Flexibility

 Flexibility and mobility are related. Flexibility describes the ability of your muscles to lengthen, or stretch, and mobility refers to the ability of your joints to move through their full range of motion. Maintaining optimal range of motion in your joints is associated with good balance, strength, and walking speed. You can test your flexibility with five stretches:

Back, hips, and hamstrings: With your legs straight, bend over and touch your toes.

Neck: Sit in a chair or on the floor and turn your head to one side. You should be able to get your chin almost in line with your shoulder—about 90 degrees.

Thoracic spine: Start on your side with your legs and feet together, knees bent. Straighten both arms in front of you and rotate your top arm open, keeping your lower arm, pelvis and legs still (top photo, below). If you can “open the book,” or touch your top arm to the floor behind you without moving your legs, you have adequate flexibility in your upper back (bottom photo, below).

Calves and ankles: Face a wall with your toes touching the wall. Step one foot back slightly and keep the other foot planted. Drop down onto your knee with the back foot, then let your front knee come forward to touch the wall. If your heel pops up on the front foot, move away from the wall and keep going. If you can move you front foot back four inches and still touch your knee to the wall, you have good flexibility in your calf and ankle.

Hips: Start by lying on your back with your right foot on the ground, knee bent. Bring the left ankle to the top of your right knee, and, using your hands, lift your right leg off the ground. Reach for your hamstring or shin as you bring your right leg closer to your chest. Repeat on the other side.

You can improve your flexibility by performing these stretches as best you can several times a week, holding each for 30 seconds. Because I’ve been doing yoga for 25 years, I can do all of these stretches, although I have to modify the calf and ankle stretch because of my knee replacements.

For an introduction to this blog, see I Just Say No; for a list of blog topics, click the Topics tab.