by Lee Gee

Created on: July 28, 2007

Stretching is a very important part of an exercise routine and should be carried out before and after your main activity. Some good stretches before running are:

Arm reaches - Standing with legs shoulder width apart, reach up with one arm with your other arm by your side and keeping your hips straight, reach over your head so you feel your loose arm slide further down your side. Repeat this with the other arm and you can carry this out several times.

Toe points - Standing on one leg, point your toe out in front of you and keeping it pointed bring your leg around in a circle finishing back on the ground. The full circle should be a gentle movement taking around 5 seconds. Repeat this with the opposite leg.

Ankle circles - Again on one leg, make circular movements with your foot, rotating the ankle. Make roughly ten rotations per ankle. This can be carried out anywhere and even while sitting down.

Back twist - In a star type position hold your arms out, legs shoulder width apart and with a twist of the hips, reach behind yourself with one arm bringing the other in front of you and rotate the opposite way. This will loosen up your back.

Before you embark on any form of exercise it is important that you loosen up and stretch your muscles to minimize the risk of injury. When using walking as a workout you should include the walk as one part of a five part routine which consists of:

1. A warm up.
2. Stretching and flexibility.
3. The run.
4. Cool down.
5. Final stretch.

1)Your warm up should consist of low intensity exercise just to get the blood flowing and to give good circulation which is the best preparation before you stretch for your workout.

2) Stretching is done to aid flexibility in the muscles you are about to use and it is safest to do so after a warm up.

3) When running it is best to start off gentle and increase the speed gradually. Increasing the distance of your walks should be done gradually too.

4) After your run you should cool down by walking gently. You could also make a walking motion on the spot, keeping the muscles moving.

5) Finally, stretching after your exercise is the most often neglected part of an exercise routine and the most common method of injury,

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