The Importance of Listening to Your Body: When You Stretch

Many of us learned how to stretch in elementary and middle school PE class, and we learned it all wrong! When you’re stretching, remember: never bounce. Think of your muscles as elastic bands: If you pull and bounce the elastic bands, they’ll snap. So will your muscles. And believe me, a ripped muscle is not a pretty experience. I recommend that you spend 5-10 minutes doing some cardiovascular activity before you stretch. This way, your muscles are warmed up and you can usually make greater progress with warm muscles than with cold ones.

As you stretch, pay particular attention to the breath. Continue to inhale and exhale deeply. While doing this, you should be able to slowly deepen your stretch with each breath. Make sure you don’t hold your breath—this will make your progress more difficult.

One of the best places to stretch is in bed. You can do this in the evening before you fall asleep and it provides a very relaxing way to end your day. I also make a practice to stretch a little in the shower every morning.