Simply Stretched

           http://quantumlearningblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/learning-flexibility.jpg

You have no doubt been told by someone at some stage that you should always stretch before doing any exercise. But why, you may ask. You don’t sweat or lose weight or build muscle from stretching, so why do it? Well, stretching is actually a crucial element in physical fitness and performance.

The first important point is that stretching should be done before and after exercise, as part of a warm up and cool down. Stretching before exercise assists in reducing the risk of injury. Stretching after exercise helps maintain increased flexibility of muscles and helps to reduce muscular pain and stiffness following exercise. Remember: never stretch a cold muscle, so do a gentle warm up such as a walk or light jog and then stretch before starting any strenuous exercise.

Secondly, people of all ages should stretch on a regular basis. With age, we lose flexibility, resulting in muscular pain and joint stiffness. This can affect one’s ability to perform various activities, from regular daily activities like reaching into high cupboards to specific sporting activities like moving across a tennis court.

When stretching, one should feel slight discomfort, not pain. Overstretching a muscle beyond its limits can cause damage to the tissue. The range of movement at a joint, or this point of slight discomfort, will increase as flexibility improves with regular stretching. Every joint is unique and flexibility will vary depending on the joint, activity levels and types of activities performed on a regular basis.

Muscle tightness is often associated with numerous orthopaedic conditions, such as lower back pain, neck pain or knee pain, amongst others. By carefully stretching tight structures and strengthening weak ones surrounding a joint, symptoms can be alleviated, often with immediate, but temporary relief. By performing appropriate stretching and strengthening exercise on a regular basis, more permanent relief can be achieved.

There are various types of stretching techniques that can be used to improve flexibility. The most common is static stretching. Here, a muscles is taken to the end of its range (slight discomfort) and held for about 15 seconds while the muscle is completely relaxed. Static stretching is most effective after exercise to reduce muscle pain and stiffness.

Dynamic stretching involves the individual moving his/her own leg through its range. As the muscle warms up, the individual can swing the limb further and further through its range, never taking it more than the point of slight discomfort. Dynamic stretching is most commonly used prior to strenuous exercise.

Ballistic stretching is a slightly more risky technique, as it involves taking the muscle to its end range and gently bouncing the limb at this range. This technique is generally not advised, unless done under careful supervision of a Biokineticist.

Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) is a highly effective form of

stretching, performed with the assistance of a therapist. It involves a contraction of the muscle to be stretched, which is held for about three seconds against the resistance of the therapist. The contraction is then released and the therapist pushes the limb slightly further.

Active-isolated stretching is another highly effective technique to improve flexibility while reducing the risk of injury. This technique must also be performed by a trained therapist. The individual contracts the opposite muscle those being stretched, thus assisting the therapist in moving the limb through its full range. By contracting the opposite muscle, one ensures that the muscle to be stretched is completely relaxed, thus reducing the risk of injury. This technique is particularly effective in more apprehensive patients who find it difficult to relax when being stretched.

                            http://www.iozeta.com/wp-content/uploads/flex.jpeg

Finally, stretching provides a great form of relaxation and stress relief. So, whether you are young or old, active or sedentary, you need to stretch to reduce the risk of injury, maintain joint mobility and keep the body moving with ease and minimal pain.

Exercise Basics 101

Many of you may not be familiar with some of the terminology used when talking about exercise and some basic exercise principles. Exercise, like any other topic, has jargon, which is meaningless to someone who does not engage with such information on a regular basis. Seeing as you are all about to get started, if you haven’t already, I thought I’d provide some insight into the basics of exercise.

Three main types of exercise exist, namely cardiovascular, resistance and range of motion exercise. Cardiovascular fitness refers to the ability of your heart and circulatory system to efficiently and effectively supply the body with sufficient oxygen and energy when it is placed under physical stress, that is, when you are exercising. Types of cardiovascular exercise include walking, running, swimming, cycling and rowing. Cardiovascular exercise is essential in reducing the risk for heart disease and for weight loss/management. Resistance exercise is when the muscles are required to perform an action against some sort of resistance. In the gym, these are usually weights, toning circuits and body-weight exercises. Resistance exercise builds muscle, which in turn decreases fat percent. With age, one loses muscle mass. Therefore, it is important to do light weight exercises in order to maintain muscle mass and keep the fat percent at a healthy level. A high fat percent increase the risk for cardiovascular disease. Finally, range of motion exercises refer to stretching, an important but often forgotten part of the exercise regimen. Stretching is essential in maintaining mobility around the joint and flexibility of the muscles, thus reducing the risk for injury.

Ideally, one should include all of these three components during an exercise session. Depending on your exercise goals, you will spend more or less time on each component in a session and the structure of the session will vary accordingly.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qziyor6E1FVt7nZEIP-9Zdogo_020qN_nZ0p_SZUHJgudj3-3WJItzEvEKD6ELSmBvgImdWfGlVZAYQOFo4jc0k-kpnoMsELz11YhRfj0gTfknEuZlV1X-AMLn38Gjn-jRaKZsHSq50/s1600/exercise.gif

Heart rate refers to the number of times your heart beats in a minute. The average resting heart rate for adults is 72 beats per minute (bpm). To calculate your estimated maximum heart rate, the following simple formula is used:

                                    Maximum Heart Rate = 220 – Age

Fitter individuals will have a lower resting heart rate and will be able to elevate their heart rate to near-maximum levels during exercise. Less fit individuals will struggle to get the heart rate to the maximum, as the cardiovascular system will be unable to cope with the stress. Unfit individuals will have a quicker increase in heart rate during exercise than fitter individuals, as they are unable to cope as efficiently with the increase in exercise intensity. It is, therefore, important that you slowly increase your exercise intensity so that your body systems are able to adapt to the increased stress placed on them.

Aerobic activity is exercise of long duration and low intensity. Your heart rate is elevated to between 60 and 80 percent of your maximum. At this level, you should still be able to breathe comfortably, although you will feel that your heart rate is increased. Aerobic activity is important to improve cardiovascular fitness, which helps reduce the risk of heart disease, and for weight management.

                                  http://www.topnews.in/health/files/little-exercise.jpg

Anaerobic activity is maximal effort performed for short bursts, for example sprinting. Your heart rate is increased to between 80 and 100 percent of your maximum. You will be very short of breath immediately after the exertion. This type of training also improves cardiovascular fitness, but is often used more in sport-specific training.

So, as you begin your exercise regimen, first decide what your training goals are and then plan your exercise sessions accordingly. Remember: never exercise when you are sick and always have at least 1 rest day per week!