I've been trying different things in my life to see if I benefit from them, whether it's intermittent fasting, or new ways to prepare my food, to to keep things interesting and fresh. Stretching & flexibility is something that I haven't given much thought about for years.
While taking Karate classes years ago, one of the most important things we practiced was stretching, to give us the flexibility to kick and punch. I had a set of powerful legs in those days. If I kicked someone, they were usually flattened or knocked out of the fighting area. My Sensi said I needed more than power. He went on to say that stretching would give me speed, flexibility, and in addition I'd be less prone to injures.
I was cleaning out my photography room last night and stumbled across this old photo of myself throwing a side-kick. The only thing I've kicked lately was last week. I have an old lawn mower that is 16 years old. It wouldn't start so I kicked it a couple of times and broke a plastic piece off the handle. Yes it finally started.
Like I've mentioned before, my posts are some of the things that are working for me, but maybe not for you. I started doing some basic stretches a few days ago and I just feel better doing my everyday activities. As I'm officially a middle-aged person, I feel stiff in the morning, or when I'm in a cramped position, it's hard to just jump right up. You younger people probably don't have that problem.
If you're interested in the benefits of stretching & flexibility click on the link below. It has some good diagrams and other helpful information. You can ignore the nutritional advice on this link, as it isn't Paleo.
http://www.ultimatehandbook.com/Webpages/Health/stretchbasic.html
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