Feeling stiff and unfit? You don’t have to love exercise to feel better about your body. Try these simple stretches for a healthier, more flexible you.

You don’t have to be a professional athlete or a gym rat to understand the importance of stretching your body every once in a while. In fact, even sedentary people are encouraged to do so every day.

Stretching your major muscle groups is essential to any workout program and more importantly, to your physical health. It is particularly vital because tight muscles will eventually cause you to move incorrectly, shifting body weight and motion to other muscles, causing undue tension and pressure.

Before embarking on an event-filled day or after a stressful schedule, it would be wise to do a little stretching to help your muscles relax and increase their range of motion. Stretching also lengthens the muscles and prevents them from becoming bulky. Done regularly, it decreased muscle soreness and reduces your chances of getting injured, provided you stretch one set of muscles at a time and do not aggravate your back in the process. It also has the added bonus of loosening muscles and contributes to a general feeling of relaxation.

Here’s a curious question for you: what sort of plant is a pineapple? Chances are, you haven’t even thought about it. Well, the pineapple is just the most well known example of a bromeliad, which is a general term for a whole family of plants that grow under many different conditions.

In their native habitats, bromides grow in diverse places down to sea level, from rain forests to deserts. Most are Epiphany, while others are terrestrial, and in some cases are both. The most common varieties are Epiphany bromides – those that don’t need soil to grow. For these types, use a mixture of coarse perlite.

Now, here’s good news even great. Your plant is bound to give you pups usually at the base or between the lower leaves. When the pups are large enough, they may be removed and potted up. This means, you not only get a replacement for your original plant, you also get some new plants to share with friends. You can remove the pups when root structures are seen at their base or when they’re about a third to one half the size of the mother plant. After removing the pups, the mother plant will probably produce more, especially if you give it a regular foliar feeding.

A complimentary activity to stretching would be cardiovascular exercise, which improves flexibility by using and working the muscles. Try to participate in a cardiovascular program three times a week for 30 minutes each. You can also try walking, jogging, hiking, biking, or aerobics. Remember that you can incorporate stretching into a cardiovascular workout at the beginning and end of the routine. Strength training also improves flexibility by improving your muscular tone and endurance.

Warm up for at least 10 minutes before stretching. Proper technique is very important. Stretch slowly and gently. When a muscle becomes tense, hold the stretch but be careful not to bounce since this may make it tighter or cause injury. As you relax into the stretch, you may find the amounts of reach increasing. A minimum of 20 seconds is necessary for any stretch. Breathe correctly. As you inhale deeply, visualize the new supply of oxygen going to the area you are stretching. On a slow exhale, feel you melting into the stretch. This will help relax the muscles even more. Come out of the stretch slowly. Enjoy your new flexibility. Work at your own pace to ensure safety for yourself. A safe stretch generally feels good.