DailyOM: What are the overall benefits of stretching, and is it more or less important at different stages of our life?
Sarah: Stretching is important at all stages of your life, not just as you age. The sooner you make it a part of your lifestyle, the longer you will stay flexible and limber, which will help you move easier and alleviate tightness as you get older. That said, it is never too late to start stretching! You can start now and feel the benefits in your overall well-being. By stretching regularly, you can increase your flexibility, strength, and range of motion while giving your body an overall peaceful feeling.
Stretching improves your posture by lifting your alignment and opens your body to increased energy levels by helping your circulation and blood flow. It also helps injury prevention, muscle condition, and improves exercise performance. But my favorite benefit is the way it calms my thoughts by forcing me to focus on the positions. When stretching, I like to incorporate deep-breathing techniques to increase my body awareness and help ease me into the movements. Proper breathing techniques help release tension and allow you to concentrate on the tissues being stretched.
DailyOM: When should we stretch our bodies?
Sarah: Always! Before and after exercise may be more intuitive, but it's important all on its own. I like to stretch when my body is warm as it allows my muscles to flex deeper. Stretching before a workout helps get you prepared for your exercise program so you get the full potential from your workout, and doing it post-workout helps your body cool down and is important for preventing injury. Simple functional-based stretching exercises awaken your body and alleviate stiffness, while deeper, static stretches provide TLC to your body by lowering your heart rate and relaxing your mind. Even when you are not working out, I encourage stretching to keep your body flexible.
I highly suggest adding simple stretching exercises into your daily routine to help your body wake up in the morning and relax before you go to sleep. A morning practice awakens your ligaments and prepares your body to get moving, while a gentle evening practice before bed helps calm you down and focus on your body, rather than everyday stressors. Just a few minutes will help to develop your mobility and set you up for the day (or night) ahead.
DailyOM: How do we end up with tight hips and hamstrings in the first place?
Sarah: The cause of tight muscles varies: it could be from overuse or underuse. One common reason for tight hips is sitting for long periods of time. We sit at our desks at work, in our cars on our commutes, and on our sofa to relax. Our bodies were not made to spend this much time sitting, and over time this sedentary lifestyle can cause our hip flexors to become shorter and tighter, especially if we don't stretch and move regularly.
Tight hip flexors make it harder for our glutes to activate. Underutilizing your glutes may mean your pelvis is tilted, stretching out the back of your hamstrings and leading them to become overstretched, which means you may just need to strengthen them. This course does both, stretches and strengthens your hips and hamstrings. We stretch to strengthen the weak ligaments and loosen the tight muscles, so we can create balance on the front and back of our bodies.
DailyOM: What types of movements will we learn in your course?
Sarah:This course is designed for absolutely everyone. Each day I guide you through a 15-minute stretch routine, nice and slowly. We begin with basic movements for your hips and hamstrings so you become familiar with how they feel, then we work through the progression to increase your flexibility. The exercises are slow and controlled, and we use breathwork to release stress and relax deeper into the positions.
If you are new to stretching or if you have injuries or extreme tightness, the movements are great to ease you into the new practice. If you are someone who is more experienced and/or has more flexibility, I take a deeper approach and guide you to hold the position, allowing the body to develop further into the movement. I always say listen to what your body is telling you. There may be days when you feel on the tighter side (perhaps from a bad night of sleep, etc.), so pay attention to how your body responds and allow yourself to move naturally. It is important to not overextend or force a stretch; you want to ease into it and feel good while doing so.
DailyOM: Back problems can be alleviated when you stretch your legs, why is this?
Sarah: Our bodies are very interconnected. If our hips are tight, it is likely that our lower back will feel pain as well. Tight hamstrings may cause the hips and pelvis to tilt, leading to lower back pain. Stretching exercises may alleviate these pains, but be sure to always move into the positions slowly, especially if you are suffering from injuries. It is very important to be mindful of the position and notice what is stiffness in your body and what is discomfort.
Your hamstring muscles are located from the back of your knee to your pelvis and play an important part in your overall posture. Tight hips and hamstrings can pull on your back muscles, affecting tightness all the way to your neck. Regularly stretching and strengthening your legs will help improve your overall comfort, health, and well-being. A happy body is one that you can breathe into and release all of your tightness!
DailyOM: Thank you, Sarah. If you would like to learn more about Unhinge Your Hips and Hamstrings, just click the link! Until next time, be well.
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