Fitness

Can you lose weight by stretching?

Stretching or stretching is a physical exercise to increase the body’s flexibility. Regular training helps to make the figure slim, the joints more mobile, and stretch the muscles. One of the most famous exercises of the technique is twine, but not only the legs’ ligaments, muscles, and tendons but also other body parts are stretched.

Stretching is necessarily included in the training program of professional athletes, but does stretching help to lose weight?

Can you lose weight by stretching?

Stretching helps to lose weight. This is because when the muscles are stretched, they begin to receive more oxygen. Blood circulation is activated, so more nutrients enter the body tissues. All this improves metabolism, which is a prerequisite for effective weight loss.

However, is it possible to lose weight with stretching if you do nothing else? Stretching muscles alone do not lead to significant weight loss. Its role in losing weight is not to burn excess fat but to increase the effectiveness of cardio training, which aims to lose weight.

At the same time, it is important to remember that stretching helps to make the muscles more prominent: they are better fed and “pumped up” faster. The waist becomes thinner, and the lines of the arms and legs become more elegant.

Stretching can be used as an aid in weight loss but not as the main tool for losing weight.

Basic exercises for weight loss

You can work out in the gym under the guidance of a trainer or at home – on your own. We offer several exercises to help beginners lose weight faster and make their figures fit.

In a standing position, spread your legs shoulder-width apart and slightly bend at the knees. Raise one hand, stretch, then lower it down. Repeat with the second hand. And so three to five times for each hand. Exercise promotes weight loss in the thigh area.
Standing, feet shoulder-width apart. The left hand is placed on the waist, and the right covers the head and tilts it to the right. You must remain in this position for 15-20 seconds, then return to the starting position. Rest for ten seconds and repeat on the other side: right hand – on the belt, left – on the head. Only eight to ten repetitions.
Sit on the floor, spread your legs, and collect your hands in the lock behind your head. Then bend over, stretching to the right knee and left. On each side, do this six to eight times. This helps to reduce the volume in the waist and hips.
Standing on all fours, stretch your right hand forward, and left foot back. Try to keep them parallel to the floor. Hold for 15 seconds, and return to starting position. Change arm and leg. Repeat six to eight times on each side. When performing this exercise, the muscles of the hips, ankle, waist, and sides are stretched, contributing to weight loss in these places.

Lying on your back, raise your outstretched legs, grab your feet or shins with your palms, linger for 15 seconds, then lower your legs to the floor. Reps should be six to eight.
Sitting on the floor, bend your knees and connect your feet. The back should be straight. Now you must grab your feet with your palms and stretch down, trying to lower your knees. Six to eight reps.
Lying on your stomach, bend your elbows and place your palms on the floor under the shoulder joints. Tighten the muscles of the pelvis and abs, and raise the body on outstretched arms. In this case, the hips should lie on the floor. Stay in this position for 10-15 seconds, then lower yourself. The number of repetitions is five to seven. This exercise activates the muscles of the press and back.

When choosing exercises for stretching, you should focus on your feelings. The main load should fall on those areas of the body where you want to remove excess weight.

How many calories does one workout burn?

If you do stretching exercises for an hour, the body will spend about 150 kilocalories, equivalent to two green apples, one hundred grams of cottage cheese, or two chocolates.

Much more energy is spent during cardio training: 600-1000 kilocalories in sixty minutes.

What can enhance the effect of losing weight?

You can lose weight faster by stretching if you perform other training exercises.

Strength training with a barbell, dumbbells, on simulators, and under the weight of your body will create the necessary load to burn excess fat. At the same time, the body must sweat; otherwise, there will be no result. With strength training, the body produces faster somatotropin, the growth hormone. It accelerates all metabolic processes, including removing fat cells from the depot. The hormones cortisol and adrenaline, which are necessary for weight loss, are also more actively produced.

Interval training also promotes weight loss, in which faster and slower movements alternate. For example, a person runs slowly for a minute, then quickly for 10-30 seconds. Growth hormone and adrenaline are produced faster, oxygen supply to the tissues increases, and weight decreases.

You can achieve good results in losing weight only if you comprehensively approach the issue.

The benefits of stretching

The effect of stretching is based on myotatic reflex: the muscles contract in response to stretching. As a result, metabolic processes in muscle tissue are activated, blood circulation improves, metabolism in the body normalizes, and the heart and blood vessels work more intensively. This is similar to what happens in the body during a massage.

