What are the effects of stretching? Why is stretching good for your body?

People stretch a lot after waking up in the morning.  Or, you can warm up your body by stretching before starting a full-fledged workout.  They sometimes stretch while working at work, or they do it when I have time to do it.  But have you thought about the effects of stretching?  Does stretching work?  In fact, stretching is an exercise that reduces body tension and relaxes muscles or joints.  Light stretching can help wake up your body and mind.  Moreover, stretching has various health benefits beyond improving flexibility.  Let’s take a look at the typical effects of stretching.

What are the effects of stretching? Why is stretching good for your body?

Reference material

• March 29, 2024 Hidoc in Korea
• February 29, 2024 Korea’s Health Chosun
• February 14, 2024 Korea’s Dong-A Ilbo

 

Effects of stretching 1. Improved muscle flexibility

• Muscles become stiff when you remain static for a long time without moving your body.
• Stretching relaxes these muscles and increases flexibility (improves muscle flexibility).
• Helps improve balance and posture

Effects of Stretching 2. Reduced risk of death

• Stretching improves body balance and flexibility, reduces the risk of falls and fractures, and helps with recovery after injury.
• Stretching also promotes the body's metabolism and improves immune and circulatory functions.
• Stretching reduces the risk of death from all causes (Arizona State University research team analyzed 26,727 adults)
• When 34,379 adults were followed for about 12 years, those who stretched more than 5 times a week had a 20% lower risk of death than those who did not (Study at Korea University College of Health Sciences)

What are the effects of stretching? Why is stretching good for your body?

Effects of stretching 3. Promote blood circulation

• Helps relax muscles and allow blood to flow smoothly through the body
• Supply oxygen and nutrients evenly throughout the body
• Improves blood flow to deliver oxygen to the brain and peripheral nerves
• Helps promote metabolism and activate digestive and intestinal functions
• To promote blood circulation, it is recommended to stretch areas such as the neck, armpits, and groin.

 

Effects of stretching 4. Strengthening muscles

• Stretching affects the muscles and their connective tissues to increase strength.
• After muscles are stretched, protein is formed to strengthen muscles and promote growth.
• Static stretching combined with strength training helps muscle growth.

What are the effects of stretching? Why is stretching good for your body?

Effects of stretching 5. Blood vessel health

• Helps blood circulation and improves blood vessel function
• Stretching not only improves arterial function by increasing flexibility, but also stabilizes heart rate and blood pressure.
• Stretching reduces the risk of developing various cardiovascular diseases

Effects of stretching 6. Reduce stress

• When we stretch, our body secretes hormones such as serotonin and endorphins.
• The parasympathetic nervous system is activated to feel comfortable and reduce anxiety and stress.

What are the effects of stretching? Why is stretching good for your body?

Effects of Stretching 7. Prevent Injury

• When stretching, the area that feels the most stiff is the weakest point in the muscle.
• Prevent injury by making these areas flexible before starting a full-fledged movement.
• Improves balance and reduces risk of falling

In this post, we learned about the effects of stretching.  It seems to have more effects than expected.  And when stretching, it's a good ideal to stretch your entire body, but if that's not possible, you can start with the part of your body that has the most problems.  Please use stretching to take good care of your health.