Stretch, stretch, stretch

Stretching is an important part of healthy living, whether you exercise daily or not. It can help you increase your flexibility, improves your muscles' range of motion, improve circulation and even relieve stress. Stretching before a workout will help to prevent injury and soreness and it will also improve the quality of your workout. Also, stretching daily even when you do not exercise will make you feel healthier because you will have better circulation and motion range of your muscles.

In the following pictures, my roommate Brooke is demonstrating basic stretches that you should do before every workout, as well as a few times per week. These stretches will stretch the main muscles your body uses when you exercise: the calves, hamstrings, quadriceps ("quads"), adductors, lower back, and arms. Each stretch should be held for at least 30 seconds for it to be effective, and should be repeated on each side of the body (i.e. left leg and right leg, left arm and right arm). You should stretch only until you feel a light pull of the muscle and it should not be painful, if pain occurs, you should stop the stretch and talk to your doctor about it.

In the pictures: Brooke Carpenter, 21, Ohio University.