How does flexibility help your health

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Can vaping help you quit smoking? Staying Healthy Benefits of flexibility exercises April 16, Print This Page Click to Print. Staying Healthy. There are many more important health-related benefits of improved flexibility. Here are just a few, according to experts and research:.

Irritating, everyday injuries that occur when you move the wrong way in bed or feel achy when switching from sitting to standing, can all be caused by poor mobility and tight muscles. Stretching has been shown to be effective at increasing range of motion , which may help lower the risk of those minor, everyday injuries. Research has also shown that stretching can help reduce more intense performance-related injuries.

When proper stretching is not incorporated into a fitness routine—particularly with endurance activities, like running —the chance of developing an overuse injury increases. Taking time to stretch both before and after may mitigate those risks. Whether you're working on a computer or staring at your phone, it's pretty common for your shoulders to hunch and your neck to feel tight.

Stretching is one way to correct your alignment, and when done habitually, it may improve your posture , says physical therapist and yoga teacher Jessica Moy, DPT.

Poor posture and injuries can lead to pain, so by mitigating those two outcomes as mentioned above , stretching may also help to reduce overall pain. Plus, it helps to lengthen the muscles and relax the body. Think about it: if you're sitting for a long period of time and your hips start to tighten up, a deep psoas stretch is likely to melt that tension away and leave you feeling more comfortable. Here: a chiropractors' go-to stretches for relieving upper-back pain.

Studies have shown that low muscle flexibility can lead to poor balance , which increases the risk of falls in older adults. Stretching regularly may reduce those risks, according to some research.

In a study, adults over the age of 65 engaged in exercises, including mobility and stretching, two times a week over the course of 12 weeks. By the end, participants showed increased lower-body flexibility, dynamic balance, and lumbar strength. Just as stretching helps to relax the muscles, it can simultaneously relax the mind. It's difficult to feel calm and at ease when your body is tight, hurting, or physically storing stress. Taking a mindful moment to move the body through a gentle yoga flow , or just a simple cat-cow and forward fold , may leave you feeling both physically and mentally lighter.

One study, published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health found that stretching for at least 30 minutes every day can help reduce overall blood pressure —and may even be more effective than walking. According to co-author of the study Phil Chilibeck, Ph. Another study found that stretching the legs five days a week may lower the risk of developing cardiovascular disease , for the same reason as above: stretching helps reduce stiffness in the arteries and increase blood flow to the heart.

Becoming more flexible doesn't have to look like getting your splits back unless you want it to, of course. Instead, you can work towards this goal through a combination of daily micro-movements and longer stretch routines. Here are a few to help get you started:. In order to remain flexible, we constantly need to be on top of stretching, whether it's through yoga or other body-opening efforts.