Preity Zinta Calls Stretching the “Gold Standard” for Longevity; Here’s How You Can Do It

Preity

Zinta is among the fittest actors today, and she inspires her followers by sharing her fitness techniques on social media. Preity is a self-proclaimed fan of Pilates, which she says has helped strengthen her core and keep her in shape. Her latest Instagram post highlights the importance of adding stretching to fitness routines. “It doesn’t matter what workout you do, stretching your body is the gold standard for longevity & for avoiding any injury. So don’t forget to incorporate stretching into your fitness routine,” Preity wrote on Instagram.

Why is stretching important?

Stretching offers a range of benefits - from increased flexibility to improved blood flow. Fitness experts recommend doing stretching daily, to your body to avoid injury. There are many benefits to regular stretching. Not only does stretching increase your flexibility, an important factor of fitness, but it also improves your posture, reduces stress and body aches, and more.

Health benefits of stretching

A few sure-shot benefits of stretching include:

Increases flexibility

Regular stretching helps increase flexibility, which is very important for health. Regular stretching helps you to perform daily activities with relative ease and delay the reduced mobility that can come with ageing.

Increases motion

Moving your joints helps you give a full range of motion and freedom of movement, which is great in the long run as it reduces any chances of injury.

Improves sports and workout performance

Doing stretching before you indulge in any kind of physical activity, like games or workouts, helps improve your performance as the muscles do not get overstretched.

Improves blood flow

Doing stretching daily improves blood circulation, which helps in quick recovery and reduces muscle soreness.

Improves posture

According to experts, many youngsters today suffer from back pain due to bad posture. And so, regular stretching can lead to muscle balance, which negates the effects of bad posture. Studies say a combination of strengthening and stretching specific muscle groups lowers musculoskeletal pain and encourages proper alignment.

Prevents back pain

If your muscles become tight, it causes a decrease in your range of motion, thereby increasing the likelihood of straining the muscles in your back. Stretching can also heal an existing back injury by stretching the muscles.

Reduces stress

According to experts, tense muscles can lead to heightened stress levels. It happens when your muscles tighten up in response to physical and emotional stress, and so, you need to focus on the areas of your body where you can hold stress, like the neck, shoulders, or even upper back.

Lowers headaches and migraine

Bad and severe headaches can be debilitating and uncomfortable. And so, daily stretching along with a balanced diet and adequate hydration can help reduce the tension you feel from headaches.

How to stretch?

A few types of stretching techniques include:

• Dynamic
• Static
• Ballistic
• Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation
• Passive
• Active stretching