Panamanian gymnast Hillary Heron stretches as she trains for the Olympics at the No Limits Gymnastics Center in Panama City, Saturday, June 15, 2024, ahead of the Games in Paris.
AP, File

For many people of a certain age, high school gym class began with reaching for their toes. Then, over the years, we were told it was better to stretch after exercise.

It turns out, both those things can be true, but the differing advice has created some confusion.

Stretching can help make you more flexible, improve range of motion in your joints — and feel good. David Behm, who researches human kinetics at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s, Canada, offers this advice on when to stretch and how to do it safely:

David Behm, author of “The Science and Physiology of Flexibility and Stretching,: Implications and Applications in Sport Performance and Health” stretches.
AP

Warm up first

It’s almost always good to stretch, but it’s better if you warm up first, said Behm, author of “The Science and Physiology of Flexibility and Stretching.” He recommends a light aerobic activity such as jogging, walking or cycling for five or 10 minutes.

Follow that with some static stretching, the traditional way of reaching and holding a position (think back to that gym class). You can then do activity-specific dynamic stretching, in which you warm up the muscles with repetitive movements like leg lifts.

Behm says one minute is “the magic number” for how long to do static stretching per muscle group without fatigue.

The Chicago Cubs mascot playfully stretches with Seiya Suzuki prior to a spring training baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Wednesday, March 6, 2024, in Mesa, Ariz.
AP, File

Expand your definition of ‘stretching’

Should you always stretch before exercising? If it’s traditional stretching, not necessarily.

The better question, Behm says, is, “Should people increase their range of motion? Should people have better flexibility? And that is yes, because it helps prevent injuries. It helps with health. But you don’t have to stretch to achieve that.”

Resistance training, for instance, can be an effective form of stretching, he said. Doing a chest press increases range of motion in your deltoids and pecs, whether with barbells, dumbbells or machines, so there is no need to stretch beforehand. Just make sure to start with a small amount of weight to warm up and then add more to train.

“You probably don’t have to do extra stretching unless you’re a gymnast, a figure skater, or even a golfer who needs a great range of motion through that swing,” Behm said.

Nor do you need to stretch first if you’re going for a leisurely run. Simply start with a slow jog to warm up and then increase the pace.

Don’t do it if it hurts

After exercise, “light stretching is OK, as long as you don’t reach a point where you’re feeling pain,” Behm said. Since your muscles will be warm by that point, overdoing it makes you more likely to injure yourself.

Foam rollers can help with muscle recovery and have been shown to increases range of motion as well as stretching.

Do some static stretching before sports

If you’re playing a sport, Behm said, static stretching beforehand helps reduce muscle and tendon injury.

“If you’re going to do an explosive movement, change of direction, agility, sprint, any of these explosive activities that involve your muscles and tendons,” he said, “you’re going to be stronger if you do static stretching.”

People can especially get in trouble when they go back to a sport they used to play, whether it’s tennis, surfing or any sort of team activity.

Also, stretch both sides equally. Lacking flexibility on one side also can lead to injury.

Sounds simple. Why all the confusion?

Different studies over the years have either encouraged or discouraged stretching before exercise. Behm says that partly because some studies didn’t reflect real-life conditions, or were designed with elite athletes in mind, not regular people.

“If you’re Usain Bolt, it makes a difference,” said Behm. Not so much for the rest of us.

Balance isn’t just for tightrope walkers or yogis. It’s a crucial component of overall fitness that enhances your ability to perform everyday tasks, from walking and climbing stairs to playing sports and lifting weights. Good balance can help prevent injuries, improve coordination, and boost physical performance. It’s an often-overlooked aspect of fitness that deserves more attention in your training regimen. That’s why we’ve rounded up some of the best balance exercises that reveal whether or not you’re in good shape.

Balance naturally declines as you age, increasing the risk of falls and injuries. Incorporating balance exercises into your routine can counteract this decline, enhancing your stability and overall quality of life. Whether you’re an athlete aiming to elevate your performance or want to move more confidently and securely through daily activities, working on your balance offers substantial benefits.

