The stiffness in the body is a common side effect of sedentary lifestyle, age or not having regular personal training practice. If you want to become more flexible and get rid of that annoying an uncomfortable feeling in your muscles or joints, stay here! This guide will walk you through six simple movements to unlock flexibility and make your body feel great.
Incorporate Daily Stretching
A good practice to be flexible is to include 5-10 minutes of stretching exercise every other day. Stretching Lengthens Muscles & Increases Range of Motion, Reducing Stiffness Dynamic stretching active movement in and out of a stretch. Dynamic Stretch This type of stretching is perfect for before your workout as it heats up the muscles.
Key Stretching Exercises:
Hamstring Stretch: Sit on the floor with your legs out straight. Lean slightly forward to reach for your toes, keeping the back long and straight.
Cat-Cow Pose: On all fours, breathe in and round your back up to the ceiling into cat pose. Stretch the spine by arching it (cow pose) and then rounding it (cat pose).
Why it works: Daily stretching helps keep muscles and joints supple so they move easily through the full range of motion.
Practice Yoga Regularly
More than just physical exercise, yoga is a practice that fosters flexibility while increasing strength and awareness. Another way that Yoga helps increase flexibility is by toning and stretching the muscles, which with frequent practice, over time can lead to increased range of motion. Downward Dog, Childs Pose and Warrior Series are all great openers for tight spots.
Note: Begin with beginners/low intensity yoga sessions and then the flexibility increases, you may increase your set of moves.
How it helps: Yoga combines different poses with deep breathing, to release tightness and progressively improve flexibility.
Stay Hydrated
Hydration also matters in flexibility, believe it or not. When dehydration leaves muscles withered and shriveled, they are more prone to injury. Being properly hydrated helps keep the muscles working right, so drink plenty of water.
How to drink water Try to drink a minimum of 8–10 glasses each day, and more if you are physically active or live in a hot climate.
How It Helps: Proper hydration means the muscles stay loose and limber prior to moving, helping reduce stiffness.
Incorporate Strength Training
More than merely building muscle, strength training is also essential in remaining flexible. The stronger the muscles beneath them, and around these joints are the better they can support our delicate moving parts known as joints: we get less strain on those regions during movement which prevents shaping of stiffness. Your Core, Your legs & your Back are three important areas that you need to work on because flexibility is not just about a single body part.
Exercises to try:
Lunges: These require you to shift your weight back and forth, strengthening the thighs while opening up extra space in hip joints.
Dead Lifts: builds the hamstrings and lower back.
Why it works: It strengthens the muscles around the joints, which promotes healthy joint stability and flexibility, decreasing your risk of injury.
Use Foam Rollers
Foam rolling is a self-myofascial release that can help reduce muscle tightness and soreness. Since a foam roller is applied directly to certain parts of the body which are feeling sore, you can massage and actually release those muscle groups that have become taut.
How to use a foam roller:
Especially areas such as calves, hamstrings and back.
Thoroughly roll each muscle group for 1–2 minutes, stopping and holding on any tender areas.
Incorporate a foam rolling session daily: this is going to help break up the kinks and scar tissue in the muscles, which subsequently will allow for more blood flow.
Prioritize Rest and Recovery
Sleep and recuperation is typically forgotten but crucial for flexibility. Work the muscles to hard without proper rest, can make them stiffer. Ensure your sleep and double check you have rest days between intense workouts to allow the muscles time to recover, repair themselves and grow stronger.
Restorative Practices:
Have time for meditation: Meditation helps relax the muscles and mind, which in turn can help your body recover.
Stretching before bed: Gently stretching can help your muscles to relax and prevent stiffness as well increase flexibility over night.
Why it works: Rest is when your body pulls out the tools to rebuild and repair itself, which can help ease stiffness in the muscles as well improve overall flexibility.
Conclusion
It does not have to be complex: relieving stiffness and increasing flexibility. By following these 6 simple steps you will open the door to feeling flexible, alive and ready for a larger experience of life. Via stretching, yoga and keeping hydrated (which means maintaining healthy tendons) as well strength training to keep your muscles strong but with long lean muscle tissues is a start or taking up foam rolling and respecting rest more often helps contribute too!
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