{"id":251154,"date":"2026-01-18T13:24:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T13:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/251154\/"},"modified":"2026-01-18T13:24:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T13:24:07","slug":"flexibility-is-a-key-to-longevity-heres-how-to-improve-yours-according-to-experts-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/251154\/","title":{"rendered":"Flexibility Is a Key to Longevity. Here\u2019s How to Improve Yours, According to Experts"},"content":{"rendered":"

If your fitness routine includes a mix of cardio<\/a> and strength training<\/a>, you may assume you have your bases covered. You don\u2019t. There\u2019s a third area that most people, men in particular, tend to ignore: flexibility.<\/p>\n

If you can\u2019t remember the last time you did yoga or touch your toes without bending your knees, this applies to you. Flexibility is a lot more important than you may realize and improving it could even add years to your life. Think that\u2019s too much of a \u2026 stretch? Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n

5 Reasons Why Flexibility Matters<\/p>\n

Being flexible doesn\u2019t necessarily mean being able to do the splits or contort your body like a gymnast, but it does mean being able to move around easily. \u201cFlexibility<\/a> is the ability to move through a joint\u2019s full range of motion,\u201d says Alex Rothstein, CSCS,<\/a> an exercise physiologist and exercise science professor at New York Tech.<\/p>\n

This range, Rothstein says, is an offshoot of mobility, which is being able to move the body easily and without pain. \u201cFlexibility is the passive ability of going through a range of motion while mobility is the active ability to do it,\u201d he says. There are five key reasons why flexibility is important.<\/p>\n

1. Flexibility makes it easier to maintain good posture<\/p>\n

Rothstein explains that when a part of the body isn\u2019t as flexible as it should be, it causes another part of the body to overcompensate. When this happens, maintaining good posture gets difficult. Brad Walker,<\/a> an exercise scientist at The Stretching Institute, says that, \u201cImproved flexibility in the right muscle groups plays a key role in the body\u2019s ability to maintain good posture. When muscles in the chest and shoulders, for example, become tight and restricted, they can pull the shoulders and neck forward leading to a rounded upper back, which affects posture and can lead to chronic pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re reading this with your shoulders hunched forward, that\u2019s a sign that you probably have a postural imbalance and could benefit from improving flexibility in your chest and shoulders. \u201cFlexibility training can help fix poor posture,\u201d says Karen Owoc, ACSM-CEP, ACSM-CET<\/a>, a clinical exercise physiologist at the Palo Alto VA Medical Center. If you want to avoid that hunched-over caveman look, she says to focus on increasing flexibility in the upper back, chest, and core.<\/p>\n

2. It protects the body from injury<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t have good flexibility, you\u2019re more likely to not only experience poor posture but also aches and pains. This, Walker says, is because muscles and joints become stiff. You\u2019re also more likely to injure yourself. \u201cIf you can\u2019t move the way you need to, it can cause overuse to another part of the body, which can lead to injury,\u201d Rothstein says. Walker echoes this, saying, \u201cAllowing the body to move more freely leads to less wear and tear on the joints and other soft tissue of the body, which in turn leads to less injuries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rothstein says the key to avoiding injury is staying in the sweet spot of not being overly flexible (which can cause joint dislocation) and being too stiff. He explains that if you\u2019re too stiff and need to use your muscles and joints to do something strenuous, this could put too much strain on the muscles and joints being used, which could damage them. It\u2019s like going from zero to 100 miles per hour, whereas having good flexibility would be like going from, depending on how flexible you are, 50 or 80 to 100.<\/p>\n

3. Having good flexibility can make you a better athlete<\/p>\n

Having a good range of motion (which you need flexibility for) is key to upping your athleticism in any sport. \u201cThe reason why flexibility helps with sports performance is that it really allows the muscles and joints to function optimally without restriction,\u201d Rothstein says. For example, if your hamstrings are stiff and tight, it\u2019s going to be harder for you to move across the court (or field) than if you are able to move easier and freer.<\/p>\n

4. Flexibility is connected to better heart health<\/p>\n

Scientific research<\/a> shows a connection between flexibility and heart health. Walker explains that this is because stretching (which improves flexibility) leads to better blood flow, which ensures the heart is getting a steady supply of oxygen and nutrients.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If your fitness routine includes a mix of cardio and strength training, you may assume you have your…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":65493,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[499,103,61,60,513,514,1184,10698],"class_list":{"0":"post-251154","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-textbelowcentergridwidth","13":"tag-web","14":"tag-wellness","15":"tag-working-out"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251154\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}