What is the first thing that you do in the morning? Open your eyes, yes. How about the second thing? Maybe not all of us may have noticed but it's even not just the second thing that we do, sometimes, we even do it before opening our eyes. We stretch. Why do we stretch? We stretch to condition our body to get up from bed.
Back in school we were taught to always stretch before swimming to avoid muscle cramps. But we never really understood what stretching is and why we need to do it all the time.
Stretching is a form of an exercise which conditions our body specifically the muscles to do heavier activities. It lengthens our muscles and improves its tone, it improves our appearance, it helps us prevent injuries and it improves our fitness and health as well.
Stretching is not limited to those who swim or those who are involved in some sports. It is for everybody. It is for all genders, ages and sizes. Stretching conditions our body to perform heavier activities during the day. It makes our muscles more flexible and it helps in regulating the flow of blood in the body as well as our breathing.
Other than before our major exercises and other sport-related activities, the best time to do stretching is early in the morning before we even start doing anything or before bed time. If we stretch early in the morning, it makes us feel more active and it helps us prevent getting injuries. If we stretch before going to bed, it would relax our muscles from all the tensions we had for the day.
If we are going to do our workout, it is best to do stretching first before we start lifting weights or any equivalent task. This would help us prevent muscle pains after the workout especially for beginners.
Stretching is not as simple as extending your legs or your arms. It should be done slowly and relaxed. Bouncing when we do stretching is not a good idea. It may even cause you muscle pain. When we do stretching we should breathe naturally and slowly while we hold the part of the body that we are stretching. We should only stretch it up to the point that we can. If it is already painful, then we might have gone a bit over the limit.
Here are some basic stretching exercises that we can do without eating up a lot of our time or requiring a lot of space to perform.
First is the stretching exercise for the neck. This is a stretching exercise that we can do either standing or seated. It is down by turning our head from one side to another and holding them for at least 5 seconds on each side. This can be repeated three times or more if our body requires.
Second is the stretching exercise for our shoulder, back, arms, finger, wrist and hands. It is done by interlacing the finger with the palms facing outward direction. Extend the arms at a shoulder level to the front slowly. Hold this position for around 20 seconds and repeat at least three times.
Third is the stretching exercise for the ankle which may also help in relieving muscle cramps at the back of our lower leg. This is done by pointing the toes towards an outward direction and holding it for at least 10 seconds. Then point toes towards an upward direction and holding it for at least 10 seconds. This should be repeated at least three times.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Home Workout or Gym Workout, Who Else Wants to Stay Physically Fit!
I believe I'm in great shape right now, I'm proud to look in the mirror, my postures excellent, and my energy level is through the roof! And would you believe it had nothing to do with equipment at all!
My results make me want to push myself to the limits, My desire to workout is at an all time high! The thing is I, like most people would get bored, I believe my body was telling me that I had no Idea what I was doing! I was always active, but was getting no results and due to lack of results I would stop using the equipment that I purchased.
For me the home workout were out of the question until I met a US Marine that kicked my ass to do simple push-ups! Every time I would think exercise I could here him screaming "drop and give me ten" and due to fear that he might be watching, I did the darn push-ups. THANKS SARGE!
Anyhow this is why I have a personal preference to "doing both". The big thing is, in my opinion it's imperative that you have a person to keep you Accountable and is knowledgeable on how you can build the body of your dreams Someone to do the workouts with and keep you on track.
My wife and I are only starting out and we were both uncomfortable at the gym. Then one day I was at a Golds gym doing my workout when a trainer walked by and I couldn't resist asking a few questions like form, high reps low weight, low reps high weight, Then after a few great answers finally I gave in to training!
"What you don't know, you don't know!"
My decision to use an expert so far has paid off. You'd be amazed how fast your body changes when you train. He even started me on a nutrition plan, I was told, that it's even worse to miss a meal than miss a workout. Did you know that poor nutrition is one of the main causes of poor health!
I've only had a trainer for two months, I tell you what, my wife and I are now looking for excuses to work out due to great results. A knowledgeable trainer and great goals are key to personal fitness! With support combined with your goals you wouldn't believe your own potential! Impress yourself.
From my stand point, Invest money in knowledge, spend a few days with a trainer, get a plan, decide if you need equipment, or if a body weight workout is the way to go. Find great support and treat yourself to a trainer, never give up! Use other people to push yourself to your goals, and in turn do the same for them!
Be inspired to stay on target
My results make me want to push myself to the limits, My desire to workout is at an all time high! The thing is I, like most people would get bored, I believe my body was telling me that I had no Idea what I was doing! I was always active, but was getting no results and due to lack of results I would stop using the equipment that I purchased.
For me the home workout were out of the question until I met a US Marine that kicked my ass to do simple push-ups! Every time I would think exercise I could here him screaming "drop and give me ten" and due to fear that he might be watching, I did the darn push-ups. THANKS SARGE!
Anyhow this is why I have a personal preference to "doing both". The big thing is, in my opinion it's imperative that you have a person to keep you Accountable and is knowledgeable on how you can build the body of your dreams Someone to do the workouts with and keep you on track.
My wife and I are only starting out and we were both uncomfortable at the gym. Then one day I was at a Golds gym doing my workout when a trainer walked by and I couldn't resist asking a few questions like form, high reps low weight, low reps high weight, Then after a few great answers finally I gave in to training!
"What you don't know, you don't know!"
My decision to use an expert so far has paid off. You'd be amazed how fast your body changes when you train. He even started me on a nutrition plan, I was told, that it's even worse to miss a meal than miss a workout. Did you know that poor nutrition is one of the main causes of poor health!
I've only had a trainer for two months, I tell you what, my wife and I are now looking for excuses to work out due to great results. A knowledgeable trainer and great goals are key to personal fitness! With support combined with your goals you wouldn't believe your own potential! Impress yourself.
From my stand point, Invest money in knowledge, spend a few days with a trainer, get a plan, decide if you need equipment, or if a body weight workout is the way to go. Find great support and treat yourself to a trainer, never give up! Use other people to push yourself to your goals, and in turn do the same for them!
Be inspired to stay on target
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