The techie type may not be associated with a gym-rat tendencies, but as gadgets and new media become more ubiquitous the two are sure to become more compatible. Enter PumpOne, an IPhone fitness program. The new FitnessBuilder app offers over 400 different workouts tailored to all different kinds of fitness goals. Cofounder Declan Condron, creator of the Bikini Bod workout, has answered some of the most common fitness questions.

1. What is the most effective way to slim down for summer?

I recommend an all around conditioning program that includes strength training, cardio and flexibility training. Depending on the time available, an ideal plan would have three days of strength training, two to three days of cardio and stretching as often as possible.

2. How much time do you have to commit to see a difference in your body?

Ideally, you should try to do something everyday. This does not necessarily mean you have to be at the gym at the crack of dawn and workout for hours. By making some smart decisions you can add in exercise in short bouts throughout the day. Three 10 minute bouts of exercise per day can jump start changes in body composition without interfering with your work routine.

3. If you only focus on the areas that show in a bathing suit, abs, thighs, with that improve those areas?

Not really, as there is no such thing as “spot reduction.” Spot reduction refers to the idea that if you do a ton of exercise for body parts, such as your triceps, you will achieve beautifully sculpted arms with no “wing” fat. This is unfortunately not the case. The best way to lose weight and gain muscle tone is to perform a total body conditioning program, and eat a healthy diet.

Condron also stresses that diet plays a huge part in weight loss. “You can exercise until the cows come home, but if you are eating poorly and unhealthy foods, then all that hard work in the gym is going to be lost.” Alcohol can also be detrimental to a diet. Alcohol is empty calories that contributes to losing muscle and gaining weight.

[Source: KMR Communications]

“Most things in life are moments of pleasure and a lifetime of embarrassment; photography is a moment of embarrassment and a lifetime of pleasure”

This quote on photography, by writer Tony Benn, is a quote that I can FULLY relate to, after returning from my annual surf holiday in Newquay, Cornwall. Newquay is such a sleepy little town, but with much mysterious hidden vibrance and magic, and its own quaint little character. A far cry from your average nostalgic seaside holiday spot, the majority of people who eat, play, rest and surf there, are locals. And the locals are always extremely welcoming and friendly to tourists and travellers. Probably because, they are sitting smugly and quite content at the fact that they are locals. And that this beautiful little gem on the coast is the place they call home.

Every year that I visit Cornwall, one thing I can’t leave home without is my camera. And every year, once I arrive back home, huffing and puffing unpacking my bags and oogling in the mirror at my new found freckles, I remember “Oh, the photographs!” The digital pictures on my laptop screen bring back the memories from my spring time trip, and they are enough to infuse my heart and my head, and keep my brain (and my secret hippy at heart) ticking over until its a year later, and time to visit that beautiful little place again!

This year however, there was a new twist to the photographs I viewed on my computer screen with my family and my boyfriend. Every visit to Cornwall contained at least a couple of days of surfing. Days where I would spend the first few hours fighting against the waves, cringing in my wetsuit (which is really just a second layer of skin and does not do my lumps and bumps much justice) and realising that my upper body strength would give not even Mr Bean a run for his money. But after I get over the overwhelming “KILL ME NOW” state of mind… I generally begin to realise I’m maybe not as unfit as I thought I was (But still, not the fittest, being honest here people!) And when I actually get the hang of surfing again, after a year on the bench, standing up off that bench and standing up on my surf board, is the most rewarding and magical feeling you can ever imagine.

And then there is the huge anti climax.

Where is the evidence to prove this truly awesome moment? Fair enough I can live with the self satisfaction, but its a bit rubbish returning home with not even a photograph with me, in all my lumps and bumps and embarassing glory This year, however, the surf school that my friend Dominique and I went with, happened to have their own in house professional surf photographer. You know the old saying, a photograph speaks a thousand words? Well, no more words from me. I’ll let these long awaited and anticipated photographs do all the talking.

Fashion girls aren’t always known for being athletic or caring so much about the environment. Especially when it means giving up their favorite not-so-sustainable fashion items. But one stylish trend that’s got everyone abuzz and breaks stereotypes is bicyclette chic!

