Why Exercise?
The importance of exercise is legend. Hippocrates wrote about exercise as physical morality and our responsibility to care for ourselves. The current reasons to exercise range from improvement in brain function, decrease in disease to just plain relaxation, fun and camaraderie. Exercise improves posture enables sound body mechanics and the prevention of injury.
In 20 minutes a day of regular gentle stretching one can stretch tight muscles and strengthen weak muscles to help relieve and prevent back neck and other joint pain. One can do simple exercises in a living room, bedroom, hotel room and even an office. They require no special clothing or equipment.
Stretch every day!
Millions rely on clinics, prescription medication and surgery for pain relief. But there is an alternative: Gentle stretching of all the large muscle groups of your body. Wherever you are you always have easy and immediate access to one of the most powerful prescriptions for physical pain: stretching. Stretching requires NO special equipment and takes very little time.
When we think of getting in shape we tend to think of strenuous aerobic activity: jogging, playing tennis or working out an elliptical machine. This type of exercise is important for cardiovascular health. But, there are three elements of physical fitness: flexibility, strength and cardiovascular health. Stretching can help you improve all three.
Flexibility – Muscles that are flexible are less prone to injury. Gentle stretching to a normal range of motion increases flexibility. There is no reason to stretch to extremes.
Strength – Many believe that heavy weight and hundreds of challenging exercises are the only way to gain strength. But an easier exercise routine that you can perform on your own regularly, meaning everyday, can do more to improve overall strength. Simple stretches, performed regularly, slowly and routinely build muscle tone and strength.
Cardiovascular health – One should stretch before and after aerobic exercise. Stretching reduces the risk of injury and readies the muscles to pump more blood and oxygen through your cardiovascular system.