No matter whether youIf you love exercise or are someone who doesn't like exercise: simple stretching exercises should be part of your daily routine.Regular stretchingNot only reduces the risk of injury during sporting activities, but also helps to slow down the natural physical decline as we age. Especially forWomen over 40Daily stretching offers numerous benefits. We would like to introduce three of them to you in more detail here.
The older we get, the more our body's natural mobility decreases. Muscle mass is lost naturally, causing both muscles and joints to become stiffer and less flexible over time. However, if you carry out a few simple stretching exercises regularly (preferably daily), the muscles remain more flexible, can contract better and make mobility easier in everyday life.
Another benefit of daily stretching is that stretching improves balance. The muscles can be coordinated better, balance can be maintained more easily and possible injuries due to balance problems in old age can be significantly reduced.
Regular stretching can also improve blood circulation in the body, which is particularly beneficial as you get older. OneStudie im Journal of PhysiologyIn 2020, for example, people who did leg exercises five times a week for 12 weeks had better blood flow and less stiffness than people who didn't stretch. LoudHarvard HealthResearchers believe that stretching the lower body puts pressure on the arteries in the legs, forcing them to stretch to allow better blood flow.
To reap the benefits of stretching, you should always listen to your body while doing the exercises. For example, if you notice that a stretch doesn't feel right or even hurts, you should stop the exercise. It is also important that you never stretch “cold”, but always do a few small movements (e.g. arm circles) beforehand to warm up the muscles.
Here's how:Lean your left knee and shin against a wall and place your right foot at a 90 degree angle. Raise your upper body so that your torso and left thigh form a line. Tense your bottom for about 10 seconds and push your pelvis forward even further into the stretch. Hold for a total of two minutes, then switch sides.
It's not new that exercise helps control blood sugar levels. But as early as 2011, a study showed that stretching exercises are also useful for this: adults suffering from type 2 diabetes had lower blood sugar levels after a sugary drink followed by 40 minutes of stretching than those who only pretended to stretch .
