Stretching is a bit of a controversial subject in the fitness world because, frankly, we don’t always know when, how or why we should stretch. Many of us learned to stretch before our workouts in the hopes of avoiding injury. Stretching after our workouts was supposed to minimize soreness and help our bodies recover faster.

The truth is, stretching may not do either of these things. Stretching before workouts hasn’t been shown to significantly reduce injuries and it may actually hurt performance for certain activities. Whether stretching after workouts can reduce soreness is still up in the air, but many studies show it doesn’t help much there either.

The question is: Why stretch at all? It may be a good idea to ditch the pre-workout stretching if it isn’t doing anything for you, but stretching after your workout or as a separate workout does have a number of benefits:

• It helps prevent tightness after a workout: Stretching helps your muscles return to their resting state after exercise and helps you maintain your flexibility.
• It can help prevent injuries: An overall stretching routine (like yoga), done consistently and over time, can actually protect your body from injuries. Being inflexible can lead to all kinds of injuries (runner’s knee, lower back pain, etc.) and regular stretching keeps you limber and may help you avoid those kinds of overuse injuries.
• It can improve overall performance: While stretching may not help right before a workout, regular stretching can help strengthen your muscles, which means more strength and power.
• It’s relaxing and it feels good: The physical benefits are important, but stretching can give you a mental boost as well, helping you relax and soothe your body after a tough workout.

So, what’s the best way to stretch? The general guidelines suggest stretching your muscles when they’re warm, focusing on tight areas, doing each stretch for 2-4 reps and holding each for 15-30 seconds and stretching at least 2-3 days a week.

What about you? Do you stretch and, if so, what do you get out of it? Vote in this week’s poll and tell us about your experiences.

_Sources:

_{J. C Andersen. Stretching Before and After Exercise: Effect on Muscle Soreness and Injury Risk. J Athl Train. 2005 Jul-Sep; 40(3): 218-220.}

_{Dalleck J, Reyment C. “Pre-Exercise Stretching and Performance.” IDEA Fitness Journal. 2007 Feb; 4(2).}

_{Herbert RD, de Noronha M. Stretching to prevent or reduce muscle soreness after exercise. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007 Oct 17;(4):CD004577.}

Vote in This Week’s Poll: When do you stretch? originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Monday, November 30th, 2009 at 07:00:37.

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Yogini and filmmaker Kate Churchill set out to capture how the transformative powers of yoga would effect a new practitioner…

So…it’s the day after Thanksgiving, how do you feel? Do you have a food hangover (or, perhaps, another kind of hangover)? More importantly, what happens now? Will you exercise or take a day of rest?

The day after a holiday is a good time to listen to your body and mind and choose a workout that fits your energy level and mood. There’s plenty of time to get back to the routine but, today, why not pick a workout solely based on how you feel? Below are a few ideas:

• I’m Feeling Energetic: Try a high intensity cardio workout such as Beginner Interval Training, Intense Intervals, or this Sprint Interval Workout. Say goodbye to turkey butt.
• I Have a <a href=”Food Hangover: Try something light and soothing such as: Morning & Evening Yoga or Total Stretch with Resistance Bands.
• I Want Something Simple: Try one of these basic workouts or just go for a walk.
• I Want to Burn Some Calories with Strength Training: Try this Total Body Home Workout.
• I Feel Guilty About How Much I Ate: We all feel a little guilty when we overindulge, but try not to punish yourself by skipping meals or exercising too much. Instead, do something positive to get back on track. Treat your body to lots of water, a little exercise and nutritious foods and you’ll recover in no time.

If you’re around today, leave a comment and tell us how you’re recovering from Thanksgiving.

Post Holiday Recovery Ideas originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Friday, November 27th, 2009 at 07:00:34.

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Hi everyone, I hope that each one of you who celebrates Thanksgiving is having a wonderful day with your family and friends! And even if you don’t celebrate, it’s a great opportunity to just sit back and think about the people and things in your life for which you are grateful.
Thank you for making this site a part of your life!

Happy Thanksgiving! I’m so grateful for all of you and want to send a big Thank You to those of you who read my articles, send emails, post your comments and participate in our exercise family. Your support and encouragement keeps me going and makes this job possible. I’m truly inspired by my readers and am regularly awed by your intelligence, thoughtfulness and commitment to health. I can’t thank you enough.

Group hug!

Having said that, I’ll leave you with a few workout ideas, if you’re looking for something to do on this holiday. If you’re around, leave a comment and tell us what kind of exercise you’re getting in today.

