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Decrease Your Chance of Injury During Exercise by Lengthening Muscles
There’s a lot of talk about different styles of exercise. Usually, conversation focuses on what type of workout will help to shed the most fat or build the most muscle. However, there is another type of exercise that’s very important and often overlooked. That is stretching. The greatest benefit of stretching is increased muscle length. When the length of a muscle is increased, it’s able to move safely through a greater range of motion. This increased range of motion prevents injuries. That’s the bottom line. Decreasing my chance of injury is more than enough to get me to add stretching into my daily routine.
It would be wonderful if stretching every day were realistic for everybody. However, most people are already trying to fit exercise into a very hectic schedule. Therefore, I recommend stretching be included at a minimum of every other day. My clients feel much more flexible even when we are able to stretch only 2 times per week.
I’ve included a basic but very effective 10 minute stretching routine below. Include this routine into your regime every other day to aid in the lengthening of your muscles. You’ll be glad you did.
Hold each stretch in a static position for 15 seconds then move on to the next one. Work through the entire list at least once, but two times if possible. Be careful not to bounce. Once you settle into the hold position stay there for the entire 15 seconds.
Chipotle & Orange Grilled Chicken Ingredients Preparation Nutrition
This Month's Healthy Recipe
4 servings
Active Time: 10 minutes, Total Time: 25 minutes
2 tablespoons orange-juice concentrate, thawed
1 tablespoon finely chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
Salt to taste
1. Preheat grill or broiler.
2. Whisk together orange-juice concentrate, chipotle pepper, vinegar, molasses and mustard in a small bowl.
3. Lightly oil the grill or broiler rack. Season chicken with salt and grill or broil for 2 minutes. Turn, brush with the glaze and cook for 4 minutes, brushing occasionally with glaze. Turn again, brush with the glaze, and cook until the center is no longer pink, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
Per serving: 149 calories; 3 g fat (1 g sat, 1 g mono); 63 mg cholesterol; 7 g carbohydrates; 2 g added sugars; 23 g protein; 0 g fiber; 154 mg sodium; 300 mg potassium.
Courtesy: eatingwell.com