Not only are tons of fierce girls like Zooey Deschanel (above), Ellen Page (second photo below) and Vivienne Westwood (fourth photo below) riding their bikes about town, but they’re doing it in the coolest clothes out there. Who says you need to wear spandex if you pedal your morning commute? This gallery shows off some of the most serious spring style on two wheels or two feet. Street style shots are a great opportunity to get inspired to shop your own closet – especially if the recession has got your spending power, and your mood, low.

And what’s bicycle talk without a litle Bat For Lashes vid action:

[Images: BUST Magazine; Copenhagen Cycle Chic; Velo Vogue; Riding Pretty]

You may have heard a lot about Pilates. It is one of the fastest growing trends in fitness. You may even have come to the conclusion that you should be practising Pilates. You’re not alone in feeling this; from celebrities to students; every woman can benefit from Pilates. Top benefits of Pilate’s exercise that people report are that they become stronger, longer, leaner, and more able to do anything with grace and ease.

Use this simple Pilates workout anytime you want to go through a quick routine designed to give you a balanced and challenging set of Pilate’s exercises. This workout is appropriate for all levels. If executed in the morning it’ll wake your whole system up; or in the afternoon it’ll rejuvenate!

Exercises:

• Pelvic Curl
• Spine Stretch
• The Hundred
• Single Leg Stretch
• Swimming
• The Plank
• The Saw

PELVIC CURL

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Make sure that your feet, ankles, and knees are aligned and hip-distance apart.

This exercise starts in neutral spine. In neutral spine, the natural curves of the spine are present so the lower back is not pressed into the mat.

Inhale. Bring your breath into your chest, then belly, and down to the pelvic floor.

Exhale. Release the breath from the pelvic bowl, the belly, and then the chest.

Do a pelvic tilt by engaging the abdominal muscles and pulling your bellybutton down toward your spine. Let that action continue so that the abs press the lower spine into the floor.

In the pelvic tilt position, your back is very long against the floor and the pelvis is tilted so that the pubic bone is a little higher than the hip bones.

Press down through your feet allowing the tailbone to begin to curl up toward the ceiling. The hips raise, then the lower spine, and, finally, the middle spine.

You will come to rest on your shoulders at the level of your shoulder blades, with a nice straight line from your hips to your shoulders. Do not arch beyond this point. Be sure to support this movement with the abdominals and hamstrings.

As you let your breath go, use abdominal control to roll the spine back down to the floor.

Begin with the upper back and work your way down, vertebrae by vertebrae, until the lower spine settles to the floor.

Release to neutral spine. Prepare to repeat the exercise by initiating the pelvic tilt on the exhale.

Repeat this exercise 3 to 5 times.

SPINE STRETCH

The spine stretch is useful anywhere in a workout. It is a great stretch for the back and the hamstrings, as well as a moment to centre oneself before moving on to more challenging exercises.

Sit up tall on your sitting bone – pull your buttock cheeks out from under you.

Your legs are extended about shoulder width apart, and your feet are flexed.

Reach the top of your head to the sky but let your shoulders stay relaxed.

Inhale and extend your arms out in front of you, shoulder height.

A modification here would be to place the fingertips on the floor in front of you between your legs.

Exhale as you lengthen your spine to curve forward. You are going for a deep curve. Allow a deep release in the hips as you keep your shoulders down and reach your fingers toward your toes.

Inhale and reach a little further as you enjoy the fullness of your stretch.

Exhale and initiate your return by using the lower abdominals to bring the pelvis upright. Roll up through the spine to sitting.

Modifications for Spine Stretch

If your hamstrings are tight, sit on a little lift, like a folded towel. You can also try this exercise with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

It also works quite well to do this exercise with the fingertips running across the floor in front of you. This variation will take some pressure out of the shoulders and upper back.

THE HUNDRED

Lie on your back with your knees bent, and make your shins and ankles parallel in height with your knees. For now, put your hands behind your knees.

Bring your head up with your chin down and, using your abs, curl your upper spine up off the floor. Keep the shoulders engaged in the back. Your gaze is down and you are scooping your abdominals in.

Stay here and inhale.

Exhale: At the same time, deepen the pull of the abs and extend your legs and arms toward the wall in front of you. Your legs should only be as low as you can go without shaking and without the lower spine jumping up off the mat. Your arms extend straight out low, just a few inches off the floor, with the fingertips reaching for the far wall.

Hold your position.

Take five short breaths in and five short breaths out (like sniffing in and puffing out). While doing so, move your arms in a controlled up and down manner – a small pumping of the arms.

