Exercising is crucial to maintaining our overall health and well-being, but even those who are health-conscious too often neglect an essential part of any workout routine: flexibility. Research indicates that flexibility is the number one predictor of human longevity; high flexibility is positively correlated with an increased lifespan. This surprisingly useful addition to your daily fitness habit might be exactly what you need to take your goals for health and wellness to the next level.
Whether you are targeting specific muscle groups or striving to obtain whole-body pliability, you can implement a variety of stretching techniques to achieve your goal. Consider the following five highly effective flexibility exercises to aid you in stretching your body in the way that it deserves.
5 Flexibility Exercises That Help Stretch The Body
1. Downward Dog
The Downward Dog is a pose that stretches the entire body, providing an especially deep stretch to your back region. This includes the calves, hamstrings, glutes, hips, and lower back. As an added bonus, it simultaneously strengthens the core, arms, shoulders, wrists and hands, and chest. Added perks to practicing this technique include reduced stress, improved circulation, immunity, and digestion.
2. Child’s Pose
Do you have pain or tightness in your hips, back, shoulders, or neck? Try the Child’s Pose! The child’s pose is restorative in that its purpose is to relieve bodily tension and greatly increase relaxation. With the child’s pose, you will also reap the benefits of improved cardiovascular health, digestion, breathing, mental well-being, and sleep.
3. Triangle Pose
To improve spinal flexibility and target other muscle groups like the hamstrings, groin, and hips, hold the Triangle Pose. Additional benefits include enhancing balance and stability, reducing pain, improving digestion, stimulating organs, reducing stress, and improving focus.
4. Cobra Pose
The Cobra Pose loosens the spinal column and stretches the back while improving overall strength. It targets the chest, abdomen, hips, neck, and feet. Additional benefits include opening the heart and lungs, relieving stress, enhancing lung capacity, reducing lower back stiffness, toning the gluteal muscles, stimulating digestive function, and enhancing blood circulation.
5. Bridge Pose
The Bridge Pose stretches the glutes, hamstrings, core, quadriceps, erector spinae, and adductor muscles of the hips. It also serves to improve strength, posture, heart health, metabolism, digestion, and circulation, as well as reduce stress and improve mental health.
Why Regular Stretching is Important
When you make these flexibility exercises a normal part of your fitness routine, you open yourself up to a plethora of health benefits. In addition to increasing your longevity, flexibility works to prevent injury by preparing the muscles for physical activity. It improves posture, circulation, and performance, reduces inflammation, delays the effects of aging on joints, and decreases overall stress.
As is the case with all forms of fitness, the more you practice, the better your results will be. When you turn these flexibility techniques into a habit, you will elevate your routine to achieve your desired outcomes in no time.
