Not many people understand the importance of stretching, we’re all told about it and a lot of people seem to do it in a half-hearted manner but the fact is stretching is important.

Stretching has some great benefits including reducing muscle tension, signaling the muscles that they are going to be used, it increases the range of motion, and is very important in the fact that it helps prevent injuries in the muscles.

The age old question is what comes first, stretching or warm ups?

It is common sense really, to stretch a cold muscle is a recipe for disaster, so it is important to warm up the body or the targeted muscles before stretching.

It is very important not to overstretch any muscles during this warmup period.

The warmup period should be a minimum of 10 minutes, the warm-ups could include some sort of game as long as the person keeps moving during that time.

TV. We waste so much time watching TV, so why not utilize a small portion of this time to stretch.

So try this out, if you are nice and warm while you are watching TV, as soon as an ad break comes on, start doing a small stretching routine, this could include upper body or even your legs.

There are some great stretches of available on you Tube but I sincerely recommend you buy a book called” stretching” by Bob Anderson ( I do not get paid or get any kickbacks from this recommendation) I just find it invaluable book with most of the major stretches clearly explained.

If you develop a stretching routine you will not believe how much better you feel, after a while you will look forward to doing this stretching routine.

It is very important to be patient with yourself, and as I have recommended on my website by yourself a diary and write down the stretching or exercises that you are doing.

This is a sure way of keeping your motivation going.