This Is 1 Stretch You Should Be Doing More Of As You Age

Wisdom comes with age. But flexibility? It feels like we lose a little limberness every year — and that can come with some (*ahem*) stiff consequences.

It’s not just that you can’t do the splits or touch your toes like you used to. Having tighter muscles can affect your ability to navigate day-to-day life, something you may have already started to feel if you have a job that requires a lot of sitting.

Luckily, there’s one easy thing you can do to combat this: stretch your hip flexors.

While all types of stretches are good for your body, focusing on your hip flexors is especially important to maintain mobility as you get older. Tight hip flexors can cause lower back pain and muscle fatigue and stretching them can improve balance and resolve other issues, according to a 2021 meta-analysis .

Gavin Hamer, a physical therapist and the national director of clinical education at Fyzical Therapy & Balance Centers, told HuffPost that “stretching will positively affect the joints, ligaments, and muscles around the hip.”

“Flexible muscles are less likely to become strained, and mobile joints are kept healthy by improving circulation and lubrication,” Hamer added.

Not to mention, flexible hips lead to “greater stride length and more effective reactions to balance challenges,” according to Hamer.

Why Do We Lose Flexibility?

Dr. Georgiy Brusovanik, an orthopedic surgeon and spine and bone specialist at Miami Spine Doctor, said that we lose disc height in our spines when we age, leading to a loss of lumbar lordosis, which is the natural inward curve of your spine.

“Think of it as we get more and more pitched forward,” he explained. “An extreme example of this is our elderly who may have a difficult time even looking up at the