Quick Tip: Don't Forget to Stretch!

I'm sure everyone knows that they should get a good stretch in after a workout of any type, but not everyone does it.  So here's some quick motivation for you to spend that extra time stretching.

Benefits include:

-Increased blood flow to the working muscles, which improves the body's ability to cope with demands on muscles
-Increased ability to deliver oxygen to muscles (important for aerobic performance)
-Increased interaction of actin and myosin filaments, which improves performance by increasing the speed and force of muscle contractions (helps slow and fast twitch muscles)
-Reduced risk for muscle and tendon injuries
-Decreased muscle soreness
-Reduced lower back pain (when stretching lower back and hamstrings)


So stretch!!!

Dr. O 
"I don't live to eat...I eat to live!"

1.    American College of Sports Medicine, ACSM's Resources for the Personal Trainer. 2007, Baltimore, MD: D. Mark Robertson.