If you do stretching regularly, you can

make your body more flexible;
enhance the lymphatic and circulatory systems’ performance;
remove muscle pain caused by stress and tension;
restore muscles after intense exercise;
correct posture;
get rid of cellulite;
prevent osteoporosis and lack of movement;
slow down the coarsening of muscle tissue that occurs with age; that is, slow down the aging of the body as a whole;
build muscle faster.

Stretching can benefit people who have to sit, for example, at work; those who are just starting to play sports; the elderly; professional athletes; and pregnant women.

How to do stretching correctly?

You must follow a few basic rules for training to bring the desired effect.

Before stretching, you need to warm up your muscles: run a little on the spot, dance, and ride a bike for ten to fifteen minutes.
Breathing during the exercise is required deeply and measuredly through the nose. Sharp breaths should not be allowed: smooth breathing helps stretch muscles and helps prevent injury. You need to inhale when starting the movement and exhale when ending it.
Class clothing should be chosen comfortably so that it does not restrict movement. It can be leggings and a T-shirt made of a fabric with a high content of elastane or loose cotton items.
Staying in a static position, in which the muscles tense up, takes 15-45 seconds, no more. Then comes relaxation.
Each exercise should be done three to four times.
While exercising, you need to focus on your sensations in the body: it should be pleasant, and it should be felt that the muscles are stretching. The appearance of pain indicates that reducing the range of motion is necessary.

If shortness of breath occurs during the session and the pulse becomes more frequent and dizzy, the training should be stopped and consult a doctor in the coming days.
After completing the exercises, you should not move on to strength training or hard work: the muscles must be allowed to relax. Otherwise, there will be an overstrain.
Experienced stretching trainers recommend stretching three to four times a week and eventually move on to daily workouts, arranging a day of two to three times a month. It’s best not to take long breaks because that makes the work less effective.
You need to train regularly. Otherwise, the effect simply will not be.
Do not expect quick results: everything comes gradually. For example, sitting on the twine will take about six months.

When asked if stretching contributes to weight loss, experienced instructors answer: only with regular training and other exercises.

Types of stretch marks

Stretching is different. Let’s name the main types according to how the exercises are performed.

Static assumes that the body is fixed in some position for a few seconds, for example, in a forward bend.
Dynamic means a set of springy movements – rolls, swings, and others.
Active-isolated is accompanied by muscle tension, which is the opposite of what is being worked out: lifting the leg, holding it, and so on.
Ballistic, in which movements are performed in a certain amplitude: inclinations to the floor and others.
Proprioceptive neuromuscular involves tension and relaxation of the muscle alternately.
Passive with a partner, when another person helps to stretch.
Aerostretching is carried out in special elastic hammocks suspended from the ceiling.
Strength training combines stretching and exercises to develop muscle strength.

There are several other classifications of stretching; for example, soft and deep stretching is distinguished according to the load on muscle tissue. With the first, the muscles are stretched to the usual limit, with the second – to a greater length (one to five minutes per movement).

It is worth choosing the type of stretching that suits you. The best option for beginners is static stretching.

Nutrition rules for weight loss

Proper nutrition is essential for effective weight loss. This is the only way to make training comfortable and get results.

The first rule is to drink enough water: at least two liters daily.
The second point is that foods containing fatty acids must be present in the diet. Otherwise, it will not be possible to achieve the desired muscle elasticity. There are many such substances in nuts, vegetable oil, avocados, and fish.
The third condition is more vitamins, which are abundant in fresh vegetables and fruits.
The fourth is the reduction of salt in the menu: from its excess, the ligaments become rigid.
Fifth – eat as little sugar as possible or eliminate it from the diet.
The sixth rule is to eat better an hour and a half before training and not earlier than an hour after.

To lose weight, you need to eat well: the diet should have enough water, vitamins, fatty acids, protein, and as little sugar and salt as possible.

Harm and contraindications of stretching

Stretching may not always be helpful. There are several relative contraindications to stretching.

With osteochondrosis of the spine, twisting exercises cannot be done, or they can be performed only under the supervision of an experienced trainer.
Power stretching is undesirable during menstruation.
Training should be canceled for a while if the body temperature has risen, the joint is blocked, and a fracture has occurred.

A complete ban on stretching refers to several situations:

If a person is diagnosed with a severe case of scoliosis;
if there are mental illnesses;
with malignant pathologies;
with frequent dizziness;
with some diseases of the internal organs;
if such diagnoses as thrombosis, arthrosis, osteoporosis, hypertension, spinal hernia, and hypertension are made.

Before stretching, it is recommended to consult a doctor to find out if you have any contraindications.