Be sure to keep your shoulders and neck relaxed. It is the abdominal muscles that should be doing all the work.

Do a cycle of 10 full breaths. Each cycle is five short in-breaths and then five short out-breaths.

The arms pump up and down a few inches, in unison with your breath.

Keep your abs scooped, your back flat on the floor, and your head an extension of your spine, with the gaze down.

To finish: Keep your spine curved as you bring your knees in toward your chest. Grasp your knees and roll your upper spine and head back to the floor. Take a deep breath in and out.

Modifications for The Hundred

To make the hundred more challenging: Lower your legs. Do not lower your legs past where you can control the movement. Don’t let your spine peel up off the floor as you lower the legs.

To modify the hundred for back or neck problems: Do this exercise with your knees bent and the feet flat on the floor.

You can do this exercise with the legs extended but the head left down on the floor. This modification is often used by people who need to protect their necks.

Single leg stretch

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your shins parallel to the floor. This is tabletop position for the legs.

Take a few moments to breathe deeply into the back and lower abs.

Pull your abs in, taking your bellybutton down toward your spine, as you curl your head and shoulders up to the tips of the shoulder blades. As you curl up, your left leg extends at a 45-degree angle.

The right leg remains in tabletop position with the right hand grasping the right ankle and the left hand moving to the right knee.

You will maintain your upper-body curve throughout the exercise. Be sure to keep your shoulders relaxed and your abdominals deeply scooped.

Switch legs on a two-part inhale. Bring air in as the left knee comes in, and bring more air in as you gently pulse that knee toward you.

Now the left hand is at the left ankle and the right hand at the left knee.

Switch legs. Bring the right leg in with a two-part exhale/pulse and extend the left leg.

The hand to leg coordination continues with the outside hand of the bent leg going to the ankle and the other hand moving to the inside of the knee.

Switch legs up to 10 times. Release the exercise if you are finding tension in your shoulders and neck or if your lower back is taking the strain.

SWIMMING

Swimming is a fun Pilate’s exercise, but it is also quite challenging as it brings every part of the body into play.

Lie on your stomach with the legs straight and together.

Keeping your shoulder blades settled in your back and your shoulders away from your ears stretch your arms straight overhead.

Pull your abs in so that you lift your bellybutton up away from the floor.

Reaching out from centre, extend your arms and legs so far in opposite directions that they naturally come up off the floor. At the same time, get so much length in your spine that your head moves up off the mat as an extension of the reach of your spine.

Keep your face down toward the mat; don’t crease your neck.

Continue to reach your arms and legs out very long from your centre as you alternate right arm/left leg, then left arm/right leg, pumping them up and down in small pulses.

Coordinate your breath with the movement so that you are breathing in for a count of 5 kicks and reaches, and out for a count of 5.

Hopefully you feel like you are simulating swimming!

Do 2 or 3 cycles of 5 counts of moving and breathing in, and 5 counts moving and breathing out.

Modifications for Swimming

Keep everything long, long, long, reaching from your centre.

Keep your head and neck working as extensions of your spine and don’t break the line at the neck.

Protect your lower back by keeping your tail bone moving down toward the mat.

If the breathing pattern is too complicated at first, leave it out.

THE PLANK

Begin on your knees and walk your hands out on the floor, allowing your legs to stretch out behind you. Place your forearms, parallel to each other, on the floor. Many people find that making a fist with the hands is helpful. Your shoulders should be directly over your elbows.

Lift your belly up away from the floor as you extend your spine so that it’s very long.

It is important that you keep pressure out of you lower back by pulling up the lower abs.

Anchor your pubic bone to the floor, and allow your tailbone to move down toward the floor as well. This move will create more length in spine and protect your lower back.

Keep your shoulder blades and collarbone broad, and make sure that your shoulders are away from your ears.

Your neck is a long extension of your spine, so your head is not dropped or tilted up.

Breathe fully as you hold the pose for 30 seconds.

If your weight is starting to drop into your shoulders and arms, release, rest, and try again.

THE SAW

Sit up straight on your sitting bones.

Your legs are extended in front of you, about shoulder width apart. If you have tight hamstrings you may need to prop your hips up on small lift, like a folded towel.

Arms are stretched out to the side, even with your shoulders.

Inhale: Get taller as you turn your whole torso, but use your abs to keep your hips even with each other.

