If you spend your day hunched over a computer or tend to hold your stress in your shoulders, you might feel tightness in your shoulder area. This painful shoulder tightness can also be a result of age. Whatever the reason, try these stretching exercises if you want to loosen up those sore upper muscles.
Start your flexibility workout with basic and easy stretches. Grab a chair at your dining room table. Sit with your back to the table and rest your right arm on the table behind you. Use your left hand to gently push downward and slightly forward on the shoulder. Repeat on the opposite side. Next, raise your right arm above your head bending at the elbow so you can pat yourself on the back. Gently push your right elbow down and to the left using your left hand, hold the position for a few breaths and switch to stretch the left shoulder.
Now, stand up and lift your arms up and out to the sides. Bend your elbows keeping your forearms parallel to the floor. Pull your elbows to the back, pinching your shoulder blades together. Hold for a few breaths. Then rotate your arms to the front so your elbows meet, with arms still bent at a 90-degree angle.
For your final flexibility exercise, lie (face down) on the floor with your legs squeezing together. Put your hands under your shoulders with elbows bent. Slowly inhale and pull your torso up off the floor straightening your arms and rolling your shoulders down your back away from your eyes. Keep your neck long. You may not have enough flexibility to straighten your arms completely and that's okay. Take it slow. Exhale as you lower back to the starting position. Repeat three to five times.
 | Flexibility exercises improve your balance and enhance your ability to perform in sports and other daily activities which becomes increasingly important as we age. |
 | It's especially common for your lower back area to become strained or feel tight if you sit in a desk all day. Try these back stretching exercises to increase your lower back flexibility. |
 | When you think of flexibility, the first thing that comes to mind is probably stretching exercises or yoga. Improving your stretching flexibility through strength training is one important method to try. |
Knowing sciatica exercises will help you reduce the pain of this nerve problem. |
Your ankles are probably one of the last body parts you think about when it comes to flexibility training, but improving flexibility in these important joints can help prevent injuries and can give you an edge in sports like swimming and soccer. |
