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Which is better? Stretching in the morning or night.

Is it best to stretch in the morning or night?

flexibility training stretching

Stretching in the morning and the evening both have their benefits. Like all forms of exercise, no one routine works for everyone. Whether you'll benefit more from stretching in the AM or the PM will all depend on your schedule, your goals and preferences.

Stretching in the morning

A quick morning stretch routine can be a game changer when it comes to starting the day off right!

Why stretching in the morning is important:

A quick stretch session will get your body and mind ready to take on your day. It will release those stiff and achy muscles that you immediately feel when getting out of bed.

It will help clear your mind and keep the parasympathetic nervous system activated. Which is the "rest and digest" part of our nervous system.

It is a nice transition from sleeping to taking on the day. We tend to wake-up, grab our phones and rush to begin our day. A quick stretch session will help keep our cortisol levels down which reduces stress and anxiety symptoms.

How to:

  • Dynamic stretching
    - start slowly with small ranges of motion
    - gently progress to larger ranges of motion (depending on how your body is feeling)
  • Focus on what is feeling "tight"
    - target the joints surrounding the area that feels "tight"
  • Breath
    - focus on maintaining an even breath in and out throughout all the exercises
  • Add full body stretches
    - incorporate full body exercises to wake the entire system up and help prepare yourself for the day ahead.

Stretching in the evening

A quick evening stretch routine can make all the difference when it comes to getting a good night sleep!

Why stretching in the evening is important:

We live in a high stress society, and although stress itself isn't bad, we don't want to be stressed before going to bed. A quick evening stretch session will help clear your mind and activate the parasympathetic nervous system.

It's a great way to incorporate meditation into your life. Yes, you can meditate while stretching. There is no law that you need to sit quietly. You can breathe, clear your mind and stretch your hamstrings all at the same time.

It's a great way to release built up muscle tension from the day. An evening stretching routine will release those stiff and tense muscles that are caused from an intense workout session, running around all day or a stressful day at work.

How to:

  • Dynamic and static stretching
    - start slowly with small ranges of motion
    - gently progress to static stretch (holding the positions from 15-30 seconds).
  • Focus on what is feeling "tight"
    - target the joints surrounding the area that feels "tight"
  • Breath
    - focus on making the exhale longer than the inhale. Us the breath to help get "comfortable' in the stretching positions.
  • Add restful stretching positions
    - incorporate stretching exercises that are easy to do and feel good.

Conclusion

Which one is better? Our advise: incorporate them both! Alternate throughout the week. Or do mornings one week and evenings the following. They both have wonderful benefits that you'll experience immediately. So leave your phone on the night table and get stretching!

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