Natasha has been in the fitness industry for two decades and understands the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. It’s through this commitment to fitness and living a healthy lifestyle that she expresses her passion and gets her clients to reach their full potential. She enjoys training clients of all fitness levels. She especially enjoys working with women to help them overcome the many barriers they face in their pursuit of fitness. Her certifications include Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 1 from the C.H.E.K.Institute, National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and American Council on Exercise (ACE) Personal Trainer certifications.

When I first meet with a client I ask not only about what they are doing with weights and cardio, but also flexibility training. The response I usually get is “I know I need to stretch, but don’t have time.” Stretching shouldn’t take the place of aerobic and strength training but can be used to supplement them. As we age our muscles tighten and range of motion is decreased. What was once an easy reach is now a real stretch. A regular stretching program can lengthen tight muscles and make the daily tasks we perform easier. Stretching reduces tension, enhances muscular coordination, and due to increased circulation, increases energy levels. And how many of us wouldn’t want more energy?

According to excise physiologist Michael Bracko, a spokesperson for American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM):

Stretching not only keeps us more flexible, improves posture, possibly avoid some injuries as well as other aches and pains. Most of us sit at a desk all day, which takes a toll on our bodies. By including a flexibility program in your workout you could be warding off possible problems later.

How often should you stretch? Stretching all major muscles a couple of times a week is recommended. But if time is the issue, pick one muscle group to focus on per workout. You should obviously put the focus on the muscle groups that are chronically tight first. For a complete list on reasons you should stretch and to learn about how to fit your stretching in on a compressed schedule, check out ACE’s (American Council on Exercise) Flexible Benefits article.

A stretch should not be painful. If it feels like its be forced too far, it likely is. As the strength portion of a workout ends, I usual transition clients to a flexibility portion. Most clients look forward to this portion of the workout more than any other part. If you start to regularly include some stretching into your workouts, you may start to feel the same way!

Flexibility of muscles allows joints to move through their required range of motion (ROM). When a muscle is tight, it restricts movement of a joint. This can lead to an injury and/or pain. Injury can happen when an activity is performed that pushes the joint beyond its limited ROM. Chronic pain can develop as the joint is overused in certain motions and underused in others. Repetitive movement can lead to trigger points in soft tissues, which can also lead to pain.

In order for you to get the most from a stretching program, it needs to target the specific muscles that are tight. If you do a generic stretching program, you’ll end up more flexible, but still out of balance in your musculosketetal system. To know which muscles are tight, you need to have your flexibility assessed. People come to me who have pain and are stretching a muscle because it “feels” tight. After I assess them, we learn that the muscle they are stretching feels tight because another muscle on the opposite side of the joint is the real culprit that is tight. The muscle they feel is tight is under stretch-tension because the joint is being pulled in a direction that lengthens that muscle. By stretching this muscle, they actual make the situation worse.

Having a flexible and balanced body will allow you to move freely, workout harder, and enjoy more of a pain-free life. So I suggest you “stretch” your mind around adding some flexibility work to your exercise program.