To Stretch or Not to Stretch?

We all know that those few extra minutes spent at the gym stretching are oh so tedious especially if you are rushing to beat traffic and get home to slurp down a protein shake for muscle recovery.... right? Well these few extra minutes are not only going to enhance your flexibility, but assist in your athletic performance and help prevent injury. Who wouldn't want to stretch?

Overall flexibility is key to improving your athletic performance in different activities. It aids joints to move through their full range of motion which will decrease your risk of injury. Stretching also increases blood flow to your muscles. Ideally, it would be best to include stretching before and after working out to make sure your body is working at top performance and preventing injury.

If you are all out of ideas for stretching or think it's a little too tedious at first, try a yoga or pilates class. Not only will you be switching up your workout a bit, but you will stretching them while you work!