Start with Stretching, Not Coffee

The next time a friend asks if you want to join them in a yoga class at their gym, the answer should be a definite, “Yes!” 

Why is it that we ALL feel better once we had that first long yawn and stretch that starts our day when we wake up? 

It’s because one of the benefits of stretching is an increase in energy. It’s certain that anyone would want more energy in the morning. This is achievable by starting off the day with as little as ten minutes devoted to stretching our muscles. Unlike what most people believe, stretching is not a warm up activity. Muscles generate heat inorder to keep our bodies in their normal states, known as homeostasis. Stretching is best for muscles after exercise when muscles are heated by all the movement and healthy amount of work they are being put to. (Here is a link explaining the production of heat from muscles and why it occurs.) 

Some of the aspects that should be focused on while stretching is the tightness in muscles. From personal experience, I experience a lot of soreness in my back and leg muscles from working during the day. By stretching out the soreness in muscles, the ability to move flows better, allowing movement without pain or discomfort from tightness. One great way to achieve this is practicing Yoga. Yoga is the practice of building internal heat, stamina, muscle strength, tone, flexibility, and stress reduction. 

One of the benefits of Yoga is improved respiratory health (Here is a link explaining a deeper analysis). This is from breathing practice that also improves endurance. But in order to receive the benefits of stretching, it does not have to be done every single day. Stretching is recommended about 2 to 3 times a week, but an inconsistent stretching schedule will not show any improvements in muscle health.

Benefits to Stretching 

Physically	Mentally
Flexibility	Reduces Stress
Posture	Reduces Symptoms of Anxiety & Depression (Yoga Based Stretching)
Prevents Injury	Releases Tension
Reduces Soreness	Increased Energy

(Here is a link with more definition to each benefit.) 

In my own experience, adding something new to a routine can be scary! The fear of failure or lack of knowledge of the subject is what makes us hesitate to start new things. But stretching a few days a week doesn’t have to be complicated. Setting aside 10 to 15 minutes in my daily routine has personally helped me to ease muscle pain. I have woken up with awful tightness in my back muscles. From experience, I have felt significant improvement by incorporating a few minutes of back stretches into my daily routine. The stretching can be minimal, lasting 10 seconds per stretch. A simple routine to start you on the journey to better muscle health through stretching can be found here.

In my personal experience, stress relief from Yoga or simple stretching has found a permanent place in my schedule because the energized, stress-free mood I get as a result is better than any coffee in the morning.