Flexibility
What makes one person more flexible than another?
Age
As we age, we tend to lose our flexibility. Collagen production slows down as we age, and collagen is what makes our connective tissue flexible. Also, having an inactive lifestyle and not moving regularly throughout your lifetime can accelerate your inflexibility as you age. We can counter this natural process with movement, exercise, massage, diet, supplements, and light therapies.
Gender and Genetics
Are women more flexible than men? Well, yes and no. Genetically, women can be more flexible because they are capable of reproduction. When women cycle monthly, some hormones are produced that can increase the flexibility of connective tissue (meaning facia, muscles, tendons, and ligaments). That being said, some people regardless of gender, are more flexible than others. Do not underestimate the power of habits and lifestyle. Women tend to focus on activities that require more flexibility, such as yoga, dance, and Pilates.
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Diet
Nutrition and hydration will definitely play a factor in our flexibility. What we eat can affect how our bodies move and function, which extends to flexibility. Food can be like medicine. Some foods can energize us, and others can make us feel sluggish and create inflammation in our bodies. Compromised tissue is less flexible and will not function efficiently.
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How can you improve your flexibility?
Improve your body awareness. Pay attention to your body and how you are moving, sitting, lying down. The body likes to be dynamic, meaning it likes to move. Holding positions for extended periods of time can cause tight connective tissue. Movement keeps things pliable and fluid so we can have more movement.
Posture awareness. While sitting or standing, position your body in an aligned, stable posture. Keep your head over your shoulders, shoulders relaxed down and back, hips in a neutral position, knees soft, and weight evenly distributed over your feet. This takes some time to figure out, a little education is worth the rewards to feel what that is like in your body so when you think of it in your daily living you can make the micro adjustments and yes this will promote flexibility!
Movement. Regular movement (strengthening and stretching) will improve the quality of your connective tissue, flexibility, and quality of life.
Sit on the Floor. This may sound a little strange, but think about how children move. Children are far more flexible than adults. They move in all directions and sit on the floor. As adults, we stop doing that. Research shows a neurogenic facilitation that happens when we get on the floor and move, especially when we move reciprocally, meaning things like crawling and rolling. Additionally, as we age, it is worth the effort to be able to get up from and down to the floor.
Include stretching and mobility in your exercise routine. We spend a lot of time strengthening and doing cardiovascular activity, which is excellent. However, as we age, we need to shift our training to include stretching and mobility training to counter the decline in flexibility.
Don't wait for a workout to work on your flexibility. We can include stretching in our daily routine. When you are sitting at the computer, take a break. Move and pull your head, neck, and shoulders throughout the day. Get up from the chair every hour and walk around. While standing in line at the grocery store, you can weight shift on your feet, up on your toes/ back on heels, left/right, do isometric contractions of shoulder, legs, and hips, and practice deep belly breathing. These simple additions to what you’re doing in your day can have significant physical and emotional health benefits.
Spending a few minutes each day stretching can help with flexibility. This can create more body awareness and help you to be present in your body. Many of us check out because it feels too hard to be present in our bodies. We are worth the time and effort it takes to do these things every day.
Include stretching into your bodywork sessions - What? This is a great idea. Assisted stretching with massage will help not only to loosen your muscles but can help make your sessions more effective. When you get a massage the practitioner will soften and warm the tissue and, when and where appropriate, can stretch tight areas. This can be more effective than what we can do on our own. That is win-win.
Celluma or Red-Light Therapies - This is a relatively new idea. Research is out there about red-light therapies and their effectiveness in reducing muscle tension, tissue healing, collagen production, and inflammation. Light therapy can have many positive effects.
There are many options available to increase our flexibility. Staying aware of how our body feels will mean living with less pain for longer into our later years. Let me know if you have any questions about your personal flexibility level and how you can implement some changes to increase flexibility.
Linda is very well educated and proficient in what she does. She really helps and is great to deal with also!
Susan H.