Smart Woman: Stretching Benefits
By: Maxine Ridling
Updated: October 2, 2012
Craig Ramsay is a ballet dancer, fitness guru and author of "Anatomy of Stretching." He says stretching muscles daily can improve your flexibility and coordination, help you focus, cut out stress, and helps people deal with certain conditions such as arthritis and fibromyalgia, Stretching can even help you look younger.
"When we contract a muscle and stretch the muscle, it gets stronger, and when we make a muscle stronger, it gets tighter," Ramsay explains.
Ramsay says the best way to stay limber is to do a routine of stretching every day. But he warns that you need to make sure you're stretching correctly otherwise you can cause yourself some damage. So it's important to look for a good stretching guide or talk to a professional trainer who can help you develop a routine of correct stretching moves.
"One of the purposes of having a stretching program, is to identify the unevenness and tightness in the body, that could be holding back your fitness program,...Even your whole life."







