Flexibility is not reserved for the young during playtime or school Phys Ed class. It is meant for everyone, no matter their age, or where they are in their lives. In fact, being flexible means increased mobility, and above all, doing the things you care most about.
Of course, as we age, it does become harder to endure the same activity schedule. But, the reason for this is not old age.
Instead, the reason is during our lives, we have had surgeries, accidents, injuries, and developed chronic conditions such as degenerative diseases that prevent us from doing as much as we did in the past. Some things you just don’t fully recover from.
Therefore, it is harder to maintain the same level of determined exercise. The good news, though, is you don’t have to be rigorous or aggressive in your approach.
The reality is that a stretching routine for flexibility is for everyone. Age is irrelevant.
Plus, any prior and existing conditions can be taken into account when planning a proper and consistent program. Everything can be modified and customized to your liking and skill set.
Let’s take a look at different stages of our lives.
Stretching for Babies
Helping your newborn or young toddler stretch out can be so much fun. The interaction and time you spend with your lovely baby will be well worth it. You’ll be bonding while enjoying some quality personal one-on-one time.
Although we know that you will be very gentle when stretching your baby, it should be noted that this is not a suggestion to pull or tug on the infant’s arms and legs. As we said, this should be fun, and is merely to help the baby come out of their natural curl-in-a-ball state. Now that they are out of the womb, they should be introduced to other positions so they can explore their new surroundings.
One of the stretches you can do is to bend the knee and slowly push each leg towards the baby’s chest. In and out in slow motion. Then you can get a little faster and watch your baby’s face. It will probably start to giggle or smile. While your little one is enjoying the movement, you are helping to strengthen the legs. The back will receive some benefits as well.
Another fun activity which encourages coordination and motor skills is to simply have your baby clutch your finger with its whole hand. Then you can slowly move the arms back and forth. Try to add some exiting phrases to encourage the infant, as well as provide them with the stimulation of different sounds.
Stretching for Kindergarten
Now that your child has matured and started school, there will be plenty of activities that use a stretching routine for flexibility.
Often, the teacher will develop a program that makes a game out of stretching exercises. One game that has been popular for years is the Hokey Pokey. With the music, and all the children singing along, they get a really good workout while having a wonderful time. The dance can be quite hilarious for kids and adults alike!
Most kindergarten classes include a daily nap time to encourage the children to have some quiet downtime. Once the nap is over, the teacher will lead the students in stretching to shake off the sleepy feeling and get ready for the next lesson or activity.
They might all stand in a circle and stretch their bodies out by reaching to the sky and standing on tippy toes. Another stretch would be leaning to one side and reaching the arm over the head, again trying to touch the sky.
Stretching for Kids
This is a broad range of ages, but for the most part, children start to join teams and clubs. Again, the key is to have fun when the children are younger, but as they grow older and enter the sports arena, the stretching routine for flexibility will follow a specified program which enhances their ability to play a given sport.
Of course, kids are already agile and flexible, simply because that is how the human body works. Yet, they need to work on strengthening their backs, legs and arms through various poses.
Also, the muscles can become tight and hurt when doing certain movements. This is especially true if the child doesn’t get the proper amount of daily physical activity. Consequently, this is the time to start a regular and consistent stretching regimen to set them up for continued long term health benefits later in life.
Stretching for Beginners
Many adults make the decision to begin their journey to a new and improved self. That might include getting rid of specific bad habits such as overeating, eating the wrong types of foods, smoking, and generally, laying about.
To augment their efforts to feel better, they often approach the situation with positive activities that replace the negative ones. They also desire to learn about ways to make themselves reach their goals in terms of trying new hobbies, or resuming hobbies they had done years ago.
Stretching at this point is a beginner activity, but plenty of young and old adults find a stretching routine for flexibility changes their outlook and allows them to achieve their goals.
The biggest point to remember is that you start slow. Do what you can for as long as you can. Don’t force yourself or any parts of your body to do things that it is not capable of. Slow and easy wins with this activity. Pain and speed are not part of the game plan.
Stretching for Women Over 50
A lot of ladies feel like they have been cooped up in the house for a long time raising children or taking care of a partner. They are finally at a time in their lives when they want to do something for themselves.
Plenty other females may have had to work long hours at different jobs to make ends meet. They, too feel that something needs to change about their lives, and in particular, their daily habits.
A stretching routine for flexibility can be the perfect life-changer for any woman over the age of fifty. It can help them reconnect with activities from the past, such as golf, badminton, tennis, gardening, swimming, and dancing. Whatever is important for them in terms of re-engagement.
Additionally, they may wish to move into their later years knowing that they have taken control of their health and body, and really understand that the sooner they work on flexibility, mobility and staying active, the longer they will reap the benefits.
If you haven’t been doing any stretching, now is the perfect time to start for overall general fitness. If you are wondering how to start, and which stretching technique do experts recommend for general fitness, check out our question and answer section.
Stretching for Seniors
Senior ladies and men, we applaud you for taking action, no matter your age. Anytime is the best time to start your stretching routine for flexibility.
Whether your reason is just for fun to do something with your friends or you want to feel better, a regimen can be created to help you with your goals, no matter how big or small.
One of the things we do recommend is seeking motivation by joining others. This not helps you to stay focused, but also provides companionship.
Please remember, though, this is not a competition. Everyone is at their own level, and it is not about being the best. The best is what you can do for yourself, not what you can do in relation to others in your group.
For example, when you go for physical therapy, they measure you against yourself, not against others. They assign a score to how far you can move your arm or lift your leg. Then after so many sessions, they assign another score. It is all about incremental changes so that you don’t do more damage to the body.
Finally, if you don’t have the means to join a local session or club, such as being able to get there, have your caregiver or a friend or even your doctor help to organize a daily plan for you.
Stretching for Elderly
It is truly amazing to us how many of our elderly citizens are getting up and dancing, having fun with exercise, and working out using their kitchen chairs as support. We just love to hear about all these men and ladies that up and about.
Often, at this age, the very elderly may have daily help come to their homes for getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, preparing meals, and helping their clients into bed at night.
Many of these helpers are given sheets from the local physical therapist that has pictures and instructions for doing a regular set of low impact exercises. This stretching routine for flexibility is perfect for maintaining strength in the legs and arms, as well as keeping that blood flow moving.
Stretching for Men
A male body is different than a female, so although stretching is good for both genders, there are some exercises that are better suited to the male DNA.
The stretching will also depend on whether he wants to create a sculpted body like a body builder, whether he is just stretching out the kinks from a hard day’s work, or whether he wants to improve a particular sport action such as throwing a ball or swinging the bat.
Whatever the immediate goal or end result, a stretching routine for flexibility can be designed for home activity or in the gym.
Final Thoughts on Stretching Routine for Flexibility
As you can now see a stretching routine for flexibility can be safely undertaken at any age in your life cycle. For some of us, we don’t even realize that stretching is an activity or exercise. We do it because it is fun, and it makes our bones, tendons, and joints feel better.
Like always, though, if you have any conditions that require medical attention, please check with your qualified practitioner before embarking on any routine.
