Flexibility: Why It's Important in Everyday Life
By Genevieve Cunningham
Do you consider yourself flexible? As kids, flexibility is easy. We can stretch and flip and move with ease. But as our age creeps up, we often lose some flexibility and become stiff instead. We can no longer touch our toes or perform various exercises. And we don't really think about it until it presents a problem in our lives. Sound familiar? If you're lacking flexibility in your body, take a look at why you should make it a priority right away -- and every day!
What Happens When We're Not Flexible
A lack of flexibility is about way more than being able to touch your toes or do a handstand or twist your body for appearances. It's about your health and your ability to move freely. It's about protecting yourself from stiffness and excessive tension. Just a few of the negative side effects that may come about due to inflexibility include:
Pain - When we're not flexible, we're more likely to experience tension and pain. This might be felt anywhere in the body, but especially in the joints.
Risk of injury - Another problem with inflexibility is that it increases our risk of injury. If we're flexible, the body can bend and twist just a little more. Flexibility helps us avoid many injuries and keep the body in overall better condition.
Difficult movement - When we're not flexible, movement is neither easy nor enjoyable. And when movement is difficult, we're less likely to exercise regularly which is crucial for our ultimate well-being.
How to Improve Flexibility
If you feel as though you're not flexible enough, you're not alone. Most people aren't as flexible as they'd like to be. Luckily, improving flexibility is not as difficult as it seems. It just takes consistency and dedication. Find a stretching or yoga routine and do it every day. For faster results, stretch more than once per day. Be gentle on your body. Even if it's difficult in the beginning, you'll soon notice that your body eases a little deeper into the stretch. Stick with it and the results of better flexibility and greater range of motion will definitely come.
Flexibility is important. It's probably even more important than you think. And yet, we give it so little thought! Use these tips to improve your flexibility over time and you'll likely find that your overall health improves right along with it.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Mint Hill, N.C.