May 19, 2014

Why Am I Inflexible? You’re Not Just Getting Old! “Why Am I Inflexible ?” You ask yourself!  Do you tell yourself that you’re just getting older?  We say you’re not getting older, you’re just getting less flexible. So, keep reaching for the cabinet and bending over! Muscles have memory. Any work, exercise or activity that produces repeated overuse of the same muscles day after day will confine joints. The restricted range of motion and will reduce flexibility. This is true whether you’re working on the computer, sitting or driving for long periods of time. Any manner of simple, repetitive task. Conversely, the more you restrict your movement, the more you are retraining your muscles to do less and less. All of this makes you more prone to injury, pain, stiffness, and soreness. How Your Muscle Gets Tight There is “the belly” of the muscle (the thickest part) which is connected to the tendons. The tendons are attached to bones. Repeated overuse can make the belly of the muscle tight, decreasing the length of the muscle. This action reduces the flexibility and “give” it requires. This is especially important when making a sudden movement that your muscle is not accustomed to. A sudden jerk can cause a tear in any of the muscle fibers. It can even start to tear the muscle away from the attachment site at the bone. The result is usually pain and soreness of the muscles and/or the joints. Think of a rubber band that you repeatedly wrap around a bundle tighter and tighter. Eventually it tears with great force. Once it snaps, it flies across to the other side of the room, just missing your eye. Well, not exactly, but you get the picture. A Good Stretching Routine Of course there’s a proper way to stretch and a proper amount of time to hold each stretch: The Benefits of Stretching Better sleep is only one of the advantages. Gentle stretching movements combined with proper breathing can invigorate the respiratory and neuro-muscular systems. In turn, this will calm the central nervous system. The central nervous system is like your “hard-drive”. It stores all of your body’s data and controls all of your bodily functions. Stretching and breathing will also improve the circulatory system. Thereby increasing blood flow, allowing the body to do what it’s meant to do. Helping you to heal and stay healthy. The increased oxygen in the blood flowing to your brain will uplift your mood and improve your cognitive abilities. The next time you are wondering “Why Am I Inflexible ?” or feeling “old”, let this post inspire you! Get up, move around and stretch your amazing muscles. If you’re looking for more motivation to exercise, read our blog post on how exercise is good for your skin.