Can you touch the tips of your toes without bending your knees? It is very possible that not and that, in addition, you protest saying that not everyone can do it, but body flexibility is much more important than it seems for health in general, and something that we should take care of.
As we age we lose flexibility due to a combination of factors, such as the loss of collagen and elastin in connective tissues, such as tendons and ligaments, which become harder, and the loss of muscle mass, which limits range of motion. This is aggravated by leading a more sedentary life. A 2023 study corroborates that spending many hours sitting a day aggravates joint stiffnesscauses less synovial fluid (the ‘lubricant’ that keeps them in shape) to be produced and increases the risk of suffering from joint pain.
Being able to perform certain stretches not only shows that your body has good mobility and elasticity, it also speaks to other important aspects of health. A 2009 investigation from the University of North Texas in the United States concluded that for those over 40 years of age, less flexible joints were a symptom of greater stiffness in the arteries, which increases the risk of hypertension, heart attacks and other cardiovascular diseases.
Flexibility is also linked to the risk of injuries and falls in older people. Being less flexible means having less ability to react when we lose balance, and greater chances of having poor posture when we make an effort, and getting injured. Practicing simple exercises can significantly reduce this risk. For example, a study carried out in Italy found that the combination of stretching and strength exercises over three months in people over 65 years of age improved both flexibility and chronic pain.
Flexibility is a fundamental part of our physical health, although it is often overlooked in comparison to strength or cardio. Being able to perform certain stretches not only shows that your body has good mobility and elasticity, it can also reveal possible imbalances, tensions or even injury risks. Below we’ll explain the key stretches you should be able to do, what it says about your health if you can’t do them, and how you can improve your flexibility with an effective routine.
touch toes
In this famous stretch, all you have to do is bend your trunk forward with your hands extended, and touch the tips of your toes while keeping your knees straight. This stretch measures the flexibility of the hamstrings (muscles on the back of the thighs), the lower back, and the ability of the pelvis to tilt forward.
If we cannot reach our toes, or we do so by hunching our back excessively, the most common cause is stiff hamstrings, something normal when we spend a lot of time sitting. This stiffness also usually appears combined with tension or pain caused by weakness of the lumbar muscles.
To start improving we can do this stretch sitting. With our legs extended, we will try to reach our feet with our hands, maintaining the maximum position for 20-30 seconds. Repeat several times throughout the day.
deep squat
The deep squat consists of squatting with the sole of the foot resting completely on the floor, without lifting the heels, and the back is straight, until the butt is below the knees or, ideally, almost touching the floor. It is a common resting posture in many cultures, which they maintain until very advanced ages, and which in the West is lost due to the use of chairs.
This posture gives us a measure of the mobility of the hips, knees and ankles, as well as the stability of the lower back. The lack of flexibility in any of these joints will prevent us from getting into this position comfortably.
Before you can do a deep squat, it may be necessary to improve your flexibility in parts. To improve the range of motion of the ankles and hips, we can do a lunge, with the front leg bent at a 90-degree angle, and tilt the body, pushing that knee forward so that it surpasses the foot, but without lifting the heel. . Then we change legs and repeat.
Join your hands behind your back
In this stretch, we will act as if we wanted to scratch our back, passing one hand above and one below, and trying to bring them together. This is a flexibility test called the Apley test, and when we cannot do it it indicates that we have joint stiffness and lack of elasticity in the chest and deltoid muscles, something common due to the tensions accumulated from being hunched over and the lack of movement at diary.
In the long run, this lack of mobility can affect the ability to perform simple tasks such as placing a suitcase in the overhead compartment of the train, combing one’s hair, or fastening a bra, for example.
To recover elasticity we have to first work on opening the chest, stretching the pectorals. A good exercise consists of resting both hands on a wall at shoulder level and walking backwards, tilting your torso, keeping your arms straight, until you feel the stretch in your shoulders and chest.
Another exercise is to try to reproduce the stretch, with one hand above and one below, behind the back, but holding a towel or an elastic band, which we will make progressively shorter as we gain flexibility.
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