by Surtrayvey

So yes, Dara Torres is a hero of mine.  To watch a 40 year old woman, who has had a child, achieve Olympic dreams this summer was amazing.  Dara defied time this summer when she competed in the 2008 Olympics.  Not only was she the oldest swimming Olympian ever, but she was a Mom and wife who competed with swimmers less than half her age and she did it with superior and efficient training!  Don ‘t get me wrong, I am extremely jealous of her talent and physique and I would love to workout as my job.  Her amazing talent has allowed her to build a career in modeling, speaking, and swimming.  Most of us moms do not have that luxury, instead we are looking for that 1/2 hour a couple of days a week to fit in a workout.

This past weekend I attended a 16 hour workshop on Meridan Stretching led by Dara Torres’ “secret weapon” her stretching coaches, Steve Sierra and Anne Tierney.  I originally attended one of their clinics just prior to the USA Olympic swimming trials in June/July in order to learn their methods for my current swimmers and assist them in better stretching.  I learned more than I ever thought about the importance of stretching and their innovative system, they use resistance while stretching the muscles in order to increase both strength and flexibility.  I actually found that learning to stretch more efficiently was one of the best things that I could do for myself.  While I use stretching for my swimmers, I also learned how to stretch myself and help with many of the aches and pains of getting older! 

So why is this important to active mommies?  Well many times in our hectic lives we forget to take care of ourselves.  At the clinic this weekend, I realized that taking 20 minutes to stretch out properly 3-4 times a week can make me a healthier, happier, and less stressed Mommy, wife, and employee.  While I am not looking to be an Olympic athlete like Dara, I can still follow some of her great techniques to have a healthier lifestyle.  I highly encourage you to find time to stretch each week after exercising or simply when you are ready to wake up or go to bed.  If you want to learn more about Dara Torres’ stretching routine, you can check out the DVD that her and her stretching coaches created after the Olympics.  But, no matter what you do, just make sure that in your hectic daily life you still take time to stretch and take care of your body.