.

James is a published author at Fitness Freaks, a site dedicted to bringing you up to date information on Health and Fitness related topics. For more great articles, visit our Fitness Articles page.


MORE RESOURCES:

CDC: Doctors Increasingly Prescribe Exercise
WebMD
9, 2012 -- A new report from the CDC shows that more patients are getting prescriptions for exercise from their doctors. In 2010, 1 in 3 adults who saw a doctor or other health care professional was advised to increase their physical activity as a ...
Study: Doctors only advise 1 in 3 people to exerciseUSA TODAY

all 2 news articles »


USA TODAY

Study: Tai chi helps ease symptoms of Parkinson's
USA TODAY
NEW YORK – The ancient Chinese exercise of tai chi improved balance and lowered the risk of falls in a study of people with Parkinson's disease. Fuzhong Li, AP The ancient Chinese exercise improved balance and lowered the risk of falls in a study of ...
Slow movements of tai chi helped with balance, reduced falls in Parkinson's ...Washington Post
Tai Chi Makes Parkinson's Patients Steadier on Feet, Study SaysBusinessWeek
Tai chi may help balance in people with Parkinson'sReuters

all 158 news articles »


BBC News

Bold Alligator: 19000 troops amphibious exercise
BBC News
Bold Alligator, an international training exercise involving upwards of 19000 troops, has been under way since the beginning of February and is taking place across Virginia and North Carolina. US military officials say it is the largest ...
Combat Cargo steps up for Exercise Bold AlligatorDVIDS
Libya Lessons Learned Drive Huge Amphib ExerciseAOL Defense
Marines storm US beaches in training exerciseCBS News
The Associated Press -Newsroom America
all 281 news articles »


NORAD to conduct exercise over Washington region early Thursday
Washington Post
WASHINGTON — NORAD is planning an exercise in the Washington region The North American Aerospace Defense Command will conduct a series of training flights on Thursday from 3 am to 5 am Exercise Falcon Virgo is designed to hone NORAD's intercept and ...
^..6530< AP-DC--NORAD Exercise,69WBFF/WNUV Baltimore
Training Flights Set for Early ThursdayPatch.com

all 4 news articles »


Fars News Agency

Envoy: US Unable to Exercise Threats against Iran
Fars News Agency
Sajjadi said on Wednesday that Iran's response to any probable military adventurism will be very tough and far beyond expectations striking US targets worldwide. He told reporters that Iranian armed forces have full access to the US targets worldwide ...

and more »


New York Magazine (blog)

Exercise-Video Giant Anchor Bay May Now Split With Komen
New York Magazine (blog)
Insiders tell Vulture that Anchor Bay Entertainment, one of Hollywood's largest producers and distributors of women's fitness, dance and exercise videos, is "submitting lists of new charities…to replace [long-time beneficiary] Komen," even after ...
Exercise Video Behemoth Considering Pulling Support from KomenJezebel

all 358 news articles »


MannKind Announces Exercise In Full of Over-Allotment Option and Completion of ...
MarketWatch (press release)
... including 4687500 units sold pursuant to the full exercise of an over-allotment option previously granted to the underwriters (with each unit consisting of one share of its common stock and a warrant to purchase 0.6 of a share of its common stock).

and more »


Earthquake exercise promotes awareness
Cleveland Daily Banner
by GREG KAYLOR, Banner Staff Writer Hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans took part in the critical exercise to raise awareness in case a catastrophic quake were to hit the Southeast. Millions of people in the Central zone also took part.

and more »


Department of Defense

Exercise Delivers Eye Care, Medical Capability in Africa
Department of Defense
8, 2012 – A small-scale medical exercise under way in Tanzania is having a big impact on the local population and building strong bridges between the US and Tanzanian militaries. Army Col. (Dr.) Darrel K. “Casey” Carlton, an ophthalmologist serving as ...
U.S. Army Africa leads medical team to cure blindnessDVIDS

all 3 news articles »


Senior leaders unite during seminar at Exercise Cobra Gold 2012
DVIDS
CAMP SURANAREE, Thailand – Senior officers from more than six countries convened at a Senior Leaders Seminar at Exercise Cobra Gold 2012 on Feb. 8 to discuss strategic topics and share lessons learn from real world experiences. According to Maj.
US-led Military Exercise Cobra Gold 12 Commences In ThailandBernama
Thailand to host US-led military exerciseChina Daily
Joint Thailand-US "Cobra Gold" DrillNTDTV
Marines.mil (press release) -GlobalPost (blog) -Channel News Asia
all 30 news articles »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006