WHEN was the last time you gave your muscles a good stretch?
Although you might associate stretching with exercise warm ups and cool downs, it’s actually vital to do it regularly – ideally every day – whether you’re working out or not.
Good flexibility has been linked to a lower risk of early death[/caption]
Sports rehabilitation specialist Carlo Scozzaro has shared three stretches to try at home[/caption]
Believe it or not, staying flexible could actually help you to live longer.
A study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports found a strong link between good physical flexibility and mobility and a lower risk of death from natural causes.
Among men specifically, those with low flexibility scores were almost twice as likely to die during the 13-year study period compared to those with higher scores.
And the risk of early death for inflexible women was five times higher than those who were supple.
Scientists have long understood that poor flexibility could be an indicator of underlying health conditions, such as inflammation, and lead to pains and strains.
But despite the connection, many of us still don’t make stretching a part of our daily, or even weekly, routines.
More than two thirds of the UK population struggle with stiff or tight muscles, according to research by PureGym, while 69 per cent struggle with poor flexibility and 71 per cent experience a painful back.
If this sounds like you, it’s time to get your flex on.
“Many of us spend much of the day sitting down, whether we’re in the car driving to the office, at work hunched over a keyboard or slouched on the sofa in the evening,” Carlo Scozzaro, a sports rehabilitation therapist at Myoset, says.
“All this sitting means our muscles are in the same position for long periods of time, so they become a little shorter and tighter.
“It means when we do come to move, they hurt and they’re unable to actually comfortably move like we want them to.
“Sitting for long periods can shorten hamstrings and hip flexors, for example.”
Throw in poor posture, which can put even more strain on various muscles (such as your shoulders, neck and back) and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
Carlo adds: “Tight muscles can then impact joints as muscles pull on joints, supporting our movement.
“When muscles are tight, we might not be able to move our joints through their full range of motion.
“Take your knee for example; if your leg muscles are tight – primarily your quads and hamstrings – you might not be able to move your knee comfortably.
“When movement becomes uncomfortable, you’re less likely to want to move in the first place, so you might then end up in a vicious circle of limiting your movement and becoming stiffer and more uncomfortable.
“But, stretching helps to keep muscles mobile, so you can age comfortably, moving as you wish.”
Want to boost your flexibility? Give these three stretches a try.
Do them every morning and evening – upon waking and before bed – and see if you feel a difference.
You never know, it could even give your life expectancy a boost.
1. Lying down glute stretch
Lie on your back and place on ankle on the opposite knee[/caption]
Reach one hand through your legs and the other to the side and pull your knee towards your chest[/caption]
Lie down with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent.
Place one ankle on the opposite knee. Then, use your hands to pull your knee towards your chest to help deepen the stretch.
At this point you should feel a stretch in your glute.
Hold the position for 10 to 15 seconds before swapping sides.
If you fancy doing this stretch during the day, you can try it from a seated position on a chair.
Sit up tall, take your left ankle over your right thigh and lean forward, pressing your left knee down gently.
Your glute muscles are the biggest muscle in your body.
When they’re tight, you may experience a sore back, knees and hips thanks to poor posture, so this one is great for those of us who sit at a desk all day.
2. Hip flexor release
Stretch your hip flexors with this simple move[/caption]
Reach up and over to the side to feel a good stretch down the side of your body[/caption]
Start on all-fours with the palms of your hands under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips.
Take your right leg forward so you’re in a low lunge with your back left knee on the floor. Your torso should be upright.
Then, keeping your hips forward, take your left arm, stretch it up overhead and then lean over to the right, taking your left arm over to the right side.
You should feel a good stretch down the left side of your body.
Push forward slightly into your lunge too; this way, you will help to stretch your hip flexors.
For support, place your right hand on your hip.
Hold this for 10 to 15 seconds before swapping sides.
Boosting mobility in your hips can really help to ease a tight or sore back
Carlo Scozzaro
Explaining the importance of the hip flexors, Carlo says: “These are a group of important and often overlooked muscles in the front of your upper thigh.
“They essentially help you bend and lift your legs.
“So when you run and walk, for example, your hip flexors are working.
“Sitting for ages tightens and weakens the hip flexors, so you might end up with pain in this area.”
3. Deep squat
Find something to hold onto for this one – a door frame works well[/caption]
Hold this position for 10 to 15 seconds[/caption]
You’ll need to find something tall to hold onto for this; the edge of a door frame works well.
This is your anchor and it should be stable and able to resist your pull.
Get into a low squat, holding onto your tall anchor point (door frame).
Keep your back flat and use your anchor to help you stay in your deep squat position.
Your hips should be lower than the bend in your knees and your feet need to remain flat on the ground.
Hold this for 10 to 15 seconds or for as long as you feel comfortable.
Carlo says: “Boosting mobility in your hips can really help to ease a tight or sore back.”
How long will you live?
LIFE expectancy in England is falling faster than anywhere else in Europe – and expanding waistbands are to blame.
Advances in life expectancy between 1990 and 2011 have been attributed to improvements in heart disease and cancer care.
But poor diets, low levels of exercise and increasing body mass index (BMI) scores have been linked to the slow down of these improvements in 2011 to 2019.
As part of a new study, academics wanted to assess life expectancy advances across 20 European countries from 1990 to 2021.
Researchers, led by experts from the University of East Anglia (UEA), compared several factors linked to life expectancy across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
All countries showed annual improvements in life expectancy between 1990 to 2011, with an overall increase of an average of 0.23 years.
From 1990 to 2011, life expectancy in England rose by an average of 0.25 years. This slowed to an average increase of 0.07 years in 2011 to 2019.
Researchers said England experienced the largest decline in life expectancy improvement during the period studied.
Between 2019 and 2021, which includes the first part of the Covid-19 pandemic, most countries saw a fall in life expectancy except for Ireland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.
Researchers said that the countries which “best maintained” improvements in life expectancy had fewer heart disease and cancer deaths.
The researchers have now called for government action to improve overall population health, including helping people have better diets and more exercise.
Lead researcher Professor Nick Steel, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said: “Advances in public health and medicine in the 20th century meant that life expectancy in Europe improved year after year, but this is no longer the case.
“We found that deaths from cardiovascular diseases were the primary driver of the reduction in life expectancy improvements between 2011-19. Unsurprisingly, the Covid pandemic was responsible for decreases in life expectancy seen between 2019-21.
“Countries like Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, and Belgium held onto better life expectancy after 2011, and saw reduced harms from major risks for heart disease, helped by government policies.
“In contrast, England and the other UK nations fared worst after 2011 and also during the Covid pandemic, and experienced some of the highest risks for heart disease and cancer, including poor diets.”
He added: “Life expectancy for older people in many countries is still improving, showing that we have not yet reached a natural longevity ceiling.
“Life expectancy mainly reflects mortality at younger ages, where we have lots of scope for reducing harmful risks and preventing early deaths.”
You can find out your life expectancy using our interactive calculator here.
