I have been a runner for more than 20 years.
A funny thing happens when you run for that long without ever really stretching.
Your body gets incredibly tight.
I felt my body getting tighter and tighter over the years, especially my hamstrings.
But I didn’t do anything about it.
Then a couple years ago I read Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins. Goggins is an ultra-endurance athlete and former Navy SEAL, known for pushing his body and mind to the absolute limits.
But in the book, he credited stretching as the thing that improved his life most in recent years.
Goggins became a fanatic about stretching, initially stretching for 8–12 hours per day, which then got reduced to 6 hours, and then to 4. He still spends at least 2 hours every day stretching.
He credited his stretching routine with alleviating back pain, releasing quad stiffness, improving range of motion, and increasing blood flow throughout his body. He also firmly believes stretching reduces anxiety and depression.
I figured if this superhuman athlete was taking this much time to stretch, and seeing such profound benefits, I should give stretching a try as well.
