Can you touch your toes? Are much less flexible than you used to be? Research suggests that arterial stiffness may be linked to flexibility.
As we age we tend to become less flexible. An action such as bending down and picking things up becomes more of a challenge as the years go by.
In maintaining fitness, first there was an emphasis on cardiovascular fitness, then it was realized that strength is important too. Now, more recently it has been realized that maintaining flexibility should be part of any fitness program.
Increasing flexibility makes it easier to reach and do many things. It improves balance, posture and coordination. Stretching is thought to improve lubrication in joints and increase blood flow. Combined with muscle strength it reduces the risk of serious injury in falls. Stretching also can be relaxing and a stress reducer.
New research indicates that those who have more flexibility have less arterial stiffness.
Arterial stiffness is exactly what it sounds like – how stiff the arteries are. Arteries are the blood vessels that go away from the heart and deliver blood throughout the body. Arterial stiffness tends to increase as we age as our arteries become less elastic. Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) with the buildup of plaque also makes arteries stiffer. Increased arterial stiffness is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke.
In the study, the participants were either classed as young, middle aged or elderly. Each did a “sit and reach” test. This test was sitting on the floor with straight legs and back against the wall, then the participants reached forward as far as they could in the direction of their toes.
The researchers found that in the middle aged and elderly participants, but not the young, that being inflexible in the sit and reach test was correlated to higher levels of arterial stiffness. This was linked to systolic (the upper number) being higher too. This indicates that those who are more flexible are more likely to have better arterial health, lower blood pressure and a lower risk of cardiovascular events.
This raises the question as to whether if you are currently inflexible would working on stretching becoming more flexible, either reduce arterial stiffness or slow the speed of arterial stiffening?
To become more flexible, there are a range of books and DVD’s for stretching, yoga etc. One DVD that I like and find I don’t get tired of is Basic Yoga Workout for Dummies
photo credit: Neeta Lind
