Flex Appeal

The Health Benefits Of Stretching

BY PETER ALFANO

Do you ever get out of bed in the morning, instinctively raise your arms above your head, and groggily reach as if trying to touch the ceiling? Good for you. That is an effective way to “wake up” your muscles and shake off the cobwebs of sleep. Yet maintaining flexibility throughout your life requires more than just stretching first thing in the morning. Ideally, it should become a regular part of your lifestyle.

Many people are under the impression that seniors are the primary target audience for stretching exercises to improve flexibility. It is true that improving flexibility can help older people maintain better balance and avoid life-changing falls that often result in fractures, leading to hip and knee replacement or worse. However, the time to start improving flexibility begins well before you are eligible to become an AARP member.

According to the Harvard Medical School, stretching not only wakes your body by increasing blood flow and oxygen to your muscles but also prepares your nervous system for a new day. Stretching can relieve body aches and pains after sleeping in an awkward position or tossing and turning through the night.

A regimen of stretching just three times a week helps improve flexibility, which, in turn, can prevent injuries, muscle strains, and, most notably, back pain. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says that 39% of adults in the U.S. have back pain at any given time. Hartford HealthCare estimates that 80% of Americans will experience back pain at some point in their life.

Stretching helps lower the risk of sprains, strains, and muscle pulls, which can be debilitating for everyone, not just the elderly or professional athletes. It improves posture, which helps your lower spine. It provides more overall strength and range of motion and improves your breathing. A study in 2020 also found that regular stretching may have cardiovascular benefits and that stretching five times a week for 30 minutes a session can lower blood pressure.

Okay, we know what you are going to say. Who has time for 30 minutes of stretching five days a week? And yes, that would be the optimum amount of stretching, and it is not as if any of us is training for the next Olympics. But even 10 or 15 minutes of stretching two or three times a week can increase your flexibility and benefit your mind and body. You can stretch at home, at your desk in an office environment, at the gym before you begin lifting weights, or before you hit the road for a daily walk or run.

A good way to assess where you are on the flexibility scale is by bending over and touching your toes. If you can achieve that benchmark, then you have a head start. If you can’t, then begin slowly because you don’t want to suffer an injury trying to do something intended to prevent injury. And here is a bonus — stretching doesn’t have to cost money, for example, purchasing expensive equipment or paying for a gym membership.

A variety of stretching exercises can be found online. Yes, you can buy resistance bands, yoga sticks, exercise floor mats, and books targeting specific demographics such as women, people over 65, and so on, but none of that is absolutely necessary. Just keep in mind that maintaining flexibility now can pay dividends for your entire life.

Flexing with Friends

Some people are more motivated if they exercise with others. That can add a social dimension to working out. If you enjoy group workouts, take yoga, tai chi, qigong, or Pilates classes. All incorporate stretching to improve flexibility.

Yoga, which originated in India, combines breathing exercises, stretching, and meditation. Tai chi, a Chinese martial art, also combines mind and body movement. Qigong, a holistic practice rooted in Chinese medicine and martial arts, combines coordinated body movements, breathing techniques, and meditation. Chair yoga and chair tai chi aren’t as demandingbut still enable beginners and older people to participate and enjoy the benefits. Pilates is a more intense exercise that focuses on building strength, endurance, and flexibility.

Taking an in-person class in any of these disciplines will cost from $10 (tai chi) to $25 (yoga) and as much as $40 a class for Pilates. Purchasing a class bundle often includes discounts, and sometimes seniors can take these classes for free at a local recreation center or YMCA.