How to actually stretch…

Finding a way to fall in love with the process.

Apparently just 10 minutes of stretching a day is enough to have you reaping the benefits of improved flexibility and posture, reducing your risk of injury, improving blood flow, and alleviating stress, so why has it always been the thing I've neglected?

Never have I ever stretched routinely as a "cool down", despite my committed relationship with the gym that began back in 2019. I don't know about you... but the thought of it is always an internal battle I have with myself that ends in me finding any excuse to skip it. If anything could call me out it's going to be this blog, Avaia to me is as much about self exploration and learning as it is about sharing with you my experiences.

The information out there suggests we should be stretching before and after physical activity as both prove beneficial in their own ways. Static stretching (a stretch held for around 30 seconds) earned its reputation for aiding recovery, ideally being performed straight after physical activity. Its main purposes being to promote blood flow to the area delivering oxygen and essential nutrients, aiding recovery and reducing soreness. It also enables your muscles to loosen and elongate promoting mobility and flexibility. However, the popular belief that we should stretch to reduce the lactic acid build up has become something of a myth with new research proving that lactic acid accumulates around the muscles during physical activity and contrary to popular belief, will actually disperse of its own accord within the bloodstream.

Dynamic Stretching on the other hand is to prepare the body before activity, to get the blood pumping and the muscles warmed up to avoid injury; classic stretches like hip openers or supermans aren't the only ways proven effective. A gentle walk, foam rolling or any kind of movement that takes your joints through a wide range of motion will be just as worthwhile.

With plenty of information about stretching around physical activity out there, I think it also needs to be considered just as important after periods of inactivity. With our more sedentary and stressful lifestyles we are holding more tension than ever in our body, so to break up long bouts of sitting with a some dynamic stretching not only offers relief from aches but can also provide a boost of energy , a chance to reconnect with our bodies and an opportunity to refocus.

Considering all of this I have spent the last month experimenting with a few different techniques in the hopes of becoming consistent with it both around my workouts and in my day to day lifestyle. The first being spending some time working through all the classic dynamic stretches out there with the intention of developing a little routine to do. Truthfully I felt awkward, nothing felt like it was meant for my body, so I had to rethink, and having enjoyed and seen the difference in myself from a daily practice of Yoga earlier this year I created a new hybrid stretch incorporating some of what I learnt that I've named the "Avaia" (bear with me here, and I'll try and walk you through it).

Start by standing with your legs shoulder width apart and push your arms out to the side, as they come out in front of you to keep you balanced, squat down slowly, right down to where your bum meets the back of your legs - basically the Yoga Squat, " The Malasana" - your arms then come in, your hands meeting one another in the prayer position and as you pull yourself up out of the squat your arms reach to the sky, keeping your feet firmly on the ground. Finally your arms trace an arch shape back down into the side position to repeat. Every movement is controlled and flows, one into the other. To give you an idea of rhythm I repeat 10 times, taking around 2 minutes. I feel the stretch, the release, and it gets all of the body moving in a gentle way. You can do it before any physical activity as well as whenever you feel you need a boost of energy after sitting for too long.

The recovery stretching needed more creative thinking, as being someone who's always had such a mental block on it I knew if I could figure out a way to keep it up daily, anyone could. So, having used yoga to develop my dynamic stretching routine I thought why not use it here too, after all Yoga is a deep form of stretching in itself. So being somewhat of a novice still... I brought myself a pack of 32 Yoga cards, (each one a different pose, with clear direction on how to practice it correctly) that I can simply pick at random, choosing 4/5 cards a day and spending 10 minutes practicing those positions whilst stretching my entire body.

A month in, I am finding my body feels looser, and way less strained. The "stretches" are becoming easier and I'm able to go a little further each time (progress over perfection always!). The main difference being that by approaching it differently I've been consistent with it, enjoying it, looking forward to it daily, in fact.

It's about finding ways of making wellbeing work for you, so it becomes a way of life.