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Stretching
 No
workout is complete or completely effective unless you've stretched your
muscles for at least half an hour. Here's a step-by-step, quick, no-fuss-no-frills
guide to performing stretches.
Rotate your joints, starting from
the tips of your fingers, up to your neck and then down to your toes. Thus,
you should rotate your joints in the following order:
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Fingers
-
Wrist
-
Elbows
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Shoulders
-
Neck
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Waist
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Hips
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Legs
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Knees
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Ankles
Rotate every joint clockwise, and then
anti-clockwise, ten times in each direction.
After you've finished these basic
rotations, you need to do some activity that will warm you up. This literally
means that you need to perform an activity that will increase your body
temperature. Remember, you should never perform stretches without first
warming up, because your muscles are cold, and not as supple as when warm.
This causes them to tear.
You could either:
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Go for a brisk walk
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Jog
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Do some spot-jogging
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Cycling
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Skipping, or any other activity
The activity has to be done for a minimum
of five minutes in order that you are sufficiently warmed up.
Once you are warmed up, it's time
to get stretching! Start with slow, easy stretches. It's best to start
with passive stretches. Passive stretches involve assuming a particular
'stretched' position, and holding it for a few seconds before letting go.
Start with your back. Sit on the
ground and slowly bend forward, as much as you can manage without straining
yourself, and hold this position. Try to touch your toes. Don't use jerky
movements, no matter how tempted you are. Slowly, after a few weeks, you
should be able to touch your head to your knees without bending them!
Next, stretch your sides. Stand up
and with your hands straight above your head, bend to the left, hold, then
bend to the right. Don't bend forward, or your sides will not get stretched.
Push yourself back as you stretch. Keep your knees slightly bent so your
back doesn't get strained.
Stretch your thigh muscles. Sit,
divide your knees, hold your feet together with heels and toes touching,
and bring them to your crotch. Gently bounce your knees down, trying to
get them to touch the floor. This will, of course, not be possible immediately,
so don't push!
Once you have reached a certain level
of fitness, you could also include isometric stretches at this point. Isometric
stretches target a group of muscles, and are essentially resistance-based
stretches. (E.g. pushing a wall with your calf, butt clenches etc.) Isometric
exercises are not recommended for children or adolescents.
After you have finished these basic
stretches, it's time to perform dynamic stretches, which include swinging
or arms and kicking of legs. Don't do this too vigorously, and only perform
dynamic stretches after you have completed your passive stretches.
Once you've completed all your stretches,
you can begin your workout, which may include an hour or 45 minutes of
brisk walking or jogging. Remember to cool down after you've completed
your workout. So if you have been walking briskly, walk slowly for 5 minutes
before stopping. Perform a few more low-intensity stretches, and you're
done!
If possible, try and schedule a massage
twice or thrice a week, which could follow your workout.
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