If you can’t touch your toes chances are your muscles are tight and your felxibility has gone down the drain since that junior high P.E. class! There is debate whether stretching accomplishes anything-does it improve your felxibility, prevent injury and elongate the muscle? For every question you will hear advocates for and against; studies that tout the benefits while others warn of danger.
So, until there is a conclusive study done it’s a personal decision-I personally like stretching, in fact when I was a gymnast I could do the splits, when I no longer competed I stopped stretching and my splits and flexibilty went out the window. I felt more athletic when I was more flexible and I found I had a better range of motion while in the gym training. I began incoporating stretching into my regular routine; nothing crazy I am not trying to contort my limbs and fold in half. However, my range of motion has improved and the splits that I once did with ease have returned. Happy stretching-soon your toes and your hands will once again meet-only this time your legs won’t be bent.