Ready to test your performance? These 10 balance exercises can help you assess and improve your stability, ensuring you’re in good, if not even great, shape. Each exercise challenges your balance differently, delivering a well-rounded approach to this essential fitness component.

If you can master these balance exercises, you’ll be well on your way to achieving better balance and overall fitness!

Single-leg Stand

The single-leg stand is a fundamental balance exercise that tests your static balance and lower-body stability. It’s beneficial for identifying imbalances between your left and right sides.

This exercise engages the stabilizing muscles in your ankles, knees, and hips, promoting joint health and reducing the risk of injuries. Additionally, it enhances proprioception, which is your body’s ability to sense its position in space, which is crucial for maintaining balance and coordination in everyday activities and athletic pursuits.

Stand tall with your feet together. Lift your right foot off the ground and bend your knee to form a 90-degree angle. Hold this position for 30 seconds to a minute without letting your hips tilt or your standing knee wobble. Switch to your left foot and repeat. To increase the difficulty, try closing your eyes or standing on an unstable surface like a foam pad.

10 Best Balance Exercises To Keep You Active & Mobile as You Age

Tree Pose

A staple in yoga, the tree pose improves static balance, focus, and proprioception and strengthens the muscles around your ankles and knees. By requiring you to balance on one leg while maintaining a specific posture, the tree pose enhances your mental concentration and mindfulness.

It encourages proper alignment and posture, which can translate to better overall body mechanics. Additionally, the tree pose stretches the groin, inner thighs, chest, and shoulders, contributing to flexibility and muscle balance.

Stand with your feet together and your arms at your sides. Shift your weight onto your left foot and place the sole of your right foot against your inner left thigh or calf (avoid placing it directly on the knee). Bring your hands together in front of your chest in a prayer position. Hold for 30 seconds to a minute, then switch sides. For an added challenge, extend your arms overhead or close your eyes.

Single-leg Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

The single-leg RDL targets your hamstrings, glutes, and core while challenging your dynamic balance. It’s excellent for improving stability and strength in the posterior chain. This exercise enhances hip mobility and can help correct muscular imbalances that often lead to injuries.

By engaging your core muscles throughout the movement, the single-leg RDL promotes better posture and alignment, reducing the strain on your lower back. This exercise is particularly beneficial for athletes, as it mimics the movements required in many sports that involve running, jumping, and changing directions.

Stand on your right leg with a slight bend in the knee. Hinge at your hips, extending your left leg straight behind you while lowering your torso toward the ground. Keep your back flat and your hips squared to the floor. Reach your hands toward the ground or hold a weight for added resistance. Return to the starting position and repeat for eight to 12 reps before switching legs.

Strength or Balance Training: Which Is More Important as You Age?

Split Squat

The split squat enhances lower-body strength and balance, particularly in the quadriceps and glutes. It also helps improve hip mobility and stability. This exercise isolates each leg, allowing you to focus on developing unilateral strength, which can help correct muscular imbalances and improve overall leg strength.

By requiring you to stabilize your body in a split stance, the split squat engages your core muscles and promotes better balance and coordination. It’s a versatile exercise you can modify with weights or varying stances to target different muscle groups and intensities.

Start in a staggered stance with your right foot forward and left foot back, about two feet apart. Lower your body until your right thigh is parallel to the ground and your left knee nearly touches the floor. Keep your torso upright and your front knee aligned over your ankle. Push through your right heel to return to the starting position. Perform eight to 12 reps before switching legs.

Single-leg Squat to Box

This exercise improves single-leg strength, balance, and coordination. It also helps identify and correct imbalances between your legs. You engage your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves by performing a controlled squat on one leg, enhancing lower body strength and stability.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

The single-leg squat to box also challenges your core muscles to maintain proper alignment and balance, reducing the risk of lower back strain. This exercise can improve your performance in activities that require unilateral strength and stability, such as running, jumping, and changing directions.

Stand on your right leg in front of a box or bench. Slowly lower yourself into a squat, lightly tapping your glutes on the box. Keep your left leg extended in front of you and your torso upright. Push through your right heel to return to the starting position. Perform six to 10 reps before switching legs. Start with a higher box and gradually decrease the height as you get stronger.

