The health benefits of stretching
Expert says stretching can make you look and feel better
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The health benefits of stretching Video by fox4now.com
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WFTX - Our body is made up of over hundreds of muscles.
As we age these muscles - and ligaments and tendons - can become tight.
In order to prevent injury, experts say it's good to stretch them out.
"Stretching is important to not only improve your athleticism and your daily well-being, but it's also giving you the opportunity empowerment and freedom of movement," says Craig Ramsay, author of the book Anatomy of Stretching.
He says stretching muscles daily can improve your flexibility and coordination, help you focus, cut out stress, and helps people deal with certain conditions such as arthritis and fibromyalgia.
Stretching can even help you look younger.
"When we contract a muscle and stretch the muscle, it gets stronger, and when we make a muscle stronger, it gets tighter," says Ramsay who notes that applies to sagging facial muscles too.
Ramsay says the best way to stay limber is to do a routine of stretching every day.
But he warns that you need to make sure you're stretching correctly otherwise you can cause yourself some damage.
So it's important to look for a good stretching guide or talk to a professional trainer who can help you develop a routine of correct stretching moves.
'One of the purposes of having a stretching program, is to identify the unevenness and tightness in the body, that could be holding back your fitness program, even your whole life," he says.
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