Why Strength and Flexibility is Important
I see on a daily basis in classes and every day around me the effects of not staying active and flexible has on the body and on our lives.
It is widely accepted now that cardiovascular exercise is beneficial to our health, however, the importance of strength and flexibility training is becoming increasingly evident.
Unless you are or have been a dancer or gymnast it is unlikely that as an adult you are particularly flexible. Flexibility is one of the first things to go as our bodies enter adulthood and as we continue to age. Strength also declines with age and as the old saying goes unless you use it, you lose it! For each decade after the age of fifty, muscular strength will decline by 15% and by 30% per decade after the age of 70.
Strength and flexibility is part and parcel of everyday life. How often do you find yourself lifting things in the home, at work or babies and young children? Or reaching up high for something or bending down low? Or reaching round behind your back to just lifting your leg up to put on your socks or trousers? All these every day things are taken for granted but require a certain level of strength and flexibility. As we get older these everyday situations can become increasingly challenging and it is common to put this down to ‘getting older’, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Unless we continue to build strength in our muscles and stretch our muscles then we will see deterioration in their every day function. A lack of strength and flexibility will result in tight muscles and underused joints. Bad posture sets in as the body becomes increasingly tight and inflexible. This will also result in poor blood circulation resulting in less oxygen reaching the brain and other organs. Toxins will then accumulate, fatigue will build and the risk of illness increases.
As a regular practitioner of yoga, I have conquered many of my former strength and flexibility hurdles but certainly not all of them. Improving and maintaining strength and flexibility is a life-long journey and requires some time and commitment, but if it means I can stay healthy, active and mobile for as long as possible into my old-age then it is worth every minute of the time I spend.
I’m not even talking about gymnast-type flexibility of being able to do the splits or lift up a leg to reach the side of your head – I’m talking about every day stretching and strengthening that can enhance our quality of life in so many ways.
I recently wrote a blog post with seven reasons why yoga is beneficial which included mind and body benefits. If you didn’t see it, the link is here:
https://www.happyandhealthywithnatalie.com/single-post/2017/02/26/Seven-Reasons-to-Practise-Yoga
However, now talking solely about physical benefits, here are some more:
1) Prevent injury that occurs from carrying out everyday tasks including neck and shoulder pain, back pain etc. How often have you or heard someone else say that they hurt their neck by sleeping funny, or ‘done their back in’ rolling over in bed? And even if these every day injuries do still occur, your recovery time will be so much quicker.
2) Make playing with your children / grandchildren easier, whether it is sitting on the floor playing a game or running around with a ball.
3) Cardio activity will seem easier, even gentle walking and swimming will become enhanced.
4) Are you already a keen sportsperson? Yoga will enhance your performance by improving arm and shoulder extension, longer strides and deeper knee bends and hip flexion.
5) Travel better and more comfortably or be able to sit for longer periods of time when required to without it becoming uncomfortable or painful.
6) Improve bone density which can help prevent conditions like osteoporosis.
If, like me, you are inspired (or perhaps even put off!) by some of the amazing yoga images you see on social media and on the internet, don’t let that by your only motivation (or only reason not to) start a yoga practice today. My main motivation for practising yoga is to stay strong and flexible to meet and continue to meet throughout my life the everyday demands on my body - well into retirement and old-age. So start now, whatever your age – even if you are an older person, it is never too late to start taking care of you and your body.
Namaste.