Page 7 - NGA NATURALmag 2017 WINTER Issue

Winter 2017
Stretching is is very important for flexibility range of motion and injury prevention Incorporating stretching into your your daily
workouts is is a a a a a a a a given but including it in in in in in in in your your day routine is is is just as as important to health and body functioning as as as regular exercise It re- laxes your your muscles muscles and and and increases blood flow and and and nutrients to your your cartilage and and and muscles muscles 1 1 Here are the top 10 health benefits of of stretching:
ENCOuRAGES AN OPTIMISTIC OuTLOOK – A A A buildup of stress causes your muscles to contract making you you feel tense and uneasy This tension can lead to having a a a a a a a a a a a a negative impact on on mind as as as well
as as your body Stretching Stretching exercises have powerful stress-busting abilities Stretching Stretching Stretching soon after waking up can help help jump-start the mind and body Stretching Stretching loosens tight muscles muscles which helps your muscles muscles both relax and increase blood flow It also encourages the release of of endorphins providing a a a a a a a a a a sense of of tranquility and euphoria Stretching directly before bed will even 2give you a a a a a a a a more comfortable sleeping experience FORTIFIES POSTuRE – Stretching helps ensure
correct posture by lengthening tight muscles that pull areas of the the the the body away from their intended posi- tion and and keeping your muscles muscles loose Stretching the the the the muscles muscles of the the the lower back chest and and and shoulders can help keep the the spine in in in in better alignment and and and improve overall posture by relieving aches and and pains With reduced reduced pain pain there is a a a a a a reduced reduced desire to hunch or 3slouch ENABLES FLExIBILITy – The most established
and and obvious benefit of of stretching is is improving flexibility flexibility and and range of of motion An effective flexibility flexibility training program can improve your your physical perfor- mance and help reduce your your your your risk of of injury By improv- ing your your your range of of motion your your your body requires less energy to make the the same movements and you you you also will have more flexible joints thus lessening the the likeli- hood of injuries acquired during during workouts or or or during during 4daily activities INCREASE STAMINA – Stretching loosens your muscles and and tendons which relieves muscle muscle fatigue and and increases blood flow The longer you exercise the more energy you you will burn typically caus- ing ing ing one to grow fatigued With stretching you you can delay the the onset of muscle fatigue fatigue by by ensuring oxygen is efficiently flowing through your your blood thereby
5increasing your endurance DECREASES RISK OF INJuRy – it will help to to sup-
ply ply a a a greater nutrient supply to to to muscles there- fore reducing muscle muscle muscle soreness and and helping to to speed recovery from muscle muscle and and joint injuries 6 IMPROvE ENERGy LEvELS – Sometimes you you you may have trouble staying awake during your long dragging day If you’re feeling this way then it might help help to get out of of your your seat and do a a a a a a a few good stretches for a a a a a a boost of of energy helping your your mind and and body be more more alert Muscles tighten when we get tired and and and and that makes us us feel feel even more more lethargic so so feel feel free to to stand up and and and and do some stretches It will help you you to to quickly and and and efficiently revitalize your 7energy levels PROMOTES BLOOD CIRCuLATION – it increases blood flow to the muscles Not only will this help reduce post-workout soreness and shorten recovery time but it will improve overall health Greater blood circulation helps promote cell growth and organ function The heart rate will will also lower since it doesn’t have to work as hard and and blood pressure will will become
8more even and and consistent IMPROvE ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE – If your muscles are already contracted because you you haven’t stretched then they will will be be less effective dur- ing ing exercise Regular stretching will will relax all of your muscles and therefore enable them to be more avail-
9able during exercise REDuCED SORENESS – Stretching before and after a a a a a a workout gives your muscles time to to relax Increases in in in blood flow increase nutrient supply to to the the muscles muscles and relieve soreness in in in the muscles muscles after a a a a a workout 10REDuCES CHOLESTEROL – Paired with a a a a a healthy diet engaging in in in in prolonged stretching exercises can help reduce cholesterol in in in in in the the body This could prevent and even even reverse the the hardening of arteries helping one avoid heart diseases So do your your stretching to get the optimum results of your your training and better health n n n n n NGA NATURAL mag
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