Chapter 1 – An Overview Of
Stretching The Aging Body And Basic
Anatomy
The primary goal of stretching the aging body is to prevent
muscles and joints from becoming stiff from disuse. By regularly
stretching your muscles and flexing your joints, you can help
prevent many of the age-related conditions that affect the
joints, muscles, and bones of an aging body. In this part of the
guide, we’re going to go over the major muscle groups and
joints that are most important to keep limber.
The 11 Major Muscle Groups
There are 11 major muscle groups that you want to make sure
you’re using regularly and keeping stretched out. If you are also
doing strength training exercises, these are the same muscle
groups that you will be working out with that.
Forearms – Your lower arm has several muscles that
are particularly important for lifting and holding objects.
Biceps – A large muscle found in each of your upper
arms, your biceps help your forearms with lifting things.
Triceps – These are the other 2 muscles that are found in your
upper arms. They help your body extend and bend your elbow.
Shoulders – There are a number of muscles on your front,
back, and side that make up the shoulders which are responsible
for arm movement.
Trapezius – Often referred to as traps, these are the
muscles in your upper back that helps move your neck, head,
and shoulder blade.
Chest – This group of muscles that covers your rib-cage is
responsible for helping with arm movement and breathing.
Abdominal – This important group of muscles located in
your abdomen help with breathing and support your spine. They
are often referred to as abs or your core muscles.
Back – One of the biggest muscle groups, your back muscles
help support your spine and are a part of hip movement.
Quadriceps – These are the four muscles that are found at
the front of your thigh and are a vital part of leg movement as
they help control the hip and knee movements.
Hamstrings – The group of muscle that makes up the back
of your thigh and help with the movement of the hip and knee
as well.
Calves – The muscles found in your lower leg are what help
you move your knee and flex your ankle.
The 7 Major Joints
Although you have a number of smaller joints in your fingers
and toes, there are 7 major joints in the rest of your body that
we’re going to cover. Every joint is made up of a combination of
muscles that provide the movement, ligaments and tendons that
connect bones and muscles, and bones.
Spine – Your spine helps support your upper body and
houses the nerves that run to every body system. It’s made up
of a number of individual vertebrae.
Shoulder – Primarily responsible for whole arm movements.
Elbow – In the middle of your arm, it helps with lifting.
Wrist – Made up of a number of parts, your wrist is
an important part of hand movement.
Hip – Another ball-and-socket joint, this one responsible
for whole leg movements.
Knee – This leg joint helps you to walk.
Ankle – Another joint that has many parts, your ankle
stabilizes your legs and helps with walking.
In the next section, we’ll be getting more into the science of why
stretching these muscle groups can help with the aging body
Chapter 2 – Why Stretching is
Beneficial to the Aging Body
As we discussed before, there are a number of problems with
our joints, muscles, and bones that we face as our body ages.
Fortunately, there is something that we can do about it, and that
is stretching. Stretching along with other physical activities can
help to prevent or even reverse many of the problems we
discussed before.
Muscles and Stretching
When you’re not using your muscles enough, they can become
stiff which leads to painful movements. By regularly
stretching, you can keep your muscles from getting stiff and
improve their elasticity. The more elastic your muscles are, the
less pain you will experience when you go about your day and
the more you will be able to do.
Another benefit to regularly stretching your aging muscles is that
it will improve your balance. This is because when your muscles
are regularly stretched, they can respond better to movements
which helps you stay balanced. This will not only allow you to be
more confident when doing other exercises, but will help prevent
falls which are especially dangerous for the aging body.
Bones and Stretching
While stretching itself doesn’t contribute to strengthening your
bones, a number of exercises do, including walking, which you
need to do before each stretching session to warm your muscles
up. If you have specific concerns about bone loss, you will want
to make sure you are doing some simple exercises that can build
up bone mass in addition to stretching exercises.
Additionally, by stretching regularly, you will build up range of
motion in your joints and better muscle flexibility which will help
you more easily do the exercises that you need to do to improve
your bone health. As your muscles move and get stronger during
exercise, your bones will regain the bone density that was lost as
you got older.
Joints and Stretching
Stretching can help make your joints more flexible, which is
important for aging bodies since joints tend to get stiffer with age
and lose flexibility. With greater flexibility, you have better range
of motion. This can help eliminate movements that were
previously painful, including a number of types of exercise along
with daily activities.
Another benefit stretching provides in the joints is the stretching
of tendons. Tendons connect your muscles to your bones and
can get stiff and shorten over time if they are not used. The best
way to loosen and lengthen your tendons to get your joints
moving well again is by regularly stretching.
The other part of joints are the ligaments that hold bones
together. These are supposed to be tough and not very flexible
because they provide stability in the joint. However, with age, they
can become too stiff, so stretching will help to get them back to
where they’re supposed to be so rather than restricting your
movements, they stabilize your joints and allow you to move
freely.
Other Health Benefits to Stretching
There are so many other health benefits to stretching, such as
helping you to relax, improving your posture, increasing
endurance and energy levels, promoting blood circulation, and
reducing cholesterol. Keep reading through this course to find out
more about how to stretch your aging body to improve your
health.
$1.00
Contents
Introduction
Bone and Muscle Problems in the Aging
Body
Muscle Changes
Bone Changes
Joint Changes
How This Guide Can Help You
Chapter 1 – An Overview Of Stretching The Aging Body And Basic
Anatomy
The 11 Major Muscle Groups
Forearms
Biceps
Triceps
Shoulders
Trapezius
Chest
Abdominals
Back
Quadriceps
Hamstrings
Calves
The 7 Major Joints
Spine
Shoulder
Elbow
Wrist
Hip
Knee
Ankle
Chapter 2 – Why Stretching is Beneficial to the Aging Body
Muscles and Stretching
Bones and Stretching
Joints and Stretching
Other Health Benefits to Stretching
Chapter 3 – Things to Consider Before Starting a Stretching
Program
Talk to Your Doctor
Find a Trainer
Find a Location
Get Proper Clothing
Get Some Stretching Equipment
Chapter 4 – Types Of Stretches & Timing
Ballistic Stretching
Active Stretching
Passive Stretching
Isometric Stretching
Dynamic Stretching
PNF Stretching
Timing of Stretches
Chapter 5 - Popular Stretch Training Programs & Their
Effectiveness
What is Yoga?
What are the Advantages of Yoga?
What are the Disadvantages of Yoga?
What is Pilates?
What are the Advantages of Pilates?
What are the Disadvantages of Pilates?
Chapter 6 – Common Stumbling Blocks to Stretch Training &
Dangers to be Aware Of
Lack of Time
Movement is Painful
Lack of Energy
Not Warming Up
Improper Stretches
Falling
Chapter 7 – Overview of Stretch Workouts for Beginners
Warm up
Stretch Workout
When to Cool Down
Chapter 8 – Sample Stretch Workouts
Forearm, Biceps, Triceps, Shoulder,
Trapezius, Chest, Abdominal,
Back, Quadriceps, Hamstrings,
Calves, Targeting Muscle Groups,
Targeting Joints
Chapter 9 - Tools/Resources/Apps to Help with Staying Limber
into Older Age
Foam Roller
Lacrosse
Rope Classes
Personal Trainer/Physical Therapist
Apps
Conclusion – Tips to Add Stretching into Your Daily Life
Long term
Set a Schedule
Use Family and Friends
Join an Online Community
Post a Calendar
Reward Yourself
Bonus Chapter – Advanced Stretch Workouts
Yoga Poses
Pilates
Active Stretching
Dynamic Stretching
Using Tools
$1.00
No comments:
Post a Comment