You know that one stretch you totally hate? The one that makes you constantly find excuses to avoid it and do something else? A lot of people hate stretching even if they do it, but there is always that one stretch you avoid like the plague and it can really hold you back if you don’t learn to suck it up and deal with it.“Suck it up and deal with it” probably doesn’t sound like the friendly advice you would hope for or the magic workaround you may have been wishing to read about but it really is the best advice when it comes to stretching.
Stretching is uncomfortable, time consuming, embarrassing for some people and worst of all; absolutely necessary. If you do any kind of martial arts or play any sort of sport the benefits to the activity of your choice are obvious, but any training you do that builds muscle mass or density is going to put strain on your tendons and ligaments and stretching is an excellent way to help them (as well as your muscles) stay healthy and functional. Additionally, stretching can make your daily life better by improving blood flow, and relieving stress by relaxing joints and large muscle groups.
Why is it so important to not skip that one particular stretch you can’t stand? More than likely it’s an important muscle group you are neglecting. Very few people hate to stretch their pinky fingers or do trunk twists but a lot of people hate to do toe touches or keep their shoulders limber and having these groups tight can lead to serious injuries. This happens because we often overlook how connected our body is. Your focus may be on what your arms are doing but there is probably stress on other joints and muscle groups like the lower back or hamstrings.
The moral of the story is; take that stretch you hate and learn to love it. Work it slowly, add it into your stretching routine and don’t worry how slow the progress is because ANY progress is still progress. Oh, and no bounce stretching or forcing it too hard. That’s cheating, and a great way to injure yourself.
And if you’re wondering the thing I hate stretching is my lower back. But I do it anyway. ^_^
Not sure how to stretch? Here is a good start: Yoga Illustrations.
