By D. S. Mitchell

Stretching Benefits Young And Old

A regular stretching program will improve your blood flow and make your arteries healthier. Within a couple months of starting a stretching program you could lower your risk of heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, erectile dysfunction and more. If you stay loose and limber, your muscles respond better to stressors-expected and unexpected-that might otherwise result in injury.  Stretching is not a magic elixir, but if you stretch regularly you will, according to science, feel better and be healthier.

The Benefits Of Starting A Stretching Routine

1. Improved Flexibility: Essential to overall health. Improved flexibility allows adults, particularly seniors to perform everyday activities with ease and naturally delays reduced mobility issues, common with aging.
2. Improved Range Of Motion: The ability to move a joint through its full range gives freedom of movement. Essential for healthy aging.
3. Improved Performance In Physical Activities: Doing dynamic stretches prior to activities is proven to prepare your muscles for the exercise.  It may also improve your performance in the activity.
4. Increase Blood Flow To Muscles: Improves your circulation, increased blood flow to your muscles, which can shorten your recovery time and reduce muscle soreness or delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
5. Improved Posture: Poor posture is often the result of muscle imbalances. A combination of strengthening and stretching specific muscle groups can reduce musculoskeletal pain and encourage proper alignment, thus improved posture.
6. Helps Heal And Prevent Back Pain: Tight muscles can lead to a decrease in your ROM. When this happens you increase the likelihood of straining the muscles in your back. Stretching can help heal an existing back injury by stretching the injured muscles. A regular stretching routine can also prevent future back pain by strengthening your back muscles and reducing your risk of muscle strain.
7. Stress Relief: Stress leads to tense muscles. Muscles tighten up in response to physical and emotional stress. Focus on areas of your body where you tend to hold your stress, primarily the neck, shoulders, and upper back.
8. Calm The Mind: A regular stretching routine can calm the mind. While you stretch focus on mindfulness and meditation exercises. Give your mind a break.
9. Reduce Tension Headaches: Tension and stress headaches can interfere with activities of daily living. Stretching reduces the tension and anxiety you feel from headaches.

The best stretches are ones you can do whenever, wherever — including from the comfort of a couch or chair. If you are having trouble getting down on the floor and then back up again I’ve got 10  popular seated stretches to add some beneficial stretches into your daily routine; you’ll notice very quickly the improvement in both mobility and flexibility.   

Suggested Seated Stretches

I suggest you do each of the suggested stretches only once and see how your body responds. Once comfortable with a stretching move incorporate those chosen poses into your daily routine. If each stretch feels good, do each stretch in the order listed below for an effective full-body session.

Ear-to-Shoulder Stretch

How you do it: This simple movement will release neck and shoulder tension. Place your feet flat on the floor and sit up straight in a chair. Your arms are hanging at your sides with your shoulders down and relaxed. Without rotating your head, drop your head to the side. Go as far as you can without straining or lifting your shoulder. For the greatest muscle relaxation, breathe deeply throughout. To deepen the stretch you can use your hand to gently pull your head toward the shoulder. Hold for 15 seconds. Remember to take slow, deep breaths. Switch sides and repeat. Do two, each side, each with a 15 second hold time.

Chin-to-Chest Stretch

How you do it: Keep your feet flat on the floor and sit nice and tall in a chair. Interlock your fingers and place behind your head; then gently lower your chin toward your chest, keeping your hands on the back of your head. Hold the pose for 15 seconds, taking slow, deep breaths. Do four 1poses each with a 15-second hold. The key to the chin-to-chest move is being gentle. 

Shoulder Roll Stretch

Rounded Back Stretch

How you do it: Sit straight and tall in a chair with your feet resting flat on the floor. Lean slightly forward and place your hands on your knees with arms extended. The idea is to focus on not just rounding your upper back, but also involving your lower back by tucking your tailbone on the chair’s seat. Now push down on your knees to round your back, now bring your chin toward your chest, tuck your tailbone slightly, imagine your upper body forming the letter C. Take slow, deep breaths, hold for 15 seconds then release. Do four poses, holding each for 15 seconds.

Cross-Chest Stretch

How you do it: If you spend a lot of time hovering over a computer or a book this stretch should help release the tension through the shoulders and upper back.  Sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor. Cross one arm in front of your chest and place your opposite hand on the arm crossing your chest and brace it at the elbow to support. If it feels good, you can gently apply pressure to your arm to increase the stretch. Hold for 15 seconds, then switch sides and repeat. Do four holds per side. 

Overhead Triceps Stretch

How you do it: We carry tension throughout our bodies, one place that might surprise you is the back of our arms. The triceps stretch will relieve the pressure. Sit straight in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Raise one arm overhead and bend your elbow to lower your palm between your shoulder blades, as far as you comfortably can. Place your opposite hand on your raised elbow for support. If it feels good, gently press on your elbow to increase the stretch. Hold for 15 seconds, then switch sides and repeat. Do four on each side, hold for 15-second holds per side. Be sure not to let your lower back arch.

Behind-the-Back Stretch

Spinal Twist Stretch

How you do it: Our spines are meant to move in all directions. This simple twisting pose will improve spinal mobility and release hard to reach muscles in your back. Sit with back straight in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Place one hand on your opposite knee and the other on the seat behind you. Gently rotate your torso toward your hands. If it feels good, you can gently press on your knee to increase the twist. Hold for 15 seconds, taking slow, deep breaths, then switch sides and repeat. Do four times per side.

Figure 4 Stretch

How you do it: This stretch is good for people suffering from sciatica, it targets lower body tightness and subsequent back pain due to long periods of sitting. Sit tall and straight in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Cross one ankle over your opposite thigh, just above your knee. Gently press the knee of your raised leg down toward the floor, allowing your torso to lean forward slightly as you do. Hold pose for 15 seconds, then switch sides and repeat. Do four per side.

 Shin Stretch

How you do it:  If your shins are tight this simple movement can relieve the tension and ease shin splits and improve ankle mobility. Sit, back straight in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Slide one foot in until it’s in line with your hips — either bringing it underneath the seat of the chair or beside it. Point your toes and place the top of your foot on the floor. If it feels good, gently apply pressure to the top of your foot to increase the stretch. Hold for 15 seconds, then switch sides and repeat. Do four on each side.