Tag: muscles

Stretching for a Loooong, Healthy Life

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Do you sit up in bed in the morning and raise your arms over your head for that first stretch of the day? It’s instinctual, and there’s actually a term for it: Pandiculation. Humans, along with all vertebrate animals, tend to automatically pandiculate when we wake up or when we’ve been stationary for a while. If you’ve ever seen a cat arch their back when they get up from a nap, you’ve witnessed the pandicular response. When we pandiculate, we’re contracting muscles that have been inactive. Pandiculation is an automatic response that prepares out bodies for movement.

So, in a way, we are wired to stretch.

We’ve all heard about stretching and how important it is. But do we know why? What is actually happening when we stretch?

Stretching causes our muscles to be lengthened. Yes, it’s that simple. Stretching is regulated by the “stretch reflex”. When a muscle is lengthened, it wants to contract again. Think of an elastic band, and how once you’ve pulled it tight, it’s working to go back to it’s original position. Stretching causes your stretch reflex to subside. Your muscle then begins to adapt to a new length without aggressively firing the contract reflex. So by gently, and consistently, stretching your muscles, you’re signaling to your body and your brain that this new lengthened version is “normal.” And this new normal allows you to move throughout larger ranges of motion for day to day life with reduced injury risk.

And there are numerous other benefits to a consistent stretching routine:

Improved Flexibility: Your muscles will have a full range of motion so you can continue doing all of the activities you need and love in your daily routine and it will be easier to incorporate new movements and activities into your life

Improved Balance: You will be at a lower risk of falls and able to perform more complex moves both when exercising, and in real life situations like trying to reach something on a high shelf, or being able to do that yoga pose without falling

Improved Mobility: You will continue to be able to function in the manner you want throughout your entire life, continuing with all your favorite activities

Independence: You won’t be reliant on canes, walkers, or other people as you age

Reduced pain: You’ll be able to move as you want, without feeling it in your back and joints. Strengthening muscles and joints can also reduce back and knee pain caused from arthritis

Preparation for more physical activities: You’ll be better prepared to take on a new activity like running, where a sprinter needs to be able to fully extend and rotate their hips in order to achieve maximum speed

Releases endorphins: Those feel-good hormones can act as a pain reliever and also cause feelings of euphoria

Improves circulation: Stretching helps with circulation by increasing blood flow to the stretched area, widening the blood vessels to allow more blood to flow through. The increase in blood flow means your muscles are getting more oxygen, and are getting rid of more waste products

Stress reduction: Stretching will lead to stimulation of your parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for rest and digestion, as well as inducing feelings of calmness and relaxation

Better posture: Muscle tightness and tension can negatively impact your posture by putting your spine into positions that can put stress on your back, neck, and core

Reduced risk of injury: Stretched muscles can help reduce injuries by improving blood flow, flexibility, and range of motion

The benefits of stretching are something you might not notice immediately, but over time you will be reaping all of the benefits as well as improving your quality of life in later years. Of course, the opposite is true. You might not be noticing any negative effects of NOT stretching–until its too late.

There are 2 different types of stretching, each accomplishing a different objective.

Static Stretching is when you hold a single position for a period of time. It requires moving a muscle as far as it can go but not so far as to be painful, holding the stretch for 20 to 45 seconds and if desired, repeating 2-3 times. No bouncing. Static stretching is best used as part of your cool-down routine following a weight or cardio workout, when your muscles are warm, to assist in reducing risk of injury and soreness. Use it also alone as a maintenance program to take advantage of all the benefits of stretching.

Dynamic stretching is a controlled movement that prepares your muscles for performance and safety. During a dynamic stretch your body is in continuous movement, as opposed to holding a single position. As with static stretches, you can limit dynamic stretches to the body parts you plan to work on that day. Dynamic stretches prepare your body for a workout by increasing blood flow to the specific muscles and preparing your body for the workout movements by going through a series of movements. Dynamic stretching has been shown to improve performance during your workout, and therefore is most effective when used after a warmup and before a scheduled workout. In some cases–such as jumping jacks–your dynamic stretch can do double duty as your warmup. Gently warming up your muscles in this way could also make your workout more effective. A typical dynamic stretching series focused on 2 or 3 muscle groups may last as little as 3-4 minutes.

Both types of stretching are most effective when muscles are warmed up, which improves mobility, blood flow, and reduces stiffness and risk of injury. And stretching can be done outside of a workout as well. It doesn’t require much time, or space, and needs no equipment. There are many stretches you can do while sitting at your desk or in front of the tv. Even standing in line or sitting in your car (but keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road!) And as with your regular workout, be conscious of your breathing so you aren’t holding your breath.

