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Be Flexible When It Comes To Stretching

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By MARY SHEDDEN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 22, 2008

Crossing a finish line is exciting. So is scoring the winning point in a hotly contested sporting match.

Stretching, on the other hand, is just plain boring.

The value of spending time each day elongating the limbs can't diminish the fact that most people — even athletes — don't enjoy the action that leads up to more intense or satisfying activities.

Stretching advocate Blair Lamb admits as much. He's a Canadian back surgeon who promotes stretching as a way to avoid seeing doctors like him: surgeons of last resort for serious back pain.

"While often considered boring or painful, stretching is essential to good health and effective exercising,'' he says.

Lamb thinks people of all ages and abilities can benefit from introducing a few moves into their daily routine, as they rise each morning and before bed each night. He's developed a series of activities and a DVD series that teaches moves with quirky names like "the flamingo," "blind spot" and "corkscrew."

I recently met Lamb and admitted up front how I often avoid stretching all together. I don't feel as if I have time to invest in the activity. He pleaded, he encouraged, he pushed and pulled my limbs until I agreed I did feel better.

Incorporating those activities into my daily routine wasn't easy. I'm not as gung-ho as Lamb, though his words did haunt me like a nagging mother. After a week of guilt, I started seeing a few of the activities blend into my regular routine. The flamingo and a calf press are helpful before a workout. And the corkscrew actually does work as a nice wake-me-up before I get out of bed each morning.

Experts agree that stretching activities do help increase a person's flexibility, although it isn't a cure-all. A high-profile study by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found no conclusive evidence that stretching deterred injuries such as pulled muscles. The warm-ups, like strength and balance training, are important but not essential for people who want to prevent injuries, researchers say.

If you're interested in stretching to increase flexibility, there are plenty of options out there beyond the traditional moves you remember from high school gym class. Yoga blends the physical practice of stretching with a more meditative style of breathing and inward reflection. Active-isolated flexibility uses short two-second stretches.

The National Institute on Aging includes on its Web site a slew of exercises that highlight the value of stretching in improving flexibility. Stretches are good as long as you feel slightly uncomfortable and not in pain, the agency says. It suggests stretching exercises be performed at least three times a week, for at least 20 minutes at a time.

The method you choose will likely be influenced by your tastes. I'm likely to keep trying new stretches, to see what helps keep me moving.

I guess that's means I'm taking a "flexible" approach.

Want to share your health and fitness idea? Contact me at (813) 259-7365 or shedden@tampatrib.com.

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