Exhale: Let your gaze follow your back hand as you stretch forward and reach the pinkie finger of your front hand across the outside of the opposite foot.

Exhale a little more as you reach a little further.

Once your reach extends to its furthest point, maintain your turned position as you inhale and return to sitting.

Exhale and undo your turn, coming to the starting position.

Repeat this exercise 3 times to each side.

Because this workout includes short, intense bouts of high-energy activity it reshapes muscles, burns tons of calories and elevates metabolism in a way no other workout can.

Ideally, complete 3-4 times a week! (Well, at least once!).

So, get ready to go 6 rounds with my kick-boxing workout…

Round 1: Warm up (6 minutes)

Alternate one minute of step touches with 30 seconds of jumping jacks for a total of 4 times each.

How-to tips:

Step touches: Tap your right toe lightly in front of your left, then your left toe in front of your right. Swing your arms as you continue alternating left and right taps. Move at a comfortable pace that elevates your heart rate and quickens your breathing.

Jumping jacks: Start with your feet together, arms at your sides. Jump with your legs slightly wider than hip-width apart as you lift your arms up to shoulder level.

Round 2: Punch (6 minutes)

Move continuously from drill to drill without any break in between.

Drill 1: Alternate left and right punches 4 times, and then alternate lefts and rights as fast as you can 8 times. (2 minutes)

Drill 2: Alternate right and left punches 4 times, then alternate rights and lefts as fast as you can 8 times. (2 minutes)

Drill 3: Alternate left and right punches in sets of 8 with a slight hesitation between sets. (2 minutes)

How-to tips:

·  Start by making a semi-tight fist by curling your fingers into your palms and placing your thumbs on top of your index fingers ‑- not inside your fists. Be sure to keep your fists aligned with your wrists as you punch rather than slightly turned in or out.

·  Stand tall with abs tightened and your feet shoulder-width apart, left foot forward, right foot back. Keep your weight evenly distributed between your feet, and lift your right heel up.

·  Raise your fists in front of your face, lower your chin and keep your elbows in tight to your middle.

·  To throw a punch thrust your right hip forward and pivot quickly on the left heel. Extend your arm from the shoulder ‑- imagine it’s an extension of your back ‑- and take care not to lock out your elbow.

·  As you strike out, keep your other hand up in front of your face and your chin tucked. Return to the start and punch with the left.

·  When your arm returns from the punch, it should travel back along the same path with equal speed.

·  Fire punches out as hard and fast as you’re able. Aim to elevate your heart rate and breathing and to work up a sweat. Exhale forcefully through your mouth each time you throw a punch, and remember to use your core to help power your movement. 

Round 3: Jump (6 minutes)

Jump rope.

How-to tips:

·  Hold an end of the rope in each hand and stand with your feet together in front of the rope line.

·  Bend your elbows and hold your arms out to your sides at about hip level. Spin the rope quickly and, as it approaches your toes, skip over it.

·  Stay low ‑- only jump an inch or so off the floor ‑- and when you land allow knees to bend slightly to help absorb impact.

·  The rope is powered by the turn of the wrist and not the entire arm. The wrists are the motor, so to speak. Think of your legs as shock absorbers and springs that push you up and off the ground.

·  When you get into a comfortable rhythm, move into a “boxer’s shuffle”: Continue spinning the rope and, as it approaches your toes, shift your weight slightly to the left, move your left foot a small distance forward and jump, again staying low and slightly bending knees on touchdown. On the next spin, shift your weight right.

Round 4: Kick Time (6 minutes)

Move continuously from drill to drill without any break in between.

Drill 1: Alternate left and right kicks 4 times, and then stick with left kicks only 8 times. (2 minutes)

Drill 2: Alternate right and left kicks 4 times, and then stick with right kicks only 8 times. (2 minutes)

Drill 3: Alternate left and right kicks 8 times, and then stick with left kicks only, flick kick for 8. (1 minute)

Drill 4: Alternate right and left kicks 8 times, and then stick with right kicks only, flick kick for 8. (1 minute)

Round 5: Pump (10 minutes)

Do these five strength moves with a 15-second break between exercises.

Boxer Crunches: Lying on the floor; feet flat; hands at chest, fists in punching mode; take a breath in, listing head and punching hands across body 3 times as exhaling in crunch position; relax to floor. Repeat 24 times; resting after set of 12.