There are an unlimited number of stretches that you can do, but below are some common ones that you can try to get started. If you’re already on a schedule with a workout routine, I recommend incorporating muscle specific stretches before (dynamic) and after (static) your workouts. Then try adding in a full body static stretch workout on your rest days. If you’re not currently engaging in a regular cardio or strength routine, you should still be stretching, so choose some stretches from the list below to get started.

Static stretches: Hold each stretch for 30 seconds before switching sides, if applicable.

Neck stretch: This is a stretch you can do anywhere: Sitting, standing, even lying down. Simply tilt your head to the left, with your head still facing forward, until you feel a stretch. You can use your left hand to gently press your head to one side for a deeper stretch but no jerky movements and don’t press too hard. Keep your shoulders pressed down.

Chest Stretch: Stand up straight with your body aligned in a straight line. Interlock your fingers behind your back and gently pull open your chest, keeping your back straight and your shoulders down and squeezed toward each other. For a deeper stretch, you can gently pull your arms up behind you.

Shoulder Stretch: While standing or sitting, hold one arm straight out in front of you. Gently use the other arm to pull the arm across your body until you feel the stretch in your shoulder. Some people will hook the arm with their elbow (see illustration below).

Photo by Miriam Alonso on Pexels.com

Triceps Stretch: In a standing position, raise both arms up straight. Then bend your left arm with your hand reaching behind your head, until you feel a slight stretch in your triceps. Place your right hand on your left elbow and gently push the elbow to get a greater stretch.

Biceps Stretch: In a standing position, raise your left arm out in front of you with your palm facing up. Use your right hand to gently pull your fingers down until you feel the stretch in your biceps.

Side Stretch: Stand tall and place your hands on your hips. Bend at your waist to the left until you feel the stretch. Be sure to continue facing forward and not twist your hips. Alternately, you can stretch your right hand over your head toward the left for a deeper stretch.

Abdominal Stretch: Lay flat on the floor on your stomach. Placing your hands flat at your sides, push your upper body away from the floor until you feel the stretch in your abdominals.

Hip Flexor Stretch: Sit on the floor with your legs in front of you. Bend your left leg at a 90 degree angle and move your right leg behind you in a bent position. Gently lean forward until you feel the stretch.

Hamstrings Stretch: Sit on the floor with your legs together and straight out in front of you. Gently lean forward until you feel the stretch in your hamstrings. If you can, you can hold place your hands under your knees or shins, or when you’re more flexible, hold onto your feet.

Quadriceps Stretch: Lie on the floor on your left side. Bend your right leg back so your foot is moving toward your bum. Reach back with your right hand and grasp your leg at the ankle or shin. Gently pull the foot toward your bum.

Calf Stretch: Stand facing a wall with your palms against the wall and your feet about 6 inches away from the wall. Step your left foot back, keeping your heel on the floor, so your left foot is straight and you right leg is bent, feeling the stretch in your left calf.

Dynamic Stretches:

Arm Circles (Works shoulders, neck, and upper back, and even a little chest, biceps and triceps): Stand straight and bring each arm straight out to the side. Rotate each arm in slow circles toward the front for 20 rotations and then reverse and rotate toward the back for 20 rotations.

Leg swings (works glutes, hip flexors, and hamstrings): Stand straight. Gently swing your left leg forward and backward for 20 repetitions. The swing the leg from side to side for another 20 repetitions.

Jumping Jacks (works shoulders, inner and outer thighs, calves and glutes): Stand straight with arms at sides. Simultaneously move your arms up and toward you head while jumping your legs apart, to form an “X.” Repeat 20 times.

Inchworm (works hamstrings, core, shoulders and chest): Stand straight with feet hip width apart and arms at sides. Slowly bend over and touch hands to floor, keeping legs as straight as possible. Walk hands forward until you reach a plank position. Reverse to starting. Repeat 20 times.

Muscle and Your Bones

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We continue to learn more and more about how our bodies work and what is good, and not good, for them. Sometimes you hear conflicting information. Low carbs, low fat, vegan, cardio, no cardio, vitamin supplements or not; it might be hard to know what is best.

One thing you will find that does not seem to be in question is this: Muscle is good. I’m not talking about the type of muscle that you see in body-building competitions. Like most things, too much of a good thing is probably not good. But experts agree: Building and maintaining muscle in your body is beneficial for many reasons. One of these reasons is that muscle helps support your bones.

