With the rise of pilates, yoga, and assisted stretching over recent years, it’s no surprise that there’s an increased interest in flexibility exercises. Flexibility can provide numerous benefits to one’s health and quality of life for people of all ages. As access to flexibility exercises becomes more accessible, it may be confusing to know where to start or what type may best suit your needs. An easy and effective place to start is stretching. Keep reading to see the 3 easy flexibility exercises that can help you stay mobile at any age!

Why Flexibility Exercises are Important at Any Age

Improving your flexibility is more than just being able to do the splits! Flexibility is the ability to move muscles and joints through a range of motion so that you can stay mobile. It’s essential to be able to do everyday movements such as bending down to tie your shoes or walk with ease.

No matter one’s age, if someone has limited flexibility, completing a range of motion can be difficult and sometimes painful. This is because the muscles are tight, causing stiffness in the body. Limited flexibility can increase one’s risk of injury and make everyday movements harder to do.

Flexibility exercises like stretching should be part of everyone’s daily routine! Stretching lengthens and reduces the tension in muscles, increasing their flexibility when done regularly. This can provide a variety of benefits from improving sports performance to reducing joint pain to improving posture. The sooner you make flexibility exercises part of your routine, the better you’ll be able to maintain your flexibility and mobility as you continue to age.

3 Easy Stretches to Try For Better Flexibility

Standing Side Bend

Better flexibility can lead to better balance, less pain throughout the body, and reduced risk of injury. The standing side bend stretch specifically tackles the muscles along one’s side, hips, and back. To do this stretch, stand up straight with feet shoulder width apart and arms to your side. Slowly bend to one side far enough that you feel a stretch on the opposite side, but not enough that it causes pain. Hold for a few seconds and then return to an upright position, repeating the stretch on the opposite side.

Pigeon Stretch

Do you find yourself sitting for long periods of time? This stretch can help reduce the tightness in hips that comes as a result. To do this stretch, sit on the floor with one leg bent in front, and the other laid out straight behind you. Rest your forearms on the floor, in front of the bent leg. Depending on your comfortability, slowly lean forward towards your rested forearms. If you find this too uncomfortable, you can also try resting your arms instead of something like a yoga block or short stack of books!

Neck Flexion Stretch

Our neck carries a lot of tension and stress that often goes untreated. Improving the flexibility in your neck can help alleviate pain caused by this tension and in some cases, even relieve headaches. To do this stretch, all you need to do is bring your shoulder blades back and down, and then slowly bring your chin toward your chest. Hold your chin in this position for about 30 seconds and then repeat 2-4 times.

Stay Flexible and Mobile with StretchLab

While flexibility exercises can be done on your own, working with an expert can amplify the benefits! That’s why more and more people are seeking assisted stretching services. Assisted stretching can be an easy way to improve your flexibility, but like anything else, consistency is key to see real progress. To experience maximum benefits, getting stretched by a trained professional needs to be done routinely. With a StretchLab membership, you can easily add assisted stretching to your schedule - while leaving the actual work to the experts. 

At StretchLab, every member can expect:

• Services conducted by expert stretch practitioners that have completed the Flexologist Training Program, the only accredited stretching program in the nation
• Regular mobility assessments using proprietary technology
• Personalized, adaptable stretch programs
• Normatec pneumatic compression therapy sessions
• Free access to StretchLab video on-demand content through Xponential+ for continued stretching assistance at home
• And more!

Ready to see what an assisted stretching routine can do for your flexibility and mobility? Find the nearest StretchLab studio to you here!