Streching

Stretching is a form of physical exercise in which a specific skeletal muscle (or muscle group) is deliberately elongated to its fullest length (often by abduction from the torso) in order to improve the muscle's felt elasticity and reaffirm comfortable muscle tone.

Why do we stretch?
• Because our muscles become somewhat cramped and the body sends signals to the brain telling it that the body is becoming stiff and blood isn't going out so well, and the result is stretching.

• Stretching also just keeps the body awake and is part of the waking up process if you have been sleeping.

Stretching is also believed to help to prevent injury to tendons, ligaments and muscles by improving muscular elasticity and reducing the stretch reflex in greater ranges of motion that might cause injury to tissue.

Here something to convince yourself:

http://www.cmcrossroads.com/bradapp/docs/rec/stretching/stretching_3.html