I think we all know the importance of both muscles and bones. Our 206 bones support us and keep us moving. Stop and think about simple daily movements like walking, jumping, or even standing and sitting. None of these actions would be possible without a strong skeletal system. Our bones also protect our vital organs like our brain, heart and lungs. They help with our balance, and posture, improving appearance. Our bones even store minerals like calcium and phosphorous, releasing them into the body when needed for other uses.

One other role of our bones, is to anchor our muscles, which are equally as important in keeping us functioning physically. Our muscle is attached to our bones with tendons, and together our muscles and bones are keeping us in motion all day long. We have about 640 muscles in our bodies. Involuntary muscles like the heart are working hard without us even having to think about it. Our voluntary muscles like our biceps and hamstrings move when we instruct them to. Muscles make up almost half of what we weigh, and are about 75% water. Moving a muscle involves pulling it (contracting) and relaxing it.

Our muscles and bones are deeply connected, and one could not function without the other. One of the great things about this partnership, is that when you are working your muscles with exercise, you are also strengthening your bones. When you work out, your muscles get bigger and stronger. The same happens to your bones. Stronger muscles pull harder on the bones and the harder they pull, the stronger your bones get. This is one more function that our bodies take care of for us, without us having to think about it. And its very important that our bones and muscles have this type of balanced relationship. A weak muscle would not be able to move a strong bone, and a weak bone would be snapped by a much stronger muscle.

The biggest risk with weak bones is osteoporosis. Osteoporosis causes further thinning and weakening of bones and is a very significant risk as we get older. It is thought that bone strength peaks at age 30 and then begins to decline. Men and women over 35 have a 1% bone loss each year. And for women, that number jumps to 2-3% in the years immediately following menopause. Osteoporosis makes us more susceptible to fractures, especially in the hips, spine and wrists. An estimated 8 million women and 2 million men in the US suffer from osteoporosis. For them, a break in a hip can lead to lifelong problems with walking and loss of independence. In addition to osteoporosis, weak bones can cause back pain, a stooped posture, and loss of height over time.

Ideally, you would build up muscle mass at a young age so that by the time your mass “peaks”–around age 30–you have a higher level before starting your decline. But its never too late. In addtion to weight bearing exercise, the following can affect bone health:

  • Calcium: recommended daily dose is: 1000 milligrams per day (1200 for older individuals); best sources are: dairy products, yogurt, orange juice, almonds, broccoli, canned salmon and tofu
  • Vitamin D: your body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium; recommended daily dose is 600 International units a day; best sources are: oily fish, mushrooms, eggs and fortified foods like milk and cereals; sunlight exposure also contributes to your body’s production of vitamin D
  • Physical activity: Any kind is beneficial, but weight bearing in particular
  • Alcohol and tobacco: avoiding these are best
  • Size: smaller, thinner individuals have less body mass
  • Hormone levels: too much thyroid hormone can cause bone loss
  • Some medications: long term use of corticosteroid medications (prednisone and others) can cause damage to bones

So how can we know if our bones are strong and healthy? Doctors can test bone strength with a test known as bone density. The denser your bones are, the stronger they are. The most common bone density test is DXA–Dual energy xray absorptiometry. During a DXA, a machine will emit xrays. Bones will absorb different amounts of xrays depending on the density of the bones.

Other types of bone density tests include Quantitative CT, which uses a CT scanner, and Quantitative ultrasound. The results of a bone density test are reflected in what is called a T score, which compares your bone density to the average of the same sex. Therefore a T score of -1 for a male would mean that the patient has a bone density that is 1 unit less than that of the average young male. A T score of -2.5 or under generally indicates osteoporosis. The test itself is relatively simple and painless. It requires no fasting or undressing, and no climbing into scary equipment or machines. The only adjustment is to remove any metal piercings or accessories, as these can interfere with xray radiation. The areas most frequently targeted for testing include the spine, hip and forearm. In most cases you are lying down while a padded platform passes over your body. The radiation levels are low and the test only takes about 10 minutes.

Bone density tests are recommended for women over age 65 and men over 70. Other factors that might necessitate a bone density test include: A broken bone in someone over 50, a broken spine, a loss of height, or a previous xray showing bone loss.

It’s never too early to or too late, to have an effect on your bone health. Start by adding some weight bearing exercise to your weekly routine, and be sure to include calcium and vitamin D rich foods in your diet. Building up strong bones will ensure that you are able to enjoy your favorite physical activities long into your later years.