Last-Round Squats: Stand tall with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, hands on hips. Bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor, then stand back up, taking care not to lock your knees. Clenching the buttocks together to stand. Do 32 reps and hold the last rep in the squat position for 20 seconds to feel ‘the burn!’

Championship Push-Ups: Get into a push-up position: Kneel on the floor with your legs together and your hands placed slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Shift your weight forward so that you’re balanced on your palms with your thighs just above your knees. Bend your elbows to lower your body. When your elbows are parallel to the floor, press back up to the start without locking elbows. Do 16 reps slowly.

Heavyweight Dips: Sit on the floor with your legs straight out, arms at your sides, palms pressing into the floor at hips and fingertips pointing out behind you. Bend your elbows a few inches, and then straighten back up. Do 16 reps slowly.

Contender Crunches: Lie face-up with your hands under your butt and your abs pulled in tight. Lift your legs 1 to 3 inches off the floor without allowing your lower back to arch up. Holding this position, curl your head, neck and shoulders up and in, hold a moment and lower back down. Repeat 16 times.

Round 6: Cool Down (6 minutes)

Stretch out and cool down with these three flexibility enhancers. In kickboxing stretching and flexibility are kings!

Million-Dollar Babies: Stand tall and straighten your right arm across the centre of your body, placing your left palm behind your right elbow to create a stretch through your right arm and shoulder. Hold 30 seconds and repeat with the left arm.

Rocky Thigh Stretch: Stand tall, holding on to a chair with one hand for balance. Lift your right leg up and bend your knee to move your heel up toward your buttocks. Gently grasp your right toe in your free hand to create a stretch through your right thigh. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat with the left leg.

Olajide Back Extender: Lie face-down with your elbows bent and your forehead resting on your palms. Gently press up through your palms to straighten your arms and arch your back as far as you comfortably

 can. Look up. Hold for 60 seconds as the stretch spreads through your abs and into the tops of your quads.

A great way to challenge your workout and really get your muscles to bulk a bit is to spend more time on your actual movements. Instead of doing fast reps with small to medium weight to exhaustions try this technique: make your movements take 3-5 counts in both directions. For example, when doing a chest press work slowly to extend the arms. Once in extended position take the same amount of time to come down.

Talk about a quick burn and exhaustion!

You are not only lifting the weight but you are taking gravity into more consideration. Just think how hard you have to concentrate on the movements to get a nice slow stable form. This really challenges the muscles and joints and makes those tiny tears necessary to build great definition!

Once too tired to lift any more reps take a quick break (no longer than 60 seconds and repeat). The shorter the break the better workout your muscles are going to get AND your heart rate will stay up to increase calorie burn. It takes about 3 minutes for muscle recovery therefore your rest should never be this long, the goal is to tire your muscles out after all. I recommend 30 second rest breaks.

Post workup refuel with a piece of fruit or protein, a good cool down and lots of water!

Make your whole body workout follow this plan- legs, arms, backs, shoulders, abs, etc. Keep the movements smooth and controlled. With this slow plan you are also going to improve stability and help to strengthen the joints and connective tissue.

When doing squats using your butt muscles for control move slowly in position, a great addition is to stay in the squat for 5-10 seconds, or you can do bouncing squats for this time before slowly coming up. Back extensions, dead lifts, push ups everything gets slowed down.

You will notice that your reps will decrease significantly than if you were doing the medium to fast pace before. That is great, it means you are pushing yourself. If you are lifting an amount where you can still do 10 or more reps then you need to increase your weight. It is ok for women to increase their weights. Really push yourself because it is the only way results are going to pile on.

A FEW TIPS
You can decrease your normal lifting weight by 10-20% – just make sure to keep the pace slow!

DO NOT stop till you are unable to go farther!

Remember your body needs a rest so keep the workouts to every other day. Overloading the muscles can lead to injury and obviously if you are injured you are not going to be able to build the great toned and strong body you are going after. Plus the rest will really help to increase your metabolism and allow the results to come much faster.

Eat plenty of protein to assist in the muscle development. You can only build muscle if you have enough resources!

It is no secret that yoga promotes a healthful and balanced lifestyle. When practiced together with a calorie burning regime, it may show exceptional results in terms of weight control.

