I’ve been talking about food a lot lately. Yes, I know…that’s what I’m SUPPOSED to do. 🙂
But something you may not know about me…in addition to being a health and nutrition coach, I’m also a certified Pilates instructor. I’m pretty convinced that Pilates is one of the keys to eternal youth. (Sunscreen is the other. Seriously.)
Staying flexible is undeniably important to keeping your body young, whether you do it with Pilates, yoga, or just plain old stretching. Can you touch your toes? Put your hands flat on the floor when you bend forward? Do the splits, even? (Yeah, that would be “absolutely not” on the splits for me too.)
Age-related stiffness doesn’t have to be an inevitable part of life. I’ve seen 70 year-old Pilates clients with more flexibility than I have – and you know what? – they move like they’re 20 years younger. If you’re an athlete, the benefits of being flexible include improved athletic performance, increased range of motion, and injury prevention.
To get you started, here are some stretches to address one of the most common areas of inflexibility: the hamstrings. Tight hamstrings – something I saw in countless Pilates clients – can contribute to lower back pain and knee injuries.
Standing Hamstring Stretch
- Standing, extend one leg slightly in front of you with your heel on the ground and your foot flexed.
- Bend your other knee and lean gently towards your extended leg, hinging at the hips. Make sure your standing foot is pointing forward and that your knee doesn’t extend past your toes. You should feel the stretch in the back of your front leg.
- Hold for about 30 seconds.
- Switch legs and repeat.
Crossover Hamstring Stretch
- Cross one leg over the other at the ankles.
- Gently roll down through the spine with legs straight, bringing your hands as close to the floor as possible. You should feel the stretch in the back of your back leg.
- Hold for about 30 seconds.
- Roll back up to tall and cross the other leg in front.
- Repeat.
And here are couple of my favorite stretches for the spine (among other things), with links to videos walking you through each of them. Try them whenever you’re feeling a little stiff. Pay as much attention to the breathing cues as you do to the stretches themselves – taking a deep breath and exhaling into a stretch allows you to go even deeper (isn’t oxygen great? ;).
Spine Stretch Forward (from Pilates)
Standing Forward Bend (“Uttanasana” from yoga)
Do you stretch every day? What benefits do you notice? Tell me in the comments.
xoxo,
