Keeping muscles flexible and in good working condition is important for balance, especially as we age and become more at risk for falls. The Mayo Clinic article, Stretching: Focus on Flexibility examines the benefits of a good stretching routine. Stretching may help improve your performance in physical activities and may help you avoid injuries.They recommend routine stretching and to not consider it an afterthought. Stretching helps stimulate circulation and keep muscles flexible. One of their recommendations is to stretch when muscles are warmed up or after an exercise routine to avoid pulling a tight muscle.
A few tips to stretch correctly are: no bouncing, hold for 30- 60 seconds while breathing, don't stretch until you feel pain, and aim for the major muscle groups. If you participate in a sport then concentrate on stretching the muscles you use in that activity.
Heat will also help warm a muscle and improve blood circulation. A microwave heating pad may be just the
thing to use before a workout or stretching a tight muscle.
Maine Warmers' Knee Pack can be used on knees, elbows, and more. Back Warmers and Neck Wraps are also versatile and can be microwaved for heat or frozen for gentle cold.
