Fit Tip Thursday: The Three-Minute Total Body Stretch Routine

Of the five components of fitness: cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and body composition, flexibility is often the one people tend to leave out of their fitness routines. A big reason why is all the conflicting information out there about stretching. What to do, when to do it, and if stretching is even necessary at all, are all questions that are still hotly debated.

What is true is that we lose flexibility as we age and when our muscles and joints do not work through their optimal range of motion, dysfunction and musculoskeletal issues can arise. These problems can manifest themselves as chronic pain, injuries, or a combination of the two.

Most people realize they should engage in some form of stretching but are unsure about what exactly to do. Here is a simple three-minute stretching routine that is a great addition to your current overall fitness program:

Performing just a few minutes of basic stretches a few times a week can work wonders at maintaining our flexibility and quality of life. Research indicates that it is best to perform these stretches when the muscles have been warmed up through increased blood flow, so a great time to do them is right after cardiovascular exercise.

Like what you see? Watch more Fit Tip Thursdays for great tips to help enhance your workouts.