Tip of the day for the rest of your days...

I guess this tip is sort of a part 2 from my last one regarding stretching. 

So how does one stretch properly without hurting themselves but also benefit from it as well?

It's easy. 

First, do a little warm up to get the blood flowing through your muscles, tendons and ligaments. Never stretch your muscles cold. You'll just end up hurting yourself. 

Second, do NOT bounce your stretches. What I mean by bounce is the action you do when you're trying to stretch beyond your limit by pulling back slightly and pushing forward into the stretch repeatedly. This will cause little micro-tears in the muscles and once again you'll just end up hurting yourself.

Third, when you stretch you want to push yourself to your limit and maybe even just beyond. In order to do this there are two simple tips:

1. When you've reached your limit and you want to stretch beyond your limit, relax the muscles slightly you are trying to stretch (staying in your stretched position) and then continue stretching. It's natural for the body to tense up when it feels a bit of pain, so that's why relaxing is key here. 

2. How do you relax? While you're stretching, inhale down into your diaphragm (very important) and as you stretch beyond your limits, exhale. This will aid in the relaxation and loosening of your muscles.

Voila! Easy as low fat, low sugar pie. You'll be hitting up the rhythmic dance floor in no time!

Ps. Keep it real. Flexibility is vital for maintaining a healthy body, but take your time with it. It's not worth overstretching and hurting yourself.