Beyond the Stretch
By Sherrell Moore-Tucker
When you think about stretching your body what comes to mind? For many of us, we envision bending over and touching our toes, a runner’s lunge or a standing quad stretch. Maybe a yoga posture comes to mind such as a deep back bend. Whatever you envision the stretch to be, I’m sure the running theme falls within the body’s ability to move through a range of motion.
Stretching after warming up and during the cool down phase of exercise is nothing new for many of us. In fact, some view yoga, Pilates and other mind-body exercises as just a series of “fancy stretches”. So why all the fuss? Isn’t it all the same? Let’s first take a look at regular stretching, the type that we typically see in gyms and health clubs. The history of stretching dates back over 10,000 years with the Greeks and Romans utilizing stretching to keep those in the military in tip top shape for war.
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AFIYA Magazine looks to enhance the awareness and knowledge of wellness issues important to African-American women while providing a platform for us to grow, expand, and develop within our personal and professional lives.
