I only lift weights 2x a week... Today I am going to stretch and do yoga for 30-45 minutes... My muscles are sore from working out this week... dnlsnow how old are you? The last time I stopped working out and lost weight, I was 20-21... I'm 29 now, and when I stop working out, my weight stays the same or goes up... When I workout and do lots of cardio, it goes down... That's interesting how that is...
But anyway, I just love stretching... It just feels so good and I actually do get a nice relaxation response from it... What goes through my mind is:
I'm increasing circulation to my muscles, relaxing them and perfusing them with rich oxygen-saturated blood and getting rid of the broken down muscle cells and metabolic waste-products... I also feel my joints becoming more lubricated and more pliable... Stretching is my fountain of youth... It just feels good to correctively re-balance muscles and bring improved body alignment... Stretching just feels good and it is good for us... I also like how stretching reduces pain and improves recovery.
Here's my logic: All exercise feels good to me, but I have various reasons for doing a variety.
Weight training for stress relief and I just like the pump. Also, the sense of accomplishment of lifting heavy weight, and lastly, I like the cosmetic benefits.
Cardio for stress relief and I like the heart-health benefits. It is the best exercise for our heart and lungs.
Yoga/Stretching for stress relief and a healthy body. It does not do much for heart health, or maybe it does. I do like the relaxation response I get from stretching and just the time to myself to unwind and be laid back.
I always like how I feel after any form of physical activity. Today, I will stretch before I start training clients. Just stretching, but I love how I found an activity I can do on my rest days. IT definitely helps control my anxiety. I remember 2-years ago, I felt I had to workout hard everyday to get through my day. Now I can workout with weights twice a week only, do cardio 1-2 on other days and stretch on non-cardio or weight training days... This is why stretching is so important and valuable to me. It is great for anxiety relief and great for the body in creating balance and enhancing injury prevention.