Practicing yoga will also encourage your metabolism, increasing the calorie burning process, but you should not see it as an all-encompassing method. In addition to losing weight you will also experience an increased ability to concentrate and focus, greater resistance to stress factors and an all-round healthier way of living.

Let’s get a little technical here. Metabolism is regulated by the thyroid, a factor of the endocrine system. It is responsible for the substance processes in your body that transform food into energy. Yoga uses a string of twisting poses that stimulate the work flow of the intimate organs, therefore boosting metabolism to burn more calories and reduce your body weight.

Enhanced local circulation is another direct result with yoga postures and this leads to a healthier, more energetic body. When the calorie intake is lower than the calorie usage, your body will start burning fat cells to acquire the needed energy.

Different back bends, coupled with frontward bends, are meant to stimulate metabolism. Poses that touch the isthmus area, where the thyroid gland is situated, are especially valuable as weight problems are sometimes caused by a hormonal imbalance. These poses can be those of the camel, rabbit, plow, bridge and shoulder stand.

For people who are significantly overweight some of the bends may prove to be a difficult task to accomplish. They should gradually increase the difficulty of the postures until they are confident enough to move to more complex exercises.

Muscles can be strengthened with standing poses, such as the warrior. Energize the body and increase your metabolism even more by using Kapalabhati and Ujjayi Pranayama.

A proper diet should also be followed to sustain the holistic weight loss system. Try to consume food rich in fiber, vegetables, whole grains and fewer high fat and processed food items. Do not completely eliminate certain food stuff from your menu and remember that diversity is the key to a satisfactory diet.

A gradual approach is vital with all yoga practices. Results may not be spectacular and immediate, but this is one of the best long term weight loss methods available. In addition to weight control, yoga can also benefit you from an increased protection against adverse factors as well as a broad feeling of well being and inner peace.

If you want to get fitter, or try to lose some weight, the first point of call is your diet. You decide what you should cut back on and what you should add to your diet to achieve your goals. The second thing that you will probably consider is a good exercise program. In most peoples views a good exercise program will initially consist of some type of cardio exercise. After this some people may try to incorporate some sort of weight training regime.

An essential part of any exercise program is often ignored by most people. This essential part is stretching. Some people may go through the motions with a couple of minutes of stretching before a workout, but most people do not realise the wonderful benefits that stretching can give them. Stretching along with cardio and weight training should be considered as being a vital part of any exercise program.

The first thing to remember is that you should always have a good warm up before stretching. This is because a warm muscle is always going to be more flexible than a cold one, and this will avoid the risk of any injury. The second thing is to make sure that you do not push too far when stretching. Always go to the point where you can feel the pull and not to the point where it becomes painful.

As children we are naturally pretty flexible but this changes as we get older. Our muscles begin to get tighter and this is why it is so easy to pull a muscle, or often wake up in the mornings feeling sore and stiff if we haven’t slept with a good posture. As children the bulk of our world consists of physical play. We run around and move about in ways that stretch our bodies. When we get older all this stops. You rarely hear of children complaining of back pain or pulled hamstrings.

You should have a good stretching program consisting of 10 to 15 minutes. You will get most value from stretching if you do it after your normal workout. The benefits of stretching are many, and here are just a few:

When you exercise you are basically stressing your muscles. It is this stress that is going to make your muscles stronger or give you muscles endurance. Stretching after a workout is going to reduce the stress on your muscles because stretching will allow your blood to reach the stressed muscles more quickly, and it is your blood that carries the nutrients that are going to repair you. You will have less soreness in your muscles the day after a workout, allowing them to recover more quickly.

Stretching will improve your posture. It will make your body feel more comfortable. This will be noticeable in the way you stand and the way you move around. Good posture is extremely important for good physical health. After all it is bad posture that will end up giving you muscular problems in the long term.

Stretching will improve your daily life and allow you to perform tasks with more ease. It helps movement and you can improve everyday things such as bending, leaning, and carrying. How many times have you pulled a muscle or tweaked something after picking something up and ended up holding your back? How many times have you turned or moved suddenly and felt a stab of pain? This is because your muscles are tight and therefore not prepared for the particular movement, and end up being injured. Stretching will reduce the chances of this happening.

In conclusion do not ignore or downplay the importance of stretching. Incorporate stretching into your exercise program and it will give you benefits which will make you physically fitter, help you avoid injuries, and basically increase the quality of your life on a day to day basis. Do not underestimate the great benefits of stretching.