Friday, April 16, 2010

It's A Stretch


No politics here. Just some interesting information.

Nearly always, I stretch before riding my bike. Always, I begin riding at a slow speed in an easy gear, and take a while to crank it up. Turns out, the stretching might not be such a good thing. In retrospect, I'm not sure I get less sore when I omit it.

Many people take it for granted that they should start their exercise routines with some stretching on the spot, perhaps hoping it will loosen them up for their work-out. Most fitness experts now agree this kind of static stretching before exercise is not just counter-productive, but potentially harmful.

Traditional stretches, like when people bend over to touch their toes or stretch their legs on a fence, often cause the muscles to tighten rather than relax - exactly the opposite of what is needed for physical activity.

Experts say it is like extending a rubber band to its limit. When people stretch to the maximum, they are more likely to pull a muscle.

Fact-oriented scientist that I claim to be, I'm gonna omit the stretching and see what happens.

And now, presumably, back to the ranting and raving that really affects my health.


1 comment:

  1. Dr. JB in the SierraApril 17, 2010 at 9:39 PM

    I want to beat Frank to be first, but only on non-controversial items like "stretching" which indicates the degree of burn-out that comes with political blogging these days. The "stretching is bad" is reminiscent of "decaf is bad because it causes pancreatic cancer." Which is now totally BS. Go stretch. Have a fun stretching the thing. Do it in the gym and look at chicks and desperate housewives (9AM till 11AM at most gyms) Don't let these crooked "studies" throw you off. stretch. Bend. Heck, do underwater stretching...but don't listen to the voices of disbelief and remember: Negative medical publications ALWAYS trump common sense and reason. Please, for me..for my dad who was 90 and died because he didn't stretch...DO IT.
    Having secretly spent a week with the Sids, my wife and I are refreshed and ready to go...fighting our RWS battles, having been entertained and wined and dined and driven and hosted by LWS folks. Funny, but we are all in the same bag if we don't get onto "the things" and we didn't. The Sids were fabulous, and those of you who just "post" should know that Sid is the real deal, honest, truthful, introspective and kind...even though he is, well, to the left of me by many moccasins. But there is still time for revelation.
    See, I would have had the Ft. Knox shooter, Major Hassan, up against a firing squad by now for treasonus murder...Islamist terrorism...but our 'system' grants him a "speedy trial". Where Sid Man stands on this I do not know..but we are WEAK as a nation. We can't use our power, we disenable our troops in the field with ridiculous ROEs..."don't shoot unless shot upon" and such.
    However, the ambience of Sidville and his great knowledge overshadow these petty differences, over which ....neither he nor I have control.
    That is the essence of the entire "THING". If it is out of your control, then please...don't sweat it. Death, Iran's nukes, the Iceland volcano, the Haitian earthquake, the taxes coming, the nail in your Prius' back tire...OUT OF YOUR CONTROL. Do like my dad said at 85: "Think of it all as entertainment."
    And yes, it was I who told you at Dow 8,000 "It doesn't matter who is president, economy rules the market." (Even with criminals at Goldman..)
    All best to Frank, SeaSpray, Anonymous one and two, and all the rest. I rarely post..but decided to "surface" to blow off the ballast tanks. Famous "JB"

    ReplyDelete

Comments back, moderated. Preference given for those who stay on topic.

Popular posts