Stretching And Weight Loss

Cecelia Tiemann, D.C.

If you are trying to lose weight, stretching should be part of the process. There is nothing like getting started with weight loss exercises and feeling that dull ache running through your body or feeling sluggish. If you are even slightly overweight, exercising is hard work and it is quite taxing on your body as well as your mind. One way that you can improve the way that exercise affects your body is to stretch before and after each of the workouts that you do. While stretching itself won’t allow you to actually lose weight, it prepares your body for all that is to come later. That’s what you need to take into consideration. Stretch before you get started with your workout. Work on stretching each of your muscle groups and taking all of your joints from the head down through the range of motion, if possible. Relax as you do this and allow for your body to really feel the stretching happening. When this happens, you will fully awaken your body so that it can experience the full benefit of the workout that is to come. In addition, you’ll be able to provide your body with the best protection from injury later on. Once you have safely, slowly and actively stretched each muscle in your body, you can begin your workout. After you have completed your workout, it is time to begin stretching again. Why should you stretch now? The stretching that you do before you workout allows your body to be prepared and to avoid injury. The stretching that you will be doing now helps your body to begin to repair the muscles and also helps you to be less sore tomorrow (lactic acid which can cause soreness is dispersed). By stretching now, you allow your body to cool down and to come to terms what the routine that you just did, already starting to heal. Stretching in this manner allows you to feel good before, during and after your workout. Not only do you get more from that workout because you did the stretching, but you also keep yourself from being hurt along the way. This optimizes your workout and leaves you encouraged and motivated to continue working out in the days ahead. Its a good thing since this will also optimize your weight loss program. Its a great vicious cycle, for once, the more you optimize your workout, the more weight loss you will experience, not to mention the emotional and psychological rewards! Visit our exercise DVD store at myfitness24-7.com and choose some of the fun exercise and stretching programs. You might as well have fun in the process of exercising and losing weight.