The importance of stretching

Presenter - OK, well lead us into the first exercise if you would – stretching: is that a good way to start?

Lucy - It is very important to stretch, and stretching is essential if you're lifting really heavy weights and if you're going out and doing some running and sprinting. For things like walking it's less essential to do, because we naturally sort of stretch while we're walking. But if someone was doing some toning exercises and if they've got the time I would recommend that they stretch.

Lucy - The reason is that what you do is kind of open up the muscle fibres and it just prevents any injuries, basically. It also allows for you to have what we call the full range of movement. There are a couple of stretches that we can do for the upper body that you can do seated. The other ones would be standing up. This is a really good stretch for people sitting at a computer all day.

Presenter - Perhaps I can take part in that then with you.

Lucy - This one you could, and it's for the chest. If we're sat in this position working on computers etc, the back muscle becomes very overstretched, because we're often in this position (leaning over the computer), and yet your chest muscles become super-tight.

Lucy - This stretch literally you just take your arms behind your back and you just really kind of open up the chest. And that's very good to do. You want to hold that stretch anywhere between 10-15 seconds. For someone who's sitting in an office every day, I would recommend that they do that stretch in the morning and in the afternoon, because it's the opposite position to what they're used to being in.

Lucy - Then the reverse of that one to stretch the back. You just bring your arms in front of you, clasping your hands together. It's as if you're trying to kind of separate the shoulder blades. Can you feel that?

Presenter - I can feel that really pulling actually, yes.

Lucy - This helps prevent any injury from exercising, so we're sort of really opening up the muscles and it just helps you have a nice, full range of movement, and it helps realign the body. And then the other stretches we do are standing up.

Presenter - It's funny that you automatically think an exercise is something you've got to do down the gym, you've got to be doing a lot of strenuous activity, but that's not the case – stretching, as you mentioned, is a good, basic way to start.

Lucy - Exactly and there are so many benefits to stretching, because if we don't utilise our muscles we become a bit stiff and we're not as loose, we're not as mobile. So stretching is really important, and that's quite a good way of just re-energising yourself, as well. If we become inflexible, later in life the harder it is to do the things that we took for granted, so it is essential still to stretch and mobilise those muscles.

Presenter - Are we talking all age groups here, young and old alike?

Lucy - Absolutely. One of my oldest clients is in her late seventies and is just amazing. I think age is irrelevant when it comes to fitness. From young to old, we can all be fit.