3 Reasons To Make Stretching A Part Of Your Workout

Most people know that stretching is a great way to warm up muscles and get in the right headspace for a workout, but did you know that they offer a huge array of benefits to your health and happiness on their own? Stretching is so valuable that many modalities of exercise and fitness such as tai-chi, qi gong, yoga, pilates, and xstretch have used basic stretching techniques to literally transform peoples' lives. Today, I'd like to encourage you to add stretching to your daily workout program by sharing three amazing reasons why a good stretch can change everything!

Detox

In order for our bodies to detox properly, they need movement. Lactic acids, toxins, and other materials that get trapped in muscles and tissues need to be worked out with proper diet and exercise. Stretching is a simple and highly effective way too get a deep and thorough detox every day since it opens up the muscles, stretches tissues, and gets blood moving all over.

While normal everyday movement like walking helps with detox and cleansing, stretching may help you get deeper while also moving internal organs and parts of the body that don't get much attention with usual movement. If you can feel your stretch, it's a good thing!

Slim & Toned

One of the best ways to get tight, smooth, and toned looks everywhere on your body is to stretch. Stretching tonifies the muscle fibers so that they have that silky smooth look while maintaining their strength. It also helps work out the elasticity of the skin which can get rid of sagging and wrinkles! Stretching makes the body move and adjust the way it holds weight which can lead to greater fat burning and better toning overall no matter what style of exercise you do.

Stress Reduction

Many people stretch just for the smile! Taking time for a 5-10 minute gentle stretch session can get your blood moving, warm you up, activate the pleasure centers of the brain, and generate feelings of well-being and peace. Yoga and Tai-Chi are prime examples of stretching modalities that also have meditative aspects due to the way they encourage the body to open up, relax, and harmonize.

If stretching isn't part of your daily routine, check out some simple routines online and see what all the reach is about!

Easy Natural Remedies

When it comes to treating common ailments and feeling great, easy natural remedies are a great way to accomplish it. From herbs and supplements to a holistic diet packed with nutrition, adding natural options to your life is a simple way to stay healthy and prevent many imbalances from happening. I'd like to introduce you to a few ways that you can bring natural healing into your life right now!

Herbal Tea

Drinking herbal tea is a simple way to reap the rewards of nature's healing plants without all the fuss. Herbal tea varieties come in an endless array of tastes and ingredients, and many are specifically formulated to help overcome common imbalances. Herbal tea packets can be taken with you on the go, or you can prepare tea at home and use a coffee travel mug to sip your tea throughout the day.

Food

It is said that we should let our medicine be our food, and our food be our medicine. Eating a holistic plant-based diet is a great way to supply our bodies with the essential nutrients they need to succeed and stay healthy! From salads and soups to sandwiches and sweets, it's easy to work healthy foods into your daily diet with a little effort and experimentation.

Exercise

Believe it or not, exercise is a remedy for many complaints! People often find that mood swings, aches and pains, and digestion can improve with even a moderate amount of mild exercise.

As with all things related to health, talk to your doctor before changing your diet or taking up an exercise program to make sure it's safe for you.

Here's to your health!

3 Fun Ways To Get Fit

if you want to lose a few pounds, get fit, limber up, tone up, or just get moving but you don't want to spend countless hours in the gym - there's good news! You've got fun options to help bring more movement and exercise into your life without all the hassle. Today I'm going to introduce you to three of my favorites! Enjoy!

PILATES

Pilates is a great way to target your core muscle group, get flexible, and tone up your entire body. The focus of Pilates is on your 'core', or the muscles from your pelvic floor to your diaphragm. By making sure that these muscles activate whenever you move, more calories are burned, more muscle tone is gained, and you end up a lot more flexible!

You can attend Pilates classes with a group, or get one-on-one Pilates sessions with a trainer at very affordable rates.

YOGA

Yoga is a great way to create lean, flexible, healthy muscles throughout your whole body. There are Yoga classes for every level of experience, and they tend to be deeply relaxing and invigorating at the same time. Yoga is not as complex as you may think, and most people can get the moves down in just a few classes.

TAI-CHI

Tai-Chi comes from China and has been a popular method for cultivating health, flexibility, core strength, detoxification, and tranquility for many hundreds of years. Tai-Chi uses slow and intentional movements regulated with breathing to bring your body into perfect health.

Tai-Chi is fun to learn, and once you learn one of the many popular 'forms', you can practice on your own no mater where you are!


This is the perfect time of year to get out, get active, and do something special for your health!

Enjoy!