Saunas

I recently joined a pretty awesome club, and actually went on a tour of the facilities before my family and I decided to join. We saw lots of exercising equipment (treadmills, ellipticals, various muscle-training machines, cycling machines, weights and dumbells etc.), squash courts, large and open yoga/exercise rooms for classes, conference rooms, whirlpools, and wet and dry SAUNAS. I personally don’t have any firsthand experience with saunas at all; heck, that was the first time I’ve seen one in real life! So I went home and did my research, and for those who are just as inexperienced with saunas as me, this is for you.

There are two types of saunas: wet and dry. Both involve rocks being heated, which results in high temperatures.
Wet: rocks are heated, then water is thrown over them to create steam. This is also known as the “steam room.” The temperature usually ranges from 110-114F. 
Dry: rocks are heated, and that’s it. They tend to be more tolerable than wet saunas, but it mostly depends on personal preference. The temperature usually ranges from 160-200F. 
Some believe that sitting in a sauna and sweating everything out eliminates bad toxins in your body. The heat also relieves muscle tension and stress, improves blood circulation, and cleanses skin by opening up the pores. After a long workout, sitting in a sauna can help your muscles to loosen up and relax. 

A common misconception is that it helps with losing fat; that is not true because sweating only eliminates water, not fat. You might be able to lose a lot of weight by sweating buckets, but that weight will come back easy and fast. So sitting in a sauna is not the way to get skinny; results you should be hoping for are relaxation and skin-cleansing.

Shoulder and Back Stretches

These are the last of my stretches... I have more so I might post stretches again in the future, but these are it for now! 

Shoulders #1

This stretches your shoulder area in general, including the: pectoralis major (chest), biceps brachii (another type of biceps, called biceps femoris, is on your leg and you're not stretching your leg with this!), and deltoids (the muscle on top of your shoulders that give the shoulders a rounded shape). The second picture to the left is the same thing as the one on the right, except it is done with a bar (or something else like a dresser) instead of on the ground.

Shoulders #2

This stretches the back portion of the deltoid. Just place one arm over your chest and hook the other arm over it. Use your "hook arm" to pull your straight arm closer or farther from your chest, depending on how hard you want to stretch.

Seal Stretch
This stretches your spine as well as your abdominal muscles. If you feel sore after an intense ab workout, this will help loosen up those muscles.
For dancers/gymnasts/other athletes, if you want to stretch your spine to a higher level, try touching your toes to your head. Attempting it actually works out your latissimus dorsi (back muscles) and biceps femoris (back of your leg, behind the thigh) because you have to clench those muscles in order to achieve the position.

 Shoulders and Back...combined!

This position stretches both the shoulders and the spine -- how exciting! Just grab on to a bar/surface of about your shoulder height, and press your shoulders down towards the ground as far as you can. This is actually really similar to a yoga position called Downward Dog and stretches the same places too; to view how to do that, check out Hamstring Stretches (continued).

Thanks for reading, and I hope these stretches helped! I wish you the best of luck in your stretching adventures. :P

More leg stretches...and wrists!

Lunge sequence

Lunges are a popular way of stretching out your legs, and is also good for if you want to get your splits down. There are also several other stretches that I usually do along with the lunges that makes up a sequence or a routine.

Basic Lunge

Your toes can be under (as shown in the picture) or over. If you choose to have them over, remember to keep your leg straight. 

 Quad Stretch

Reach your arm back and grab your (bent) leg. If the right leg is in front, reach back with your right arm and vice versa. Doing this stretches your quad muscles, hence the name.

Dropped Lunge

This stretches the inner thighs. Do the "basic lunge" then turn to to the left if you were doing a right lunge/right if you were doing a left lunge to reach this position. Use your elbow to push the bent knee backwards for a better stretch.

Foot Curl

This is not the healthiest way of stretching out your foot, but is often used by dancers, gymnasts, or other people who participate in sports that require a good toe-point. So if you're just looking for a normal foot stretch, simple ankle rolls are sufficient. 

Anyhow, if you're trying to improve your toe-point, this stretch will help loosen up your toe joints, ankles, and arches. However, be extra careful of putting too much pressure on your toes because they're fragile and most likely won't be able support your entire body weight while being curled under; follow the picture and use your arms to bear the weight. 

 

Wrists

This stretches out your wrists and your forearms. In the first picture shown (palm down), the back side of the forearm is stretched. In the next picture, flip your hands over (palm up) and the front of the forearm will be stretched.

