Patriot Health Digest
Far too many men—even those who workout a lot—see stretching as an annoying chore that they don’t have to do. They will also skip it after exercise for no other reason than they don’t have the time to actually do it.
Well, Science shows that stretching is not actually stretching—you’re not even really “stretching” your muscles. The true reason for stretching is to lengthen the tissue surrounding your muscle, which does wonders for your muscles and joints. Stretching also helps your blood flow, lowers your risk of injury, and even relieves your stress.
Stretching is vital after a workout. Always take a few minutes to stretch after your workout. If you don’t, it does not do you any favors. Want details? Then read on to see what happens when you don’t stretch after a workout.
1 — You Might Get Sick
When you raise your heart rate, it is just as important to get your heart rate back to a normal pace after the workout is done. What is known as “cooling down.”
After exercising, your heart is going faster than normal, your blood vessels are dilated and your temperature is higher. This means if you stop too suddenly, you might pass out or get sick.
A cool-down allows a slow decrease to prevent this from happening. And stretching provides a built-in way to guarantee you get this cool down.
2 — Your Muscles Will Get Sore And Stiff
When you exercise, your muscles get an inflammatory response thanks to lactic acid, which is why your muscles get sore. When you recover, your body breaks down this lactic acid and removes it. One thing that aids your body is disposing that lactic acid? You guessed it: Stretching.
Stretching helps your body to move oxygen throughout your muscles and tissues, which can lower lactic acid production and lower your muscles of any built up lactic acid.
3 — You’ll Be at Risk of Injury Next Time
Having bad flexibility is not good for your body. According to experts, inflexibility can cause you to have muscles that get tired quickly and joints that are more like to be injured, it will cause abnormal stress on structures that are distant from the area of inflexibility (for example tendonitis in your knee can be the result of tightness in your calf). It can also weaken your range of motion and cause less blood and nutrients to be in your joints.
Author: Scott Dowdy
