Expert: Stretching Helps Prevent Injury, Keeps You Young
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Our body is made up of over hundreds of muscles.
As we age, these ligaments and tendons can become tight.
In order to prevent injury, experts say it's good to stretch them out.
"Stretching is important to not only improve your athleticism and your daily well-being, but it's also giving you the opportunity empowerment and freedom of movement," said Craig Ramsay.
Ramsay is a ballet dancer, fitness guru and author anatomy of stretching.
He says stretching muscles daily can improve your flexibility and coordination, help you focus, cut out stress, and helps people deal with certain conditions such as arthritis and fibromyalgia.
Stretching can even help you look younger.
"When we contract a muscle and stretch the muscle, it gets stronger, and when we make a muscle stronger, it gets tighter," said Ramsay.
He says the best way to stay limber is to do a routine of stretching every day.
But he warns you need to make sure you're stretching correctly, otherwise you can cause yourself some damage.
It's important to look for a good stretching guide or talk to a professional trainer who can help you develop a routine of correct stretching moves.
"One of the purposes of having a stretching program is to identify the unevenness and tightness in the body that could be holding back your fitness program, or your daily life," said Ramsay.