Dr. Arnan Sisson, PT | April 27, 2022

If you want to be able to move more freely, without aches, stiffness, and tightness in your muscles, then this blog post: “3 Simple and Move Freely Steps to Become More Flexible” has some simple ways to help you out.

In your day-to-day life, you may have realized that putting on your socks and shoes is challenging and getting out of the car is becoming a real struggle.

This can make life difficult, and if you are over 50, you may be concerned about this getting worse in later life, and not being able to do basic things around the house and losing your independence. This means that you may need to rely heavily on your spouse, or children and we appreciate that people like you want to be able to take care of yourself.

Start, and Be Consistent

One of the simplest ways to become more flexible is to work on it consistently, and not accept that it is a part of getting older, or inevitable. Sure, you probably won’t be able to get back to the flexibility you had in your 20’s, but for the vast majority of people, they can certainly make a big improvement that will ensure that they can move pain-free during their everyday activities.

If you are noticing that you are feeling tighter or more stiffness in your muscles, then more often than not, stopping and resting is actually the worst thing that you can do, and rarely does it do anything other than get worse.

Exercise

Making exercise a part of your routine can really help improve your ability to move freely, and it is also much more engaging and enjoyable than simply doing stretches in your home alone.

Swimming, cycling, and walking are all great ways of preventing flexibility problems especially once you reach your 50s and onward.

Don’t worry if you are short on time; even if you only do each one for 30 minutes, three times a week would be a great start.

Stretch Off and Cool Down After Exercise

A super important thing to do after exercise is to avoid the urge to drop back on the couch, and instead stretch out a few of the muscle that usually cause you the most problems. After exercise, your body is in the best state it can possible be to be stretched out, because your body temperature is higher, and your muscles and joints are warmed up.

This means that stretching muscles and moving your stiff joints is more effective, easier, and less painful.

Expert Help

If you are struggling with day-to-day activities because of a lack of flexibility, and you are concerned about losing your independence, and having to rely on your spouse or family to take care of you, then reach out to our friendly team and book a FREE discovery session.

In this discovery session, you can visit our clinic, speak to one of our expert physical therapists and we can plan a route to your more active life and ensure that you remain independent.

To book your FREE discovery session, click HERE.