Move It Or Lose It
Joan Arnold
FLEXIBILITY. IT'S THE KEY TO VITALITY.
Two friends of mine made a pact. Late parents in their early 50s
with a sparkling 12-year-old boy, they swore that while getting
up or sitting down they would never groan audibly in front of their
child. Thus they hoped to suppress at least one indicator of the
passage of time: less flexibility.
The stiffness that makes getting up and down a challenge is a sign of advancing age, as are the rickety curve of the spine, the frozen hip joints and the inflexible shuffle. Though some tightening is inevitable over the years, there is a reliable way to keep the spring in your step: Cultivate suppleness. It's not just the capacity to touch your toes; it's muscular freedom, the ability to flex and extend. What it comes down to is this: Flexibility is the ability to move.
The influence of muscular pliability on overall health is surprisingly profound. The degree of freedom you have in your muscles and joints determines your capacity for balance and susceptibility to injury. According to a joint study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports: "Although flexibility may appear to be a minor component of physical fitness, the consequence of rigid joints affects all aspects of life, including walking, stooping, sitting, avoiding falls and driving." In fact, geriatricians use loss of flexibility? in joints, muscles, tendons and skin ? as an index of aging.
Flexibility affects not only external movement, but also internal bodily functions.
The C-shaped spine so prevalent in the modern office doesn't just
look bad; slumping presses on internal organs. Dr. Timothy McCall,
a Boston-based board-certified specialist in internal medicine,
says, "Flexibility creates space in your body space in the joints,
space for the lungs to breathe, for the organs to get their blood
supply, to be oxygenated and have the toxins removed."
As we leave behind youthful athleticism, our bodies become more idle; some muscles are chronically tense, others atrophy from inactivity. Stiffness can result from either overuse or underuse. So whether you're an armchair slug or an inveterate exerciser, flexibility matters.
WAS I BORN THIS WAY?
Gender and genetics influence our individual capacity for pliancy. Men, with thicker muscle fibers rendering more upper-body brawn, have a relatively narrow pelvis and less flexible hip joints. Women, with a lower center of gravity and more power in the legs, tend to be more flexible overall.
Another genetic factor is the length of ligaments, the connective
tissue that ties bone to bone. Some people are just more tightly
strung than others. But regardless of what you're born with and
what you've been doing lately, the good news is that the body quickly
responds to an intelligent flexibility program.
HOW FLEXIBILITY WORKS
Muscles create movement by doing two things: shortening and lengthening.
They work in pairs, crossing joints like pulleys to move the body's
bony levers. Responding to the nervous system's signal, a muscle
exerts force by contracting while its opposite partner releases.
If you bend your elbow, the biceps, which start at the collarbone
and cross the elbow, will contract, and the triceps, the opposing
muscles will lengthen. This alternate contraction and release happens
in coordinated precision with dizzying complexity, producing the
human body's ample movement range, whether for running across a
field or picking up a quarter.
Without that lengthening, the exerting muscle's efficiency is compromised. Think of two lumberjacks sawing down a tree: When one pulls, the other has to push in order to maximize the partner's effort. Similarly, in joint compression, if the opposing muscle never fully lengthens, the contracting muscle works too hard, creating a mini-tug-of-war in the joint. Over time, this compression stresses the joint, producing a feeling of tightness and pain or becoming a factor in a variety of conditions, such as arthritis or bursitis. Tendons, which connect muscle to bone, draw our attention when they get inflamed and give us tennis elbow or Achilles tendinitis. Learning how to balance contraction with release will help reduce excess muscular tension.
As fitness trends have shifted in the last decade from aerobics to strength training, flexibility has become a hot topic. In the years that fitness consultant Molly Fox, director of the Brooklyn studio Yoga People, has taught dance, exercise and yoga, she has watched baby boomers reap the rewards of their fitness regimens. "We've learned more about what people lose as they age," she says. So flexibility has become the last bastion of fitness. Muscles need to be toned, but they also need to be flexible."
PAYING ATTENTION TO YOUR BODY
Whatever you do all day, sit at a desk, stand in front of a classroom,
talk on the phone, lift a child or leap tall buildings, your habitual
movement pattern elongates some muscles and shortens others. Stretching
is a great way to relax, rejuvenate and rebalance. Perceiving tension
or aches less as annoyances and more as messages from your body
will help you tune into where you need more flexibility.
BACK AND CHEST
Crossover Stretch- Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat
on the floor, hip distance apart, arms out to the sides. Cross your
right leg over your left and drop both to the left. Breathe slowly
and easily, letting the weight of your legs stretch your back and
sides. Press your left foot down and exhale to return to center.
Then reverse.
CHEST AND SHOULDERS
Arm Circles- Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the
floor, hip distance apart, arms out to the sides. Drop your knees
to the right. Circle the left arm down, letting the hand trail on
the floor over your legs and above your head. Repeat several times.
When you hit a tight spot, stay there a while and let the muscles
ease before continuing. Press your feet down and exhale to return
knees to center. Then reverse.
NECK AND SPINE
Back Arch- Sit backward on a chair or cross-legged on the floor.
Pressing down with your hands, stretch your spine up comfortably
into an arch, working your back muscles to stretch the front of
the torso from neck to belly. Exhale and bring your spine back to
a vertical position.
