Should I Stretch?

Regular exercise is undoubtedly essential to an active and healthy lifestyle. However an often overlooked, yet equally important of an active and healthy lifestyle is stretching. Incorporating stretching exercises into your routine can bring numerous benefits to your overall comfort, performance, and physical condition.

A common misconception surrounding stretching is that it reduces a risk to injury. While stretching provides multiple benefits, this is typically not one of them. This is because most injuries are not due to muscular range of motion rather the ability and activity of the participant. In addition to our low-impact technique, our STRETCH class is uniquely designed to reduce injury by 35% through improving balance and joint mobility. Building strength, in classes such as SCULPT and CARDIO have proven to be helpful in building muscle tone while neuromuscular training such as STEP can build the body’s ability to avoid injury by changing the body’s direction and trajectory. You’ll notice every MARGO’S class begins with a dynamic, neuromuscular warm up that moves the body through the 3 planes of motion. This is essential to a safe and effective workout. To keep your body out of the danger zone, consider your range of motion, flexibility and ability. Decide what you’d like to work on to achieve the results you’re looking for.

Though all is not lost on stretching. There is a bounty of physical attributes such as reducing swelling, improving skin texture, and promoting lymphatic drainage. All noted benefits of the MARGO’S STRETCH class. This is due to the increased blood flow and oxygen stretching brings to the targeted muscles and therefore, skin. Making stretching an essential component of a body care routine. In fact, if you’re not seeing the results you’d like from your physical conditioning, you may need to add in designated stretches to help release congestion and blockages in the body. Pappenhagen et al., discuss the cellular effects of stretch stress. They state, "Stretch stress propels glutamine dependency and glycolysis." This suggests that stretching can activate metabolic pathways, promoting recovery and tissue repair. Stretching after exercise helps relax and lengthen muscles, reducing muscle soreness and stiffness. Additionally, regular stretching exercises can improve overall flexibility over time, allowing for greater range of motion in daily activities and reducing the risk of muscle imbalances.

Incorporating stretching exercises into our routines, we can experience a wide range of benefits that positively impact our lives. Through consistent practice, stretching can increase range of motion, build flexibility, and promote greater muscular recovery. In fact, stretching could be the secret ingredient you’re missing to achieving the results you desire. Hop into a MARGO’S STRETCH class to find out what stretching dynamically, statically, and properly can do for you!