Remember to breathe
You may think that I am silly for telling you to breathe, but trust me; during a stretch (especially a hard one) you focus so hard that you forget to breathe and you tend to hold your breath instead. The only way to stretch a muscle fully is to relax and practice slow, rhythmic breathing. To simplify things, try to remember to exhale so your body automatically inhales. Don’t make it any more complicated than that for right now.
Know your limits
Stretching can help you understand both your possibilities and your limits. Stretching is supposed to be energizing and relaxing, not painful. Never do anything that hurts! You may not believe it right now, but flexibility training should not be painful. In fact, if you feel pain of any kind, let up on the stretch immediately.
Not everyone is able to do the perfect splits, and you don’t need to. Stretching isn’t a competition; it’s about determining your current level of flexibility, whatever that may be, and improving on that foundation. Different people begin with different foundations. What matters most is that you’re able to make yourself more flexible than you were. This increased flexibility can help improve your performance in your favorite sports and activities, and, by making movement more fluid, easy, and graceful, help enhance the overall quality of your life.
You may think that I am silly for telling you to breathe, but trust me; during a stretch (especially a hard one) you focus so hard that you forget to breathe and you tend to hold your breath instead. The only way to stretch a muscle fully is to relax and practice slow, rhythmic breathing. To simplify things, try to remember to exhale so your body automatically inhales. Don’t make it any more complicated than that for right now.
Know your limits
Stretching can help you understand both your possibilities and your limits. Stretching is supposed to be energizing and relaxing, not painful. Never do anything that hurts! You may not believe it right now, but flexibility training should not be painful. In fact, if you feel pain of any kind, let up on the stretch immediately.
Not everyone is able to do the perfect splits, and you don’t need to. Stretching isn’t a competition; it’s about determining your current level of flexibility, whatever that may be, and improving on that foundation. Different people begin with different foundations. What matters most is that you’re able to make yourself more flexible than you were. This increased flexibility can help improve your performance in your favorite sports and activities, and, by making movement more fluid, easy, and graceful, help enhance the overall quality of your life.
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