I am a complainer. Ask anyone who knows me well, and they will agree that I have perfected the art of the complaint over the years. I complain about things I love, things I hate, and everything in between. The most recent complaint-centered realization I had though, had to do with something I truly despise, something I cannot get myself to do no matter how hard I try or how good I tell myself it is for me. This would be stretching.
After a long and tough training run this weekend I returned home, hopped in the shower, and came out feeling a bit exhausted, but overall good. I threw on some leggings and a sweatshirt and did what I always do first in my recovery from a long run process: eat.
When I told my roommate about my day so far over brunch, she asked me if I had stretched. Now this was not a serious question. As someone who has lived with me for over a year, she knows about my aversion to stretching. Every time I complain about being sore or my legs feeling heavy she reminds me (in the most loving way, of course) that it is my own fault.
My roommate is a dancer who after warming up for a few minutes can basically do a split on our kitchen floor. I am sure she does not understand the pain (and shame!) that comes with my failed attempt at touching my toes. The most common places I find myself having tightness are in my hips, my quads, and my hamstrings. Tight or weak hips, as I have learned in some research over the past week, can cause problems not only in your hips but your knees, ankles, and feet as well.
After reading articles about the effects of letting your muscles get too tight and not stretching them out, I am officially nervous enough that my non-stretching habit may be doing bad things for me.
I know the importance of stretching.
I’ve been injured from running on tight muscles and know that were I to take 10 minutes after each run to stretch out I would feel much better all day – but instead I choose to ignore that, complain about how stretching is annoying, and then eventually complain about how my body is sore.
But no more of that! I am officially committed to stretching for ten minutes every day, and you should join me as well. Not only does stretching allow your body to physically cool down and start to recover, but also mentally I find that once I stop thinking about how much I hate it, stretching can become a very grounding and almost enjoyable experience.
So consider stretching for ten minutes every day. I’m going to start by attempting to touch my toes, but most likely everyone else has higher expectations for themselves. I’m even planning to go to a yoga class this week—something I usually dread more than writing term papers. Try it out, maybe you’ll hate it, but maybe (and hopefully) it will become an enjoyable part of your day-to-day life.