Thanksgiving Exercise Ideas

• Strength and Cardio Circuit
• 10-Minute Strength & Power Circuit
• Bootcamp Workout
• Strength Training Circuit with Compound Exercises
• Beginner Circuit Training
• Fat-Burning Circuit Workout
• Low-Impact Cardio Blast
• Cardio Workouts for Beginners

Happy Thanksgiving and a Big Thank You originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Thursday, November 26th, 2009 at 07:00:59.

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Are you ready for Thanksgiving? I certainly am, but only because I’m not cooking a huge dinner (my friends are taking care of that) and I’m not traveling - the two things that make you a little crazy over the holidays.

Unfortunately, not everyone is that lucky. I know many of you will be at the airport, fighting people for overhead bin space or doing everything you can to avoid the middle seat. Some of you will be trapped in a car with relatives for hours at a time saying things like, “Don’t make me pull this car over!” or “Must we have World War III right now?”

Whatever you’re doing, I’m hoping to convince you to keep some kind of exercise on the schedule this weekend. Your workouts will not only keep stress at manageable levels, it can also be a great way to get some quiet time in the midst of family chaos. For ideas, check out my holiday survival guide and then tell us how you stay on track during the holidays. Do you stick with your normal routine or do you wing it?

Holiday Exercise Resources

• Avoid Weight Gain with Circuit Training
• 10 Ways to Avoid Holiday Stress
• How to Stay Fit During the Holidays
• Quick Tips for Holiday Exercise

Surviving the Holidays Without Weight Gain originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 08:00:07.

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If your job is to research yoga in the news, you run across amazing articles about how science is again…

As Thanksgiving barrels its way here, my client workouts have morphed into short, slightly frantic workouts. Many of my clients are leaving town and don’t have time for longer workouts, so they’ve requested shorter, more torturous workouts. (Okay, maybe I misheard the ‘torturous’ part…whatever.)

As a result of their demands, we’ve been doing more combination exercises to save time without compromising on intensity - you can imagine how happy this makes them.

If you’re in the same boat, combining moves is a great option. Not all exercises work well together, so it does take some practice to find combos that: A) Use about the same amount of weight and B) Flow well so that there aren’t awkward movements or transitions that could cause injury. Below are a few examples of exercises that often work well together. Be sure to leave a comment to tell us about your favorite combination moves.

Walking Lunge with Overhead Press
Hold medium weights over the shoulders and step forward with the right foot into a lunge. Push up, stepping the left foot forward while simultaneously pressing the weights overhead. Switch legs and step forward with the left foot, repeating the overhead press. Continue alternating walking lunges with presses for 10-16 reps.

Deadlifts with Row
Stand with feet hip-width apart holding weights in front of thighs. Keeping the abs in and back straight, tip from the hips and lower the weights down (skimming the legs) as low as your flexibility allows. Squeeze glutes and hamstrings to come up and then lower back down until the torso is parallel to the floor, turn the hands so that they’re parallel and pull the weights up in a row contracting the lats. Repeat, alternating deadlifts and rows for 10-16 reps.
 

Squat Toss
Stand with feet hip-width apart and hold a med ball. Squat as low as you can (knees behind toes and abs contracted) and touch the ball to the floor. Press through the heels to press back up while sweeping the weight up and overhead. Toss the ball up, catch it and repeat for 12-16 reps.

Exercises of the Week - Combination Exercises originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 07:00:00.

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Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because of all the great childhood memories I have. My favorite is our tradition of throwing rolls at each other (I’m pretty sure this one doesn’t fall into the ‘Classic Thanksgiving Traditions’ Category). This family tradition was started by my grandmother when I asked her to pass me a roll. I’m not sure if it was because she was way down at the other end of the table or, as she suggests, she was just crazy. Either way, it was memorable enough that it became part of our Thanksgiving meal. At least I didn’t ask her to pass me a knife.

I don’t make it home for Thanksgiving anymore (which means I now have to throw rolls at my husband), but my new tradition is taking a long run on Thanksgiving day to think about what I’m thankful for and, of course, what’s for dinner.

Exercise is tough this time of year, but a holiday is sometimes a great time for taking a long walk or run and reflecting on family, gratitude and tradition.

What about you? Will you exercise over the Thanksgiving holiday? Vote in this week’s poll and tell us about your exercise plans.

Vote in This Week’s Poll: Will you exercise over thanksgiving? originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 07:00:34.

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Repigmentation was seen in 40 of 56 patients (71%), with mean onset at 2 months. They concluded that: “The efficacy and safety of topical PGE2 make it a promising therapy for localized stable vitiligo.”