flex – Personal Euphoria: Pilates & Fitness Classes in CT

Limber for Life

It is so easy to skip stretching. I skip it myself after many workouts. What gives? We all know stretching is beneficial. Why do we brush it aside so easily?

To encourage ourselves to stretch more we need to 1) enjoy it and 2) recognize it has value. Even if we don’t love exercise, many people make themselves do it because they know it’s good for them. Why isn’t it the same for stretching?

Why We Stretch:

Range of Motion

We don’t need to be the newest member of Cirque Du Soleil, but it’s beneficial to maintain our mobility. Ultimately that’s what stretching does. It helps you keep your full range of motion (ROM) at every joint.

When we lose range of motion and flexibility, it limits what we can do. Maybe you’ve noticed you can’t get up and down off the floor anymore, it’s hard to get your sock on, or you can’t scratch that itch on your back in a spot you used to be able to reach.

Reduce Pain

Also, limited ROM can lead to pain and discomfort. If joints are clamped down and restricted it can lead to injury or pain. This works at the other extreme too. People who are hypermobile often […]

Movement Snacks

Movement snacks are short bursts of movement throughout the day much like you’d have a snack between meals. They are not meal substitutes. It would still benefit you to get a workout in, but whether you workout or not, adding small bursts of movement throughout the day is vital to health.

If you absolutely don’t have time for a full workout, adding in movement snacks is better than nothing. More and more research indicates that any movement you can make time for is worthwhile. A recent study out of Japan found doing one bicep curl a day increased muscle strength by 6-12 percent. Our body really responds to any movement we give it.

The goal of a movement snack is to figure out how movement can fit into your day. I’ve provided some suggestions below, but really you want to think about what will actually work in your day. Consider what is a new habit you can form. In the video below Taylor Kinzler from NBC CT LIVE mentions how she could fit in a movement snack while her videos are uploading at work. That’s the idea…think like that. But if you need some tips… try some of these:

Wake Up & Pandiculate

Your […]