Stretching should be just as important as strength and cardiovascular exercise. Flexibility and balance are essential components of fitness and can have a positive impact on your overall activity level.

Stretching doesn’t have to be only before or after a workout. You can stretch when you arise in the morning, before you go to bed at night, and throughout the day when you take breaks. You can choose which parts of the body you want to stretch and put yourself on a rotating schedule, or even intersperse different stretches throughout the day. Spend a couple of minutes on one or two muscles groups and repeat it two or three times a week, or daily.

Consistency is key to making progress, so make stretching a habit. The more consistent you are at adding stretching to your daily routine, the more you’ll notice the difference. The effects of stretching are cumulative, but over time, you are sure to notice being more limber.

In day-to-day living, it’s easy to take for granted the little actions that can make life pleasant or arduous. For example, sitting all day results in tight hamstrings in the back of the thigh. This tightness can make it difficult to extend your legs or straighten your knees. Another example is when tight muscles are suddenly called upon to perform a motion that stretches them—such as playing tennis—they can be hurt from the sudden stretching. One thing leads to another, and injured muscles may not be strong enough to support the joints, which then can result in a joint injury.

In addition to being a great way to prevent injuries, here are some reasons to include stretching as part of your fitness routine:

•          Mobility, flexibility and agility: Mobility decreases over time. Look at how a baby seems to made of pliable rubber, bending in every direction with ease. By the time that baby is a teenager, flexibility decreases. If you don’t stretch, the natural process of aging can be unking as you become stiffer and less mobile. Regular stretching can help you stay mobile, flexible and agile.

•          Health joints: Joints determine your range of motion. Stretching helps keep joints functioning optimally to provide freedom of motion.

•          Warm muscles: As mentioned above, when muscles are tight and suddenly asked to perform a motion that requires a stretch, it can hurt. Warm muscles, on the other hand, allow for better transitions from no activity to a high activity level. That’s why professional athletes incorporate stretching as a warmup preceding their workouts and again, as a way to cool down from intense activities. Stretching is a safe and gentle way to gear up for your workout and to cool down from them.

•          Increased blood flow: Poor circulation is often the cause of cold hands and feet. It’s also the culprit sometimes for tight, inflexible muscles. Stretching helps increase blood flow throughout the body, and even helps the nutrients you take in, to do their job in powering recovery and regeneration.

•          Good posture: Tight muscles can cause an imbalance in your fait and poor posture. Regular stretching helps strengthen muscles and spine to help maintain an erect posture, which in turn helps your skeletal structure stay young and resilient.

•          Faster recovery: If you’re already injured or feeling strained, stretching can be crucial to recovery. Because it works to strengthen the core and back muscles, stretching may reduce the risk of strain to both muscles and joints.

•          Stress release: Is your neck and shoulder sore? Tightness in the neck, should and back are signs that your body is holding onto stress. Stretching those areas consistently can help release stress and when done daily, can actually prevent achiness.

As the Summer Challenge continues with Nikken now through August 31, 2023, you may want to add stretching to your daily regimens!