Leg Stretches

The last two posts were about hamstrings, so this one is about stretching the legs in general. There's no specific targeted muscle this time. 

Straddle/Pancake

For this stretch, just sit on the ground with your legs straight and spread out as wide as you can, then lead forward (as much as you can). This stretches your inner thigh muscles as well as your hamstrings.

There aren't any pictures for this, but if you want to stretch your side, all you have to do is sit up with your legs in the same straddle position and lean your body over one leg. 

Split Stretch (3 parts)

Part one

Lie on your back and pull your knee to your chest. This stretches the back of your thigh.

Part two
To stretch your side, pull your knee to the opposite side after completing part one. If your right knee is bent, pull it over to your left side or vice versa.

Part three
Return your knee to the position of part one, and extend/straighten your leg. This mainly stretches the upper half of the the back of your leg.

If you're trying to get your splits by any chance, part one and three are right for you!

Butterfly

This stretch is similar to the straddle, except your knees are bent and your feet are touching. Again, lean over as much as you can. 

Hamstring Stretches (continued)

I have two more hamstring stretches, so here they are! 

Downward Dog

This is a yoga position called the Downward Dog; the name actually makes sense because I see dogs doing this all the time! It's a great position, because not only does it target your hamstrings, but it also stretches your back and shoulders. Just follow the picture because it's kind of difficult to explain in words. Here are a few points to keep in mind:

1) Your body should look like a mountain and not a hill. There should be a sharp peak at the top (your butt) rather than a round arc.

2) Try pressing your stomach through your legs. A normal person won't be able to literally do that of course, but working with that goal in mind helps give you a better hamstring stretch. It also helps you create that peak mentioned earlier.

3) Press your shoulders towards the ground. This is what stretches out your shoulders and back.

Standing Lunge

All there is to executing this stretch is doing a lunge and holding it. 

1) Stand normally.

2) Take a step forward (about 2-3 ft. in front of you) and bend your front leg. 

3) To enhance the stretch, keep your heel on the ground and bend your front leg more if you don't feel a pull in your muscle.

This stretch is great for the bottom half of the back of your leg; it stretches your hamstring, achilles tendon, and calf muscles. 

Even more stretches will be coming soon. ;)

Muscle and Joint flexibility

I would say having good muscle and joint flexibility is not a “must” for health, but does make daily life easier. It makes everyday movements easier (such as picking something up from the ground), helps prevent injuries when doing sports, lowers your chance of falling as you get older, and allows blood flow to the muscles, which may help an injured muscle heal faster. Also, having stiff spine and hips can lead to bad posture (hunch backs...oh no!) and potential back problems.

Muscles and joints can become inflexible through aging or lack of movement, so if any of those two things sound familiar to you, you better start stretching! (That’s everyone, because nobody stops aging. >:D)

A few points to keep in mind while stretching are:

• Warm up for 5-10 minutes first. Stretching cold muscles=high risk of injury. Warming up also allows your muscles to relax and loosen up.

• Stretch on a regular basis if you want to see results quicker. You can start off with one or two days a week, then work your way up.

• When stretching, you should feel a pull or tension in the muscle and maybe soreness, but not sharp pain. Hold the stretch until the tension subsides (usually 30 sec). Athletes who participate in sports that require intense flexibility such as gymnastics or dance often overlook this, and that’s partly why there are so many people who get injured doing those sports.

• Try not to bounce. It creates tears in the muscle which will actually lead to stiffer muscles than before. That’s just frustrating, because who wants to work to get worse? I used to bounce a lot when trying to get my oversplits, and yes, the next day, I felt like I didn’t get any more flexible than before.

Surprisingly, another thing that will help with flexibility is your intake of vitamins. A few vitamins and foods that will help are:

• B-3: meats (chicken, tuna, turkey, salmon), Shitake mushrooms, peanuts
• B-5: sweet potatoes, corn, avocados, broccoli, eggs, mushrooms, cauliflower, sunflower seeds, swiss chard
• B-6: meats (chicken, tuna, turkey, halibut), hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, potatoes, chickpeas
•  C: oranges, bell peppers, kiwis, brussel sprouts, strawberries, broccoli, cantaloupe, papayas, guavas, cauliflower
• D: SUN, fish (salmon, tuna, sardines), eggs, milk
• E: olives, asparagus, hazelnuts, almonds, spinach, sunflower seeds, swiss chard

I will post specific stretches with pictures and descriptions soon. :)