Be Well
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last – well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.”
– Zig Ziglar
This week’s column reflects my belief about flexibility and how important it is to our health and quality of life. The way that most people look at stretching activity reminds me of the old Rodney Dangerfield quote, “I don’t get no respect” – because that is how most of us look at an activity often considered rather boring and unnecessary.
It is important to remember that most professional and Olympic athletes have something in common regarding their fitness regimen, regardless of the sport. That something is stretching and flexibility training. Without it, no amount of strength, speed or agility can make up for that loss. During this time of restricted access to some of our activities, it is most important to continue movement of varying degrees – we WILL be out of this pandemic some day and we need to keep ourselves in good physical condition to return to our regular activities!
I used this week’s quote because I wanted to focus on the importance of a stretching routine daily … we have discussed that stretching is one point of the triangle of fitness, with aerobic conditioning and strengthening as the other two points. The middle of the triangle holds the key – nutrition, which is the fuel for our bodies.
As I indicated in my last column, I would like to cover some different types of stretching and how these benefit our well-being.
- Dynamic stretching means that a stretch is performed by moving through a challenging but comfortable range of motion repeatedly, usually 10 to 12 times. This type of stretching should not be confused with old-fashioned ballistic stretching. Dynamic stretching is controlled, smooth, and deliberate, whereas ballistic stretching is uncontrolled, erratic and jerky.
- Passive stretching means you are using some sort of outside assurance to help you achieve a stretch. This assistance could be your body weight, a strap, leverage, gravity, another person, or a stretching device. With passive stretching you relax the muscle you are trying to stretch and rely on the external force to hold you in place.
- Active stretching means you are stretching a muscle by actively contracting the muscle in opposition to the one you’re stretching. You do not use your body weight, a strap, or other stretching device. Active stretching can be challenging but is generally considered lower risk because you are controlling the stretch force with your own strength rather than an external force.¹
Most of the stretches you see and do are likely static-passive stretches, the most common and the easiest to perform. If executed with good technique, these stretches are effective in improving flexibility and range of motion.
In the FlexAbility classes that I teach, we begin by practicing standing stretches which focus on both lower and upper-body range of motion. We move on to seated stretches, which incorporates primarily core stretches and includes some lower body movement. We end our class session in a prone position on mats and focus on lower body extremity stretching, followed by a full-body relaxation pose which both relaxes and energizes.
I would like to remind my readers that your balance, range of motion, and flexibility are critical to your health and well-being. Make time every day for at least 10 minutes of stretching – make time for you!
Sharon McMahon, CNWC
The opinions expressed in this article are not intended to replace advice of your personal physician or licensed health professional. Please consult your physician for any issues you may have related to nutrition or fitness activity.
¹ Blahnik, Full-Body Flexibility, Second Edition, p. 4