FLEXIBILITY ACTIVITIES

WHAT IS FLEXIBILITY?
Ø Flexibility is the ability of the muscles, ligaments, and tendons to elongate
through the range of motion. 7
Ø Using flexibility exercises to improve your range of motion helps decrease your
risk of injuries and avoid tightness and soreness around your joints.
Ø One way to improve flexibility is through regular stretching exercises.
Ø Hyper-Flexibility
-There is also such a thing as being too flexible. This phenomenon is called
hyper-flexibility or joint hyper-mobility. Hyper-flexibility could signify a connective
tissue disorder, such as Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (EDS). 15

EXAMPLE OF FLEXIBILITY ACTIVITIES:

1. STRETCHING
Ø 1 Stretching is a form of physical exercise in which a specific muscle or
tendon is deliberately expanded and flexed in order to improve the muscle's felt
elasticity and achieve comfortable muscle tone. The result is a feeling of
increased muscle control, flexibility, and range of motion
Ø Benefits of stretching:
• Improve your performance in physical activities
• Decrease your risk of injuries F 8
• Help your joints move through their full range of motion T 9
• Increase muscle blood flow
• Enable your muscles to work most effectively
• Improve your ability to do daily activities
2. YOGA
Ø 2Yoga typically combines gentle stretching and strengthening exercises to
promote relaxation and control of the mind and body. 6. It requires work from all
parts of the body, including the arms, legs, glutes, and back. Having optimal
flexibility in those areas can allow you to get into certain yoga positions and
experience their benefits.
Ø Yoga is one of those exercises that experienced a revival during the pandemic.
Classes were easily adapted online and their numerous mental, social, and
physical benefits served to counter the stress of quarantine. Famous yoga
practitioners include LeBron James, David Beckham, and Justin Timberlake.
Ø Benefits of yoga:
1. Yoga improves strength, balance and flexibility.
2. Yoga helps with back pain relief.
3. Yoga can ease arthritis symptoms. 13 T
4. Yoga relaxes you, to help you sleep better.
5. Yoga helps you manage stress. 14 F
3.TAI CHI
Ø is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for self-defense and health. 5
Known for its slow, intentional movements, tai chi has practitioners
worldwide and is particularly popular as a form of gentle exercise and
moving meditation, with benefits to mental and physical health.
Ø 11 It employs flowing, rhythmic, deliberate movements, with carefully
prescribed stances and positions, but in practice no two masters teach the
system exactly alike. As a mode of attack and defense, tai chi chuan
resembles kung fu and is properly considered a martial art. It may be used
with or without weapons.
Ø Tai chi strengthens both the lower and upper extremities and also the core
muscles of the back and abdomen.10
4. PILATES 3-5
Pilates is a form of strength training, but it doesn’t look like some of the other strength
training exercises you might be familiar with. 12 F Pilates focuses more on improving
muscle tone than building muscles, but the result is similar: greater stability and
endurance.