3 Reasons Why You Need to Stretch More (and with a pro!)

Hi everyone…this is Scott! I’m here to talk about one of my favorite hobbies and athletic activities - golf (well, it is somewhat athletic, right?). The picture above is from Whitefish, Montana during our hiking trip last fall (I took a day off hiking to play golf!). Even if you don’t play golf, keep reading because you’ll still want to learn about the Streto Method! Whether you are a retired senior, office worker, or athlete, you will benefit from stretching with a pro. Anyone that’s played golf or is very familiar with the game knows that the body takes a beating with each and every swing. You twist and contort your lower back muscles, obliques, and abdominals to start the swing, then you rotate your arms and shoulders away from the ball as you complete the backswing, then on the downswing you hit down through the ball with a jarring impact into the turf that, when the ball is not struck cleanly, can be felt in your hands, wrists and shoulders for a fairly long period of time (and especially when you wake up the next morning!).

I worked in the golf industry during college and still work in the golf industry now 10 years later. I have played golf about 2-3 times per week during the primary golf season here in Georgia (April through October) for more than 10 years and there were some mornings I would wake up and ask myself why I put myself through the pain (Whitney here…He even swings an “imaginary” golf club…ALL THE TIME). I had to ice my lower back after a round of golf and/or take Ibuprofen just to make it through 18 holes.

There even used to be days where I would have to skip golf for a couple weeks to let my lower back and shoulders recover until I recently discovered the Streto Method during our visit with the Massage Envy team in Scottsdale, Arizona (read more about that here).

Total Body Stretch is an assisted stretch service that uses the Streto Method to take you through a progression of specific stretches. In each stretch, slow, deliberate traction techniques are used to improve range of motion and restore muscular function (picture what professional and elite athletes have access to with their strength and conditioning coaches). I played a pain-free round of golf the day following my Total Body Stretch session and honestly have never felt better during a round of golf. Get this, I even woke up with no lower back or shoulder pain that always tends to annoy me early in the morning. The Total Body Stretch session was one of our favorite sessions. While massages are awesome and skin care is definitely necessary, I was and still am most excited about assisted stretch.

Here are a few pictures from our Total Body Stretch session in Arizona:

Even if you aren’t a golfer, you can benefit from Streto assisted stretch. Much of the pain in my back and shoulders, along with the limited range of motion I felt, was coming from working in an office environment - sitting at a desk for 8-12 hours per day and staring at my computer. Think about it - you start the day off with good, strong posture and then eventually start to stretch your arms out to reach your keyboard and mouse which rounds the shoulders then, eventually, you drop your chin and shorten your neck muscles which then takes you out of the good posture you started with. Add the typical stress you deal with daily and the problem is compounded. I’ve tried changing to a stand-up desk, which does help a bit, but still doesn’t solve the problem of stress, rounded shoulders and shortened muscles as you stretch to reach your keyboard and mouse. Working out and focusing on strengthening the upper back and posterior deltoids also helps, but the chances are you’re still in pain either in your neck, lower back, glutes and/or knees and ankles. Quite honestly, working out without correcting the problem only makes matters worse!

3 Reasons Why You Need to Stretch More (and with a pro!)

Improves posture that gets thrown off from too much sitting
To cope with daily stress
To reduce risk of injury

Am I right? Most of us skip stretching which is why you need a pro. People who won’t go to the gym without someone to hold them accountable typically will hire a personal trainer. If you are like us, you need to hire someone to assist you in stretching and to make sure you take care of this important aspect of your training and overall well-being!

The Streto Method follows a top-down approach with ten targeted stretches.

Streto /stret-ō/ - combining stretch and top-down
symbolizes the total body wellness origins of our method and philosophy.

Massage Envy is even partnering with the PGA Tour this summer to unveil Total Body Stretch. This assisted stretch service is offered at Massage Envy location nationwide and is designed to help players and people at every level maximize performance and relieve tension and pain.

Let Total Body Stretch (and the rest of Massage Envy’s services) help you #DoMore. Take advantage of your membership and try out the Streto Method during your next session. Even if you aren’t a member yet (first, ask yourself why not!), get in to stretch with a pro ASAP!