Flexibility is the ability of a joint to move through its complete range of motion, also called ROM. It has many benefits for strength & fitness. There are three types of flexibility, static, dynamic, and functional. Stretching relaxes muscle tissues, increases circulation to them, and creates room for blood vessels to grow larger.
As a result, stretching exercises improve the delivery of oxygen and nutrients necessary for healthy muscular growth. They also help to remove metabolic wastes from muscle fibers, stimulating circulation. Here are reasons why flexibility is important.
15 Benefits Of Flexibility For Human Health
Flexibility is one of the most important components of exercise programs. Flexible joints are less prone to injury and provide a greater range of motion for activities that require movement. Studies have shown that flexibility training improves performance in other areas, including cardiovascular health.
So, what are some additional reasons why stretching should be an essential part of your routine? Here are some reasons why flexibility is vital to your physical and mental health.
1. Flexibility Helps Prevent Injury
Our joints should be flexible to stay healthy and avoid injuries. According to the American Council on Exercise, flexibility exercises such as yoga and Pilates help build up your strength to avoid injury.
Flexibility also helps you to prevent injuries and also helps you to stay healthy.
2. Flexibility Helps Your Muscles Function Better
Good flexibility is essential for your muscles to work efficiently. Without it, over time you may develop muscle imbalances which can lead to pain and injuries associated with everyday activities. For example, tight hamstrings may lead to lower back pain when you bend over.
3. Flexibility Enhances Your Athletic Performance
Being flexible allows athletes to have a better range of motion and minimizes the chances of injury during competition. In sports that require bending or running, such as basketball or track, having flexible muscles can help your game.
4. Flexibility Improves Your Posture
Good flexibility is important for good posture because it allows us to sit, stand and walk straight without any tension in our muscles. Chronic postural problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle can lead to injuries and a lot of back pain.
Reference Video – The Importance Of Flexibility
5. Flexibility Helps You Look Taller And Slimmer
Being flexible will improve your appearance because it gives the perception that you are taller and slimmer, according to experts at The University of Chichester. If you have good flexibility, it also means that your weight is being distributed evenly, which helps improve balance.
6. Flexibility Improves Your Circulation
Flexible muscles not only help the joints work properly but also improve blood flow throughout the body. Our circulatory system needs to deliver nutrients and oxygen to all of our cells at a cellular level, so flexibility is very important for this process.
7. Flexibility Helps Your Body Fight Stress
A lot of flexibility exercises, such as yoga and Pilates, are designed to stretch the body in specific ways that will help calm your mind. Being flexible means, you can physically bend your body into a lot of different positions which is good for your mental health because it relieves stress.
8. Flexibility Helps Prevent Back Pain
A lot of people complain about chronic lower back pain. Although there are many causes for this, tight muscles in the back and abdominal area can contribute to the problem because they pull on weak joints, making it more difficult to move. According to ChiroPlanet, yoga has been found to provide relief from back pain, especially when combined with deep breathing techniques.
9. Flexibility Helps You Breathe Better
According to Healthline, flexibility training can improve normal breathing habits by lengthening the muscles responsible for expanding your chest cavity. When these muscles are tight, it results in less air being taken into our lungs which makes postural problems worse.
The lack of oxygen can then contribute to a host of other medical conditions, so improving your flexibility will help you to breathe better and maximize the benefits of aerobic exercise.
10. Flexibility Enhances Overall Health
Flexibility training has been shown to provide a variety of health benefits from reducing stress levels to reducing your risk for chronic diseases such as cancer. In all, it is a good idea to maintain good flexibility because if you don’t, it will lead to a lot of postural problems that can eventually affect your health.
11. Flexibility Keeps Your Body Moving
When you are inflexible, it makes everyday activities more difficult to perform. This is why flexibility training is helpful because it will improve mobility and help you prevent unnecessary injuries that arise from a lack of flexibility.
12. Flexibility Increases Your Range Of Motion
Flexibility has been shown to increase a person’s range of motion which can have a positive impact on balance and coordination. According to the University of Chichester, stretching before sports events may help prevent injuries because it prevents a lot of muscle injuries that occur due to a lack of flexibility.
13. Flexibility Can Help You Recover From Tough Workouts
If you take the time to stretch properly, it may help prevent pulled muscles and other injuries that can occur after a tough workout. When your muscles are flexible, they’ll be able to withstand whatever stress you put on them which makes it easier for your body to recover.
14. Flexibility Can Help You Maintain A Healthy Weight
If you are overweight, then your joints will have to work harder for you to move around. This puts stress on all of your internal organs which makes it more difficult for the body to process food properly.
Being flexible will allow your muscles and joints to do their job without being taxed so much which can help you lose weight.
15. Flexibility Enhances Your Overall Appearance
Being flexible will make you look and feel better because your body will be able to take a variety of poses without many problems. Your posture is then improved which gives you an attractive appearance that people will notice when they see you.
If you are flexible, it means that you have a lean body which many people find attractive. Not only that, being inflexible usually results in postural problems that result in poor facial symmetry and an unbalanced look.
Importance Of Flexibility – Conclusion
By Reading this article we came to know that physical flexibility is important not only for the normal function of the body but for preventing injury. If muscles are very tight, they may easily be strained or torn if subjected to abnormal stressors.
Those who have poor flexibility also tend to experience less mobility in their joints, due to tightness within surrounding muscle tissue. Improved flexibility can help an athlete to better adjust to changing situations during exercise, which is why most experts recommend increasing flexibility in conjunction with practicing technique.
References
- https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-flexibility
- https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4568/Why-Flexibility-Is-Important-to-Your-Health.html
- https://www.lifehack.org/794477/benefits-of-stretching
Hello, I am Aatka Azhar. I have done bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Writing articles is my passion through which I explore so many things. So, I am using my passion by working here and it will be the source of knowledge for the readers.