Roll Down- Lace your fingers behind your head and drop it slowly,
keeping the spine upright. Don't pull with your arms, but let them
act as a weight to stretch the neck and upper back. Stay there,
wait for the release of tension, then continue down, stopping whenever
you need to. Enjoy the stretch as it travels down your back.
LEGS AND HIP JOINTS
Hamstring Stretch- Sit on the floor with your left leg bent, foot
at the right thigh, right leg straight in front of you. Bend forward
at the hip joint, not at the waist. If you are less flexible, don't
go forward; sit up straight and let your leg muscles lengthen. That
alone will stretch the hamstrings. For more of a challenge, wrap
a towel around the right foot and, keeping that crucial fold at
the hip joint, lengthen your torso over the leg. If that's a breeze,
toss the towel and go all the way. Then switch legs.
The next two stretches counter the desk worker's usual tight hips.
Quad Stretch- Lie on your right side with the right leg bent beneath you. Bend
your left leg behind you and hold the foot with your left hand or,
if you're less flexible, with a towei wrapped around the ankle.
To feel the stretch fully and completely, gently press the pelvis
forward as you draw the thigh back. Switch sides.
Hip Opener- Lie on a table, bed or bench with your hip joint at its edge so
your leg can hang down. Draw your right knee to the chest, relax
your neck and shoulders and let your left hip release. Holding the
knee, exhale while drawing your left knee up. Switch sides.
OVERALL FLEXIBILITY
Every move you make reduces or enhances flexibility. Fitness activities,
even for the most compulsive, occupy a small portion of our time.
Mundane things, sitting, standing, brushing teeth, washing dishes,
are what we do most of the day. As a teacher of the Alexander Technique,
I have helped clients relieve chronic tension and pain by improving
how they do such unremarkable actions as putting on an earring or
reaching into the vegetable bin of the refrigerator.
Most tightness and discomfort come from muscular overwork and spinal compression in daily activity; we often do light work with excess effort. If, for example, you hunch over a coffeepot and lift your shoulders as you pour, you're unconsciously compressing your spine and shoulder joints. Such repeated stresses create mini-traumas in the tissues. These add up, often without our notice. By learning to do ordinary things with less tension, you will use your body more efficiently.
WHEN AND HOW TO STRETCH
The best time to build flexibility is after a workout, not before. The end of an exercise session is ideal for working on flexibility because muscles are warm and malleable. But stretching does not always have to be done in conjunction with exercise. You can recuperate from a sedentary day of desk work by learning how to relax, breathe and gradually unfurl the body parts that have spent the day wrapped around a computer or phone.
To serious exercisers and athletes: I'd love to tell you what "research shows," but experts disagree on which stretching method works best and even on whether active people should stretch at all. According to New Mexico exercise physiologist Len Kravitz, stretching techniques are continually evolving and no guidelines have been agreed upon for prescribing the type or duration. Some techniques require assistance and, in the hands of a sympathetic, smart personal trainer, they all work well.
But who needs research. As any cat will show with a satisfying
ripple from head to tail, stretching couldn't be more natural. Your
most valuable tools are your body's signals. Rote programs, four
of these, two of those, 8 or 30 seconds, obscure the delicate listening
process that tells you what your body needs. Use stretching to reawaken
your senses and elicit the body's innate intelligence.
If it's all new to you, learn some basics from a book or, far better, in a class or a private coaching or bodywork session.
YOGA, YOGA, YOGA!
If there is a fountain of youth, I say it's free hip joints. We depend on them
to get up, down and around, and that's where middle age really starts
to show. For flexibility in this crucial area, no system has more
inventive ways to stretch every fiber than yoga. The current boom
provides you with staggering variety, from restorative to butt-kicking.
For a gentle practice, try an Integral- or Kripalu-style class.
If you want more challenge and movement, build power and muscular
endurance with Jivamukti, Ashtanga or Bikram, the style Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
credits with extending his professional career. Whether you choose
one of these or another form, the sensitivity and patience of the
teacher are key. Don't let anyone push you beyond your capacity.
SOME GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Stretching should be a pleasure. Initial discomfort when just beginning is fine, but it should not hurt. With professional guidance or attentive experimentation, you can learn to distinguish between appropriate challenge and strain.
Relaxing your neck and spine will enhance any stretch.
Deep, easy breathing calms the system and releases muscles. They lengthen most easily on the exhale.
Ten to 20 minutes of daily stretching will do more good than the sporadic half-hour. Consistency and frequency are more important than duration.
Accept where you are. Comparing yourself to others won't help. Give up your goals and you will progress faster.
Treat the body as a single elastic unit. When you stretch, you are not just lengthening individual muscle fibers. You are tuning the entire body's connective web.
GOING FURTHER
Treatments: Physical therapy; massage-such as Swedish or deep
tissue; boclywork - such as shiatsu or Rolfing.
Body/mind disciplines: Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais
Awareness Through Movement-eclucational approaches to he1p change habitual
movement styles and relieve tension.
Stretching techniques: Consult a physical therapist or personal
trainer to learn specific techniques.
Reading: Stretching, by Bob Anderson; Staying Supple: The BountifulPleasures of Stretching, by John Jerome.
