114 Does+anyone+know+what+the+current+thoughts+are+on+stretching+to+increase+flexibility%3f+Over+the+last+couple+of+years+I%27ve+seen+conflicting+articles+on+whether+or+not+to+have+students+stretching+pre%2dactivity+%28following+a+short+aerobic+warm%2dup%29%2c+and%2for+post%2dactivity%2e%2e%2eduring+the+cool+down%2c+or+only+during+the+post%2dactivity%2e++What+are+you+doing+at+your+school+with+your+students%3fThanks+for+the+information%21
237 From+personal+experience+I+know+that+if+I+don%27t+stretch+for+at+least+20+secs+after+exercise+I+am+stiff+the+next+day%2e+As+an+adolescent+I+barely+remember+doing+stretches%2c+let+alone+needing+them%2e+that+difference+is+when+I+was+younger%2c+I+never+put+two+and+two+together%2e+If+I+ran+good+race+because+I+had+limbered+up+well+then+I%27d+had+a+good+day%2e+If+I+ran+poorly+because+my+muscles+were+still+tight+or+I+had+less+flexibility+than+a+competitor%2c+I+had+a+bad+day%2e+As+PE+specialist+I+believe+we+should+be+showing+students+how+to+develop+positive+patterns+of+behaviour+for+sport+and+exercise%2e+Even+if+the+students+don%27t+always+do+the+stretches+as+effectively+as+we+might+like+we+are+at+least+teaching+them+that+warming%2dup+and+limbering+up+before+exercise+and+cooling+down+and+stretching+out+after+exercise+go+together+lkie+study+and+good+grades%21
342 My+physical+therapist+%28I+was+recuperating+from+major+knee+surgery%29+had+me+stretch+after+I+warmed+up%2c+which+meant+my+doing+5+minutes+of+something+aerobic+first%2e%0a%0aI+like+to+use+metaphors+when+I+teach%2c+so+I+liken+the+need+to+stretch+a+warm+muscle+to+what+happens+when+you+try+to+stretch+chewed+bubble+gum%2e++When+it+is+cold%2c+it+breaks%2e++When+it+is+warm%2c+it+stretches%2e++This+may+help+students+visualize+the+need+for+warming+up+first+and+remember+it+as+well%2e+%0a+%0aPersonally%2c+I+find+stretching+more+valuable+at+the+conclusion+of+a+work%2dout%2c+but+then+I+am+no+kid+and+can+recognize+the+need+to+stretch+specific+muscle+groups+%2d+after+I+warmed+up%2d+when+I+am+feeling+tight%2e
381 I+feel+if+children+stretch+a+few+minutes+after+the+lesson+they+will+benefit+from+it+in+the+long+run%2e+I+love+the+feeling+after+I+have+stretched%2e+I+feel+more+relaxed+and+the+muscle+tension+is+gone%2e++As+a+student+coach+for+the+Kent+State+Gymnastics+Team+we+have+our+gymnasts+stretch+after+practice+for+a+few+minutes%2e+Since+we+have+been+stretching+after+practice+the+girls+flexibility++has+increased+greatly%2e+Flexibility+is+much+easier+to+increase+as+a+child+than+as+an+adult%2e+Remember+to+save+a+few+minutes+for+stretching%2e