If there’s one thing we could all do to be more fit it would be stretching. It’s quick, it’s easy and it doesn’t take a lot of time – but it produces wide-ranging physical benefits and can have a positive effect on your overall well-being.
“Every individual no matter their age should be stretching,” said Kathy Moore, director of rehabilitative services at CalvertHealth Medical Center, “but it’s really important as you get older. If you’re not maintaining your flexibility,
it affects your balance and eventually your ability to do the bending, reaching or stooping needed for daily tasks like putting on your
shoes or picking up something off the floor.”
Maintaining Your Flexibility
Moore recommends at least 10-20
minutes of stretching four times a week.
Focus on the major muscle groups:
upper body (arms, shoulders and neck),
back and lower body (thighs, calves and
ankles). Then, depending on how you
spend your day, give extra attention to
problem-prone areas – like your lower
back and shoulders if you work at a
desk or hamstrings and arms if you do a
lot of lifting.
But she stresses the importance of
warming up first. “Take 5-10 minutes to
ride a stationary bike or walk – this gets
the blood and oxygen flowing to your
muscles – and then stretch.”
Why Flexibility is So Important
“If you don’t stay flexible and work on
your stretching,” said Moore, “then the
connective tissue adaptively shortens.
Stretching prevents stiffness and
discomfort in the joints and helps you
stay agile throughout life.”
She went on to add, “It also helps
decrease your chance of pulling a
muscle as stretching warms and
increases the elasticity of the muscle.”
So, how flexible do you need to be?
Moore advises: “You need to be flexible
enough to decrease the chance of
injuring yourself and to be able to
maintain your daily routine.”
The Impact on Your Body
“The value of flexibility cannot be
emphasized enough,” said Moore.
“It promotes circulation. It reduces
soreness, improves your energy and
state of mind and it leads to greater
range of motion. Those are just some of
the positive effects.”
Moore said flexibility plays an
important role in preventing injuries,
too. “During physical activity, muscles
are constantly contracting and are
prone to develop excessive tightness,”
she explained. “So, stretching helps to
decrease tightness in the key muscles
like your low back, your hip flexors and your calves. Those are the muscles
that allow you to reach the floor and
put your shoes on.”
Additionally, it helps improve
posture and balance. “Stretching can
help with fine muscle coordination,
which helps with balance,” she said.
“Those fine muscles have to help
coordinate with each other. And tight
muscles like your low back and neck
can cause spasms, which affects
your posture.”
According to Moore, flexibility
puts your body in the right position
to strength train. “For example, tight
hamstrings and lower back muscles
prevent you from doing a squat
properly, which in turn prevents you
from getting stronger in your legs.”
Stretching is also a good way
to unwind, said Moore. “It lowers
your blood pressure. It helps your
blood circulation after exercising,
relieves tight muscles and it promotes
deep breathing, which is relaxing for
your body.”
Taking Preventive Action
For those with balance issues, taking
steps to prevent falls is a major concern.
Moore suggests talking to your primary
care provider to determine if a balance
assessment is needed. She said this
is offered through CalvertHealth
Outpatient Rehabilitation, (CHOR)
which has locations in Dunkirk, Prince
Frederick and Solomons.
“First of all, you have to figure out the
reason for the balance issue,” she said. “Is
it tightness or is it certain muscle groups
that need to be worked on? Then, we
gradually start to increase the challenge
so the person is doing more.” The goal
is to improve overall safety during daily
activities and prevent future falls.
She added, “We can also help people
who have experienced a decline in their
daily activities. That’s a huge specialty
of our occupational therapists. They
look at what is getting in the way of
your full mobility, and if need be, teach
modifications for anybody with a chronic
condition like arthritis or Parkinson’s.”