Balance/Flexibility
Regular stretching and balance training helps us maintain or regain better balance and coordination, and makes us less prone to injuries from falls. It also increases the flexibility of our muscles, which can improve our daily performance in everything – even tasks such as lifting, bending, or running to catch a bus. By stretching, we help keep our muscles from getting tight, which tends to improve posture and minimize aches and pains.
Balance is essentially the body's ability to right itself. Our ability to remain stable on our feet involves proprioception, a mechanism that sends messages from the brain to the body and back, letting us know how to react and with how much tension in each muscle group. In general, this is an automatic system, but exercise and training can enhance it.
Stretching reduces stress, decreases muscle soreness and increases performance, as well as helps us to relax during and after a workout. Not all studies have confirmed that stretching exercises prevent injury, but many do show benefits for specific muscle groups (e.g., the hamstrings behind the thighs and the triceps muscles at the back of the arms). Often stretching is done as a warm-up to increase blood flow prior to a workout, and as a cool-down after a cardiovascular or strengthening session to increase flexibility while the muscles and tendons are still warm.
