Age should not be an excuse that prevents us from living a fit and active lifestyle; instead it should be our motivation! As we age we just need to take more precautions in how we proceed, such taking more time to prepare for activity, be patient and careful.

Poor flexibility limits your range of motion and can be a major contributing factor to muscle and joint pain. In extreme cases making it difficult to bend down or look over your shoulder.

Flexibility is the range of movement, or motion around your joints. Stretching is the process of lengthening the muscles and their associated soft tissues.

Stretching is a simple and effective way to enhance athletic performance, decrease the likelihood of injury and minimize muscle soreness. By increasing our range of motion we can increase the distance our limbs can move before damage occurs.

There are many different ways to stretch; but there are basically two types; static or dynamic. Static stretches are performed without movement. Dynamic refers to stretching exercise performed with movement.

It is important to stretch safely, if performed incorrectly stretching can be extremely dangerous and harmful. Always warm up prior to stretching. Trying to stretch muscles that have not been warmed, is like trying to stretch old, rubber bands, they may snap. Warming up the body prepares the body for more strenuous movement. A good warm-up should consist of light activity such as walking or jogging.

It is also important to stretch both before and after exercises. Stretching before exercise helps prevent injury and prepares the body for more strenuous activity. Stretching after exercise aids in muscle recovery and repair.

The Arena District Athletic Club offers the convenience of the “Stretch Mate”. This stretching assist sits by the treadmills and provides detail instructions on a full body stretching routine. For more information on how to stretch properly contact one ADAC’s certified personal trainers or visit www.thestretchinginstitute.com