It’s common knowledge that we should all focus on keeping our flexibility to a good level. But why is that exactly? And how important is it?
As we age, the entire body begins to gradually (but increasingly rapidly) decline. The good news is that if we focus on controlling what we can control, we can have a major impact on how long and well we live as we get older.
That is to say that a lack of flexibility contributes to the risk of many issues including;
increased risk of injury (i.e. falls)
increased dependency
increased risk of chronic disease
lowered life expectancy
Today we are looking at 5 reasons why flexibility is so important after 50.
1. Joint Health 🦴🦵
Injuries that come from accidents that are out of our control are likely not directly affected by flexibility. Although we might argue that a fall may have been caused by a lack of flexibility and that the effects of the resulting collision or awkward landing might be mitigated by improved flexibility, it’s hard to measure this.
What is more measurable is the impact that poor flexibility has on overuse injuries. An overuse injury is any type of muscle or joint injury that is caused by repetitive trauma. Overuse injuries (i.e. low back pain, meniscal tears, rotator cuff tears) are often caused by repetitive use, but take place more often when the quality or function of the joint is off.
Excess tension, muscle weakness and poor posture are all factors in the balance of the muscles surrounding a joint.
When these are not in proper balance, it’s referred to as muscular imbalance and will then cause joint dysfunction.
Sooner or later an injury ensues. By keeping your flexibility in check you can significantly reduce the risk of injury to your joints.
2. Energy Levels 🔋
It can be difficult to understand what fascia is (your connective tissue) and how it works.
A good analogy for the feel of fascia is clothing. Imagine going for a 5K run. Appropriate clothing for a run will not only depend on the weather but also on how well you can perform. For optimal performance you would wear something that doesn’t restrict your movement much. Picture what you might wear. What does it feel like? 🏃♀️
Now imagine wearing the tightest pair of denim jeans👖 you can find. They are straight out of the dryer. You put these on and you go for your 5K run…
How would it go?
Not only would your 5K time be a lot worse than normal, but you would be exhausted by the end of it.
All of that restricted movement takes up a lot more energy than free flowing movement.
The same is the case for your body’s ability to move freely. When your tissues (fascia, muscles) are tight and don’t move freely, you spend a lot more energy just moving throughout your day.
If you were free to move how you should, that energy could be reserved for other things and you would be a lot less tired.
3. Results with fitness 📈
As fitness professionals we know that the more muscles used in a given exercise and the more range of motion (ROM) that a joint is put through, the more of a training effect there will be.
That’s why exercises like squats and rows are generally more effective for muscle building, weight loss and improving fitness than exercises like bicep curls.
One way to progress a person to better results is to increase ROM for any given exercise.
Example half squats versus full ROM squats.
Imagine performing 3 sets of 10 goblet squats with a 25lb dumbbell in your hands. 🏋️♀️
Which one will train more muscle groups, require more energy and effort and illicit a stronger training response? The half squats or the full ROM squats?
The more flexible you are, the better ROM you will get as you exercise. The more ROM you can consistently train through, the more results you will get overall. 👍
(Now you know why your trainer is always asking you to get lower on those squats. 😉)
4. Impact on aging 👩🦳👨🦳💪
One of the more commonly studied parameters for aging is your stride while walking. Stride length, width and speed have been shown to impact survival, dependability, fall risk and aging.
Flexibility directly correlates with the length, width and speed of how a person walks, especially as we age. The more flexible you are, the better your outcomes will be in this regard.
One of the top goals that comes up in discussion with our 70+ clients is fall prevention. One of the first steps to fall prevention is improving flexibility so that you can move better and reduce your risk of falling.
5. Overall quality of life ⛷🛩🛶😁
Every time we meet with a member for the first time we discuss their goals and learn about their life. But most importantly we ask them, “Why all of this?”
The most common answer is something along the lines of, “I want to have a good quality of life as I get older.”
Now what that means to each person varies. But whether it’s playing with your grandchildren with ease, gardening all weekend long without aches and pains, playing the sports you love or traveling the world without limitations, it really boils down to this…
Wanting to live as independently, as disease and disability free as possible.
We have amazing news for you! Keeping your flexibility at a high level will directly impact all of these things.
Ideally you want to do some mobility and stretching every day and before every exercise session. The key is consistency and progress.
Happy Stretching!
The Evertrain Team
New 50+ Virtual Mobility Classes Coming Soon 💻
Over the last while our team has been working hard to create New Virtual Mobility Classes. We just wrapped up a special test group and will be launching the new classes on May 29th, 2021. Apply now to secure one of the 15 spots available.
If you’re not able to do all the activities you love, if a lack of flexibility is getting in the way of your health and fitness results, or you simply are tired of the persistent aches and pains…
Then this class is for you.
These classes will help you to commit the time you need to stretch more regularly and will show you how to get the most out of your stretching and mobility routine.
With these classes you’ll get:
Live classes where you’ll be guided step-by-step by one of our 50+ fitness and mobility specialists
A curated mix of full body stretching and myo-fascial release exercises with special instruction and tips designed for the 50+ group.
Time efficient and twice weekly classes for optimal results.
Stretching and Mobility Crash Course so you can make the most of your experience.
Options for all levels.
Classes are recorded and made available so you never miss a class.
Access to videos of specific and more advanced exercises.
And more…
At this time we are accepting 15 participants. The deadline to join is May 28th, 2021. Click on the Apply Now button to secure your spot today.