Physical activity helps maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, you don't only have to participate in a gym or high-impact sport to boost wellness. Engaging your body through daily stretches is also beneficial, which is why they're staples in physical therapy for people recovering from injuries, surgery, or mobility-limiting illnesses. Here are a few reasons to add these exercises to your daily routine. 

Why Should You Stretch Daily?

1. Improve Flexibility

People often attend physical therapy after an injury or long periods of inactivity to enhance their flexibility. These daily low-impact exercises will also delay age-related mobility issues because your body will remain limber for longer. 

Whether during a physical therapy session or at home, you'll likely become familiar with two types of stretches, both of which can loosen the tissues and joints to make it easier to move the body. One form is dynamic, which involves active movements. On the other hand, a static stretch is performed while staying still while standing, sitting, or lying down. To find the routine that works for you, consult your doctor for personalized advice.

2. Reduce Aches and Pain

Everyday pain and body aches are common among adults, with almost 60% experiencing chronic pain. A lack of movement and physical activity can contribute to your daily discomfort due to stiff muscles and achy joints. 

Stretches help move the fluid within your joints and loosen muscles. As you gain flexibility and mobility, your circulation will also improve. Accordingly, this alleviates achy muscles and stiff joints, resulting in less pain. 

3. Boost Mood and Relieve Stress

Stretches look like easy movements you can do while sitting, lying down, or standing up without putting too much stress on your body. However, it works your body more than it seems, increasing your serotonin levels. This naturally produced chemical reduces stress and stabilizes your mood. 

Practicing focused repetitive movements will help you feel calmer and loosen tense muscles caused by stress. Anxious feelings can result in tight muscles in the back, neck, shoulders, or head, leading to pain and discomfort. Fortunately, engaging your body and stretching those muscles relieves physical and mental effects. 

Along with daily stretching, you can experience these benefits by visiting Orthopedic Associates of Hawaii for regular physical therapy sessions. The facility and its certified physicians and surgeons have over five decades of experience providing unmatched orthopedic care to residents across Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island. Call (808) 536-2261 to schedule an appointment today, and visit them online to learn more about their physical therapy services.