Seven Ways To Stay Flexible and Spry as You Get Older
Feeling stiff and dealing with tight muscles may seem like a normal part of aging, but it doesn’t have to be! Whether you want to stay flexible so you can continue doing all of the activities you love well into old age, you want to be able to get up and down off of the floor easily to play with the kids, or you simply want to maintain your figure, these tips will help you stay flexible and spry as you age.
Address Neck and Back Pain When It Strikes
Neck and back pain isn’t uncommon among adults. Sometimes neck and back pain results from a car accident. In other cases, it’s due to a sports injury or a work accident. Still for others, neck and back pain develop over time without any one particular reason.
No matter what the cause of your neck and back pain, you should address it when it strikes. In the case of an accident, you will want to visit the doctor. You may want to consider chiropractic care for more chronic discomfort, while some people have success with acupuncture for pain.
The quicker you can address neck and back pain the quicker you can get back to living your life. If you deal with pain for a long period of time, you’re less likely to engage in physical activity, which will only make you feel more tired, more sore, and much older than your age.
Engage All of Your Muscles
If you don’t use your muscles, you’ll lose them, and as you lose them, you’ll start to notice your body feels different. It will be harder to get around and play with the kids, but it can also affect your figure.
It’s not just chiseled muscles that are affected by activity. If you want to keep your hourglass shape, you have to engage all of your muscles regularly. If you don’t, you’ll start to notice your waist, hips, bottom, and thighs start to take on a frumpier shape.
The trick is to engage every single one of your muscles each and every week. There are many activities that can help you do this. From yoga to dancing and even playing with the kids, you can find ways to engage all of your muscles so you maintain your figure and stay flexible.
Do Static Stretches
One of the best ways to engage all of your muscles on a regular basis is to do static stretching. This kind of stretching involves striking a pose and holding it. This is different from dynamic stretching, which is a more active way to warm up your muscles before working out.
Static stretching has the ability to provide you with many benefits that include:
- Greater flexibility
- Increased range of motion
- Less pain and stiffness
- Increased blood flow
Static stretches are especially effective when maintaining spine health. Whether you’re experiencing pain, you’re feeling stiff, or you spent a little too much time sitting down, stretches like the child’s pose, knee-to-chest stretches, seated spinal twists can help you feel like a younger version of yourself.
Exercise
Stretching is a great way to engage your muscles, but if you really want to stay flexible and spry as you age, you need to up the intensity a little bit and get some exercise.
Exercise puts pressure on your bones and muscles, which is a good thing! Just don’t make the mistake of thinking you have to put too much pressure on your bones and your muscles by working out really hard.
Light exercise can be just as effective as heavy exercise when it comes to staying flexible, so don’t feel like you have to lift heavy weights and sweat it out at the gym. Other opportunities to exercise, like going for long walks, recreational swimming, and playing a team sport are all great ways to get exercise. Lighter forms of exercise probably aren’t going to give you a thigh gap, but they will help you maintain your muscles and build strength.
Eat for Your Joints
Your muscles are important when it comes to flexibility, but your bones matter too. Your joints are especially important. If you don’t take care of them, bending over, reaching, and walking will all become difficult regardless of your muscle tone.
Take care of your joints by eating the right food. Look for foods that contain omega 3 and antioxidant-rich flavonoids to reduce inflammation. Some of the best foods to eat to support joint health include:
- Cherries
- Red peppers
- Canned salmon
- Oatmeal
- Turmeric
- Walnuts
- Kale
Get a Massage
Getting a massage is a great way to reduce stress and feel relaxed, but it turns out pampering yourself is great for your muscles too!
Getting a massage has the potential to reduce pain, improve circulation, and improve your immune function. Some studies have also shown that a massage can reduce or eliminate lower back pain, neck pain, and support healing after sports injuries.
Although an at-home massage is relaxing, only a professional massage can really target your muscles. Try a Swedish massage, a deep tissue massage, or a trigger point massage to loosen up your muscles and make them more flexible.
Never Sit for Too Long
Our lives today make it easy to sit for hours at a time. Sometimes it’s required for work and other times it’s a Netflix binge, but no matter what the reason, it’s terrible for your muscles, your bones, and your flexibility.
Even if you aren’t stretching or working out regularly, you should at least make time to get up. If you sit too long, you’ll increase your chances of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, in addition to feeling stiff and uncomfortable. Set a timer and strive to get up and move around at least once an hour, all day long.
None of us want to feel tired, stiff, and inflexible as we age, and we don’t have to! Although it takes a little extra time and attention when we’re older, there are things you can do to live a flexible, pain-free life.
Image by SaraJobling from Pixabay
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