Fitness for Performance – Flexibility

Improving your flexibility lengthens your muscles and helps your posture, making you appear more confident. So working on your flexibility is actually one of the more important things to do when working to improve your performance.

Here are 5 ways to improve your flexibility:

1. Stretch. This may seem an obvious way to improve your flexibility. It’s important to stretch as often as you can. Daily or more than once a day is best.

2. Massage and/or Rolfing. These are excellent for stress-release and rejuvenation, therefore improving your performance. Deep-tissue work, such as Rolfing, especially improves your flexibility and works out tension points in a way that can’t be done on your own.

3. Foam roll. Foam rolling is the next best thing to getting a massage without having to pay for it! Foam rolling will improve your flexibility and also work out tension points in your body. This is great for the beginning and/or end of the day.

4. Pilates. Pilates is wonderful for lengthening your muscles while strengthening – a perfect combination for total health. Pilates also helps you feel calmer and improves your confidence in the way you appear physically.

5. Yoga. Yoga is a combination of poses involving stretching. It especially improves flexibility when practiced consistently. Tom and I really like Hot yoga. Yoga has a meditative quality, and you may want to add meditation to your exercises as well.

Try to begin practicing some type of flexibility daily and notice how you begin to feel. After any type of exercise, it is important to stretch.

Enjoy the improved posture, agility, and the way your muscles feel with a focus on daily flexibility.

“Better bend than break.” Scottish proverb

Photo Credit: Photo of Christina Chitwood by David Paterson at Eventfotos.