You hear a lot about flexibility in the professional world: flexible pay, flexible hours, and even flexible locations now that online work is becoming more prevalent. It pays to have a little flexibility in life, and businesses know this well.
It’s hard to run things on an entirely rigid system, so adding a little bit of wiggle room allows all the components of a company to come together and run smoothly. Your body works the same way, when things are too rigid and stiff, you are more prone to injury and pain as your joints, muscles, and bones struggle to work together. Thankfully, flexibility is something that most people can work on, and with time and patience, you can become more flexible than even the most modern company!
Flexibility in Life
Flexibility is not just for little kids doing somersaults or contortionists bending at unfathomable angles, instead, it’s for everyone. You may have noticed that you’ve lost some flexibility as compared to when you were a kid, and this is natural. As your bones and joints age, they get used to your regular range of motion and tend to lose their ability to go beyond this point. For everyday life, this is usually benign as it does not limit you, but on some occasions such as potential injuries and activities that require a larger range of motion, your limited flexibility can get in the way.
A great way to challenge the stiffness that comes with age is by exercising regularly and moving often. Movement is the best way to combat further stiffness as it allows more blood flow to your joints and muscles and ensures they are not used to remaining in one position for too long. Moving to preserve your flexibility doesn’t have to be strenuous either, you can take a walk, swim, or do some yoga daily to keep yourself nimble.
Stretch It Out
Preserving your range of motion is one thing, but what about regaining some flexibility back? This seems impossible, but the human body is capable of awesome feats, and regaining motion is one of these. It sounds like this would take some complicated mixture of medical care and alchemy, but really regaining motion can be accomplished through a regimen of regular stretching and flexibility exercises.
Stretching is something everyone does naturally, think about when you wake up in the morning- it always feels good to do that whole body stretch to start the day. Taking the time to develop a longer and more rigorous morning, afternoon, or night stretching routine can help you combat stiffness, build strength, and prevent pain and injury! Before you start stretching too much, make sure to speak with your healthcare provider to ensure you are stretching safely.
Progress through Practice
Like most things in life, practice makes a huge difference in how flexible you become. Stretching daily and setting goals for flexibility will help you gain more motion over time. Be patient, as with anything, the benefits of stretching take time to appear, but consistency will help them appear more quickly! If you need some help in combatting pain, or creating a plan for regaining your flexibility, contact North County Pain Relief today for more information!
