Get_Fit_With_Julie

Stretching is such a critical aspect of life. Stretching will not only improve your athletic abilities it will also help prevent injuries. When you stretch it allows your joints to move in their full range of motion.This is also a great technique to get blood to flow to your muscles. When it comes to cheerleading stretching is a huge aspect. Why? because the focus is on flexibility. When my cheerleaders ask me how to get better jumps- my answer is always to stretch daily. So how do you stretch for cheer? - First you never want to start with cold muscles. So first thing to do is is a light jog for 5-10 minutes. After that your muscled will be warm and ready to be stretched out. - Next focus on your major muscle groups and muscles that you use frequently. For cheer, that would be your calves, hamstrings, quads and hips.It is also a good idea to stretch your back and neck. - When you stretch your right side, make sure you are also stretching your left side. - Hold your stretch ...

As a cheerleading coach I get so much joy and excitement at the beginning of the year. There is a rush of emotions that comes with all the preparation and planning of training up a new squad. As the year progresses you learn everyone's strengths and weaknesses. You watch the kids interact with each other, with the players, with the crowd and with you. I personally fall in love with these girls more and more with every practice and every game we have. By the end of the season I am so sad and lost that it is all over. Now that we are in the "off season" I am counting down the days until tryouts. I am planning out my practices, finding new workouts, researching new uniforms and doing price comparisons on camps. I try to keep myself busy now so I can focus on the girls later. While I am always thinking about all things cheer I wonder ... What are my girls doing in their free time? It makes me happy to see pictures on their social media of them hanging out together, visit...

So I was browsing through my Google+ and found this great article (from the Washington Post) about sitting and how it effects the body. This was very interesting to me because I have a job where I am sitting THE WHOLE TIME. I have to mentally check myself to be sure that I am keeping a good posture. I don't slouch too often simply because I know the effects. This article also gives good tips on stretching and what you can do to combat the effects of poor posture. Read it HERE