The importance of stretching

IRECEIVED so many messages last week after I announced through this awesome local paper about the great news about my family expecting another child.

Honestly, it means the world to me whenever I receive messages about my column, support for something I have mentioned and requests for training. Please do keep them coming, the more people that this column reaches the better OK?

On another note regarding our arrival this year, roll on a few weeks’ time when we will be finding out the gender of our baby. Will it be another girl or maybe a first boy? I’ll keep you updated.

Last week we talked about getting out of your comfort zone and doing something amazing with your life. If you can remember I asked you several questions to get that part of the brain that thrives on creativity activated. The questions were:

What do you want to achieve in your life?

What do you want in your life that you do not currently have?

What needs to happen to make that one thing happen?

What small step could you take today to move you towards achieving that goal we set above?

So, on that note, what small step did you take last week in the direction of your goal? It really doesn’t matter the size of the step really but what does matter is that you take it.

Action always beats doing nothing.

A famous quote is: “Do not be afraid of moving slowly but do be afraid of standing still.”

I encourage you to embrace this quote and say the words every day to help instil them in your psyche.

This week I would like to talk to you about stretching. I wasn’t actually going to talk to you about this today but after a few messages privately and also a few of my own clients mentioning it, I thought It would be worth delving into.

First of all, stretching should be done by everyone and without a doubt after you conduct some exercise, but I would go one step further. I would do it most days. I have always enjoyed training and if I am being completely honest, stretching was never a priority.

Yes, we always stretched after football matches, yes, we always stretched after troop runs in the military, yes, I always stretched after taking the boot campers out on a run but I always kind of cuffed it when it came to my own solitary stretching after training myself.

Now the way I look at it, I started training in my teens around age 15. I am now 35 and have religiously trained to some degree three or four times per week for 20 years. That’s 20 years of non-specific stretching which is quite scary.

I conduct mobility work which is different and I have always done this most days but stretching was never a priority. After getting a massage last year and having a few chats with another professional I now stretch five or six days per week for around six or seven minutes every day and you know what?

I feel great.

I feel looser, I feel fresher, I feel less stiff day to day and overall my energy levels feel great. Now all these things could be caused by other factors too which I am not denying but I have to say that stretching now for those six or seven minutes conducting a specific routine has been a game changer for me.

Now, all my clients have seen how I stretch and many of them are conducting similar routines but let’s very briefly show you what I do as my own routine and maybe you could copy it?

I normally shake my body a little bit to make sure it’s warm, carry out a minute’s worth of quick mobility exercises and then I systematically work through my stretches.

I find it easier to have an interval timer beeping at 30 second intervals which after getting into the stretched position gives me around 25 seconds stretching per muscle which is great. I guarantee when you start doing this that 2530 seconds will seem so much more than you are used to, let’s see.

The order in which I carry out the stretches is as follows – Right hamstring, left hamstring, right glute, left glute, right quad, left quad, back, abdominals, right hip flexor, left hip flexor, right calf, left calf, chest, right forearm, left forearm and then at the end I will do anything else I feel needs stretching such as my upper back possibly.This whole routine takes around seven minutes and when done consistently the rewards are massive.

I have posted a video on my Facebook page showing this routine, but I will post it again on today’s date Thursday so that you can see it which should help you out a lot.

Remember, search for THE FUNDAMENTAL COACH and you will find my page. Scroll down the posts and I am sure you will see the video of the stretch routine described above. It will be titled “Stretches for the readers of The Wokingham Paper”.

So, more content and more information to help you be the best that you can possibly be.

Next week I will be talking about a daily exercise and state of mind primer which most of my clients benefit from as I share it will all of them.

Until then, have a great week, have a fantastic Thursday and keep being the best version of YOU.