The 6 Magic Tips for Flexibility.

A MUST-HAVE not only for ballerinas, but also for athletes in general is flexibility. Flexibility is the capacity of adding stress to different joints of muscles and muscle joints without injuring. Unfortunately, this capacity is only acquired with practice, determination, and a little bit of masochism. Nevertheless, the results (ability to stretch, stylize body, etc.) are marvelous. The following list will help you with the gain of flexibility

    1.     Be constant: Practice your stretching daily; this will make your muscles capable of supporting more stress day by day.

    2.     Morning Cat Stretch:  A great tip for flexibility is to stretch immediately after you wake up. Stretching after long hours of sleep will give you more benefits than at any other time among the day.

   3.     Diet: Drink/eat a lot of milk, potassium, green leafs and protein. This will give enough nutriments to your muscles to get stronger, healthier, and less likely to have injuries.

  4.     Breathe: During the stretching, remember to breathe at all times. Your muscles need to receive oxygen in order to work. Breathing helps you liberate the pain caused by the stress of the muscle. You should remember that stretching makes you feel a little bit of pain due to the stretch of the muscle but you shouldn’t overpass, otherwise you’ll get injured.

  5.     Static Stretching: The key for gaining flexibility is to follow the following steps:

-       Stretch until you feel that your muscle is actually stretching

-       Stay static (without bouncing) and take approx. 10 deep breaths. Breathing will liberate the tension and will allow you to go a little bit further.

-       Go farther after each set of breaths, get out of your comfort zone

  6.     Always ask a professional: Investigate which exercises are the ones you need, know your limits, listen to your body, consult an expert to help you. In other words, keep it safe.