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Flexibility is a prerequisite for many exercises and activities. People lose flexibility as a result of age and weight gain. Many months or years without exercise can greatly decrease your flexibility. As you begin to exercise to lose weight you will need to start by learning to increase your flexibility. There are many exercises that you can do to become more flexible.
When starting a flexibility program keep in mind that a little exercise every day is more helpful than a lot all at once. Stretching requires you to gently increase your flexibility over time. This can take days, weeks and months to accomplish so don't expect results overnight. However rest assured that if you continue to do some flexibility exercises every day you will increase your flexibility.
Anyone can begin doing flexibility exercises – in fact they are highly recommended for those who are extremely overweight. These exercises will get you started slowly by introducing you to a simple exercise routine that won't overstress your body. You can begin with easy arm and leg stretches. If you aren't comfortable standing or can't easily sit on the floor you can do some easy stretching by sitting in a chair.
When starting stretching exercises for the first time remember to take it slowly. You won't feel the burn of the exercises until some time later or the next day. The muscles will tend to feel pain because they are moving in ways they are not accustomed to. This is normal. As you continue to stretch the muscles they will become more and more flexible and will no longer hurt.
When doing stretching exercises try to stretch and hold the position for 3 to 10 seconds. It is not good to keep bobbing as you stretch but rather it's better to simply stretch and hold the position in one spot. Count to 5 or ten and then relax. Then repeat the same stretch again for another 10 seconds. Try to do 20 repetitions of each muscle stretch. This is called a set. As you become more flexible you'll be able to stretch more easily and can perform several sets in a row.
The most common stretches to do involve your arms and legs. Stretch your leg muscles by doing toe touches or by sitting on the floor and reaching your toes. As you stretch hold in the position for up to 10 seconds before releasing. Don't worry if you can't touch your toes (or even come close). The idea is to work on stretching your muscles a little bit each day. Soon you will be more flexible and will be able to touch your toes.
To increase arm flexibility do arm stretches either in the air or out to the side. As your abilities increase you'll be able to add weights to your workouts to give your arms more muscle. You can also use flexibility exercises on your neck, shoulders, thighs and back. Try to do exercises daily and you'll see an improvement in your flexibility and fitness levels.
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