Remember stretching his limbs as far as possible and then watching them snap back into place? Now that was a super hero! Sadly, Stretch is now a hard to find collector's item. Now I don't know a real life Stretch Armstrong and doubt you do too. Many of us have lost that flexibility we had as children and are struggling to maintain or improve what we have left.

Is stretching important? Yes, of course. Obviously increasing flexibility is a priority. Stretching improves your circulation, increasing blood flow and bringing fresh oxygen and nutrients to your muscles. Improved range of motion is another benefit of stretching. The daily stress that we put our bodies through can be counteracted by stretching which helps decrease muscle stiffness and achiness. Greater muscle efficiency is an added plus which helps to prevent injury.

What happens when you are on the table and stretching is indicated? Your massage therapist thoroughly warms up your muscles before any stretching is attempted. Your therapist may ask you to inhale or exhale at certain points. Your job is to relax and avoid holding your breath. You will feel some tension during the stretch, but should not feel any pain. Hmmmm...didn't that feel good?

Now most of you know that I declared December as My Neck Hurts Month because of a large number of clients coming in with that complaint. Here's a stretch you can do just about anywhere. As you exhale, drop your chin to your chest. Inhale and move your right ear toward your right shoulder. Exhale and roll your chin to your chest. Inhale and bring your left ear to your left shoulder. Exhale again and move your chin back to your chest. Do this slowly several times to release neck tension.

Practice this until you can come and get on the table. Until then, have a nice stretch!