The Importance Of Stretching In Muscle Sculpting Exercise

By now you should already know that stretching is a prerequisite to every workouts that you are undertaking. It is vital that you do this before and after any one. In as much as it has been preached, many do not see the positive influence it can have on the muscles and joints. The main purpose of stretching is to allow for flexibility, coordination and quickness in response of the muscle system.

Other positive influence of stretches is its ability to reduce stress, injury and soreness of the muscles and joints. All the while strengthening the muscles. There is another form of stretching exercise called static stretches. This is the type of stretch exercise that actors and actresses engage in sculpturing their body. A vital point in carrying out this exercise is that you must avoid straining your muscles while stretching. This form of stretching also reduce soreness.

In the course of the exercise, you want to release tension build up along your joints and cartilages. This will increase the muscle movement length. It is always advised that stretches be performed before and after workouts. However, you can also stretch between workouts to help you in reaching peak performance in your muscle building exercises.

Do you know also that stretching makes the muscles to be longer and bigger as well as elongating its maximum capacity?

Now let's take up a typical stretching activity:

Stand straight with the legs slightly apart. Hold out your two arms over your head, rotate. Perform stretching as far as you can, you will notice some tension around your shoulders, neck, back and side. This is because the muscles in these areas are preparing themselves for further workouts, thus tension is leaving those areas. This exercise is ideal for someone with spinal pain or injury as it will help in healing it on time.

The above exercise can also be done in the morning while lying down flat on the floor. However, while doing it, you should know that your main aim is to release tension all over the body get you ready for workouts. If you are going through pain while doing it, it is advised you stop at once.

There are other stretch exercises you can do, but you will need to find out the procedures and adapt it to your program. Go to your local library and or the internet to source for more information on this topic.

Joe Okoro writes about Muscle Sculpting, fitness and Body building in his free reports. You can sign up for his courses and get additional information by visiting: musclesculptingonline.com

Stretching That Comfort Zone

Where is your "Comfort Zone"?

Every person on Earth has a comfort zone, whether it be in their personal life and/or their business life. I define this zone as "the place where one feels safe that is devoid of challenges or threatening circumstances".

When in business, this zone can be the determining factor of whether one succeeds or fails. It is very easy to get locked into that which is comfortable to us and just try to work a business within those boundaries. But it doesn't work, it doesn't stretch us to better our business or become the successful, enlightened person most of us want to be.

Again I ask, where is your "Comfort Zone"?

What part of working your business makes you most uncomfortable?

Is it still being done anyway?

For some it, is picking up the phone and making that business contact, or writing their first newsletter or setting short and long term goals and sticking by them or revising them as things change. For others, it might be talking person-to-person trying to network, or writing a vision statement of where they eventually want to end up or even asking someone to be their mentor.

The first step to "stretching that comfort zone" is to replace the negative thought:

I can't...
I will fail...
Who will listen to me... They will just say no... I'm not a writer...
I'll make a fool of myself... and so on and so on......

With just the opposite:

I can...
I will succeed...
They might just listen and if they don't, well I'll move on to the next person... Hey, let's ask, they could say "yes"... I've never written anything before but I can give it a shot...
I will only make a fool of myself if I don't try...

Believe me, there is no quick fix here. It takes constant positive mind talk to get to the place where one's self- confidence and "I can do it" attitude kick in.

The second step after working on the mind, replacing those negative thoughts, is to take ACTION! The only true way to break out of that comfort zone is to do the thing in business that we want to constantly put off - possibly due to fear or lack of self-confidence. To coin the Nike phrase -- "Just Do It!".

Yes, it is easier said than done but how important is it to us to succeed in our businesses?

How important is it to us to make contact with the right kind of people?

How important is it to build a customer base or find the perfect partners?

To most, these things are very important but they will not be possible unless we are willing to do the things that are the most uncomfortable to each of us.

For me personally, the 2 major struggles were writing a newsletter and making phone contacts. With the newsletter, I had never written one and just didn't know where to start. After spending several days reviewing other online newsletters to get a feel for the formats that could be used, I made myself sit down and write one. I told myself I couldn't do anything else until it was done.

Because I did this mind talk and mentally prepared myself for the task, it was done in about 2 hours. I did, later, do some fine tuning but the point it I sat down and got it done.

With the phone calls, I told myself I had to make at least 5 calls before I could move on to other business issues. Right from the start, I found after the first 5, I wanted to make more. I still struggle from time to time pushing my comfort zone to make the first call but after that it gets easier.

What can you do today that would stretch you and be good for your business?

Sit down, make that call, write that newsletter, write down your goals, network your business or whatever it is that makes you uncomfortable (or may even scare you). Push yourself and do it now! Not only will it help you build your business but think how good you will feel afterwards to be able to say, "I did it and it wasn't so bad after all!"

Make a commitment to yourself to either once a day or once a week (depending on your schedule) to do at least one "uncomfortable" act to build your business and put you closer to succeeding.

STRETCH THAT COMFORT ZONE!!

Teri Mitchell is a stay-at-home mom with her own online business. She is committed to helping others succeed personally and in business. Visit her website at http://www.discountbenefits4u.com or email her: "mailto:terimitchell96@earthlink.net". To subscribe to her bi-monthly newsletter: "mailto:WMONews@quicktell.net"