Over 50? If You Can Do These 10 Strength Drills, You’re in Good Shape

Single-arm Plank

The single-arm plank challenges your core stability and upper-body strength and tests your ability to maintain balance with asymmetrical loading. Lifting one arm off the ground forces your core muscles, particularly the obliques and transverse abdominis, to work harder to stabilize your body.

This exercise also engages your shoulders, chest, and back muscles, promoting upper-body strength and endurance. The single-arm plank improves your coordination and balance, making it an excellent addition to any functional training routine.

Begin in a standard plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders and your body in a straight line. Lift your right hand off the ground and extend it straight before you or keep it by your side. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds, keeping your hips level and your core engaged. Switch to your left hand and repeat. To increase the difficulty, try lifting the opposite leg simultaneously.

Suitcase Carry

The suitcase carry tests your dynamic balance, grip strength, and core stability. It mimics carrying a heavy object in one hand, which requires significant stabilization. This exercise engages your obliques, shoulders, and grip muscles, promoting overall functional strength.

The suitcase carry also improves your posture by encouraging you to maintain an upright position while carrying an asymmetrical load. It’s a practical exercise that enhances your ability to perform everyday tasks, such as carrying groceries or lifting objects, with better balance and reduced risk of injury.

Hold a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell in your right hand at your side. Stand tall with your shoulders back and your core engaged. Walk forward for 30 to 50 feet, maintaining an upright posture and avoiding leaning or twisting. Switch hands and repeat. Focus on keeping your steps controlled and even.

Are You Fit or Not? Find Out Instantly With a Trainer’s 5-Minute Test

Heel-to-Toe Walk

This exercise enhances dynamic balance and coordination, making it particularly useful for improving gait and stability. The heel-to-toe walk engages the muscles in your lower legs and feet, promoting strength and endurance in these areas.

This exercise challenges your proprioception and spatial awareness by requiring you to place one foot directly in front of the other, helping you maintain better balance and coordination. The heel-to-toe walk is an excellent exercise for older adults or anyone looking to improve their walking mechanics and reduce the risk of falls.

Stand with your feet together. Step forward with your right foot, placing your heel directly before your left toe. Continue walking straight, placing each heel directly before the opposite toe. Keep your eyes forward and your arms at your sides or extended for balance. Perform for 20 to 30 steps.

Lateral Shuffle

The lateral shuffle improves lateral movement, agility, and dynamic balance. It’s excellent for athletes who need to move quickly in different directions. This exercise engages your hip abductors, adductors, and quadriceps, promoting strength and stability in these muscle groups.

The lateral shuffle also enhances cardiovascular fitness and coordination, making it an excellent addition to high-intensity interval training (HIIT). By improving your ability to move laterally, this exercise can enhance your performance in sports and activities that require quick direction changes, such as basketball, tennis, and soccer.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Shuffle to your right by pushing off your left foot and stepping your right foot to the side. Follow with your left foot, keeping your feet apart and your movements quick and controlled.
Shuffle for 10 to 20 feet, then switch directions. Perform for 30 to 60 seconds.

Three-way Toe Taps

This exercise tests your balance and proprioception in multiple directions. It strengthens your ankles, calves, and core. Tapping your toes in different directions challenges your ability to maintain balance while shifting your weight, promoting better coordination and stability.

The three-way toe taps engage your hip flexors, glutes, and lower leg muscles, enhancing overall lower-body strength and endurance. This balance exercise is particularly beneficial for improving your ability to perform multi-directional movements, such as those required in sports and daily activities.

Stand on your right leg with a slight bend in the knee. Tap your left toes forward, to the side, and then behind you, returning to the starting position after each tap. Keep your torso upright and your movements controlled. Perform eight to 12 taps in each direction before switching legs.

FRIDAY, Aug. 2, 2024 (HealthDay News) — People can offset hours spent sitting around with minutes of active exercise each week, a new study claims.

Folks who are sedentary for eight or more hours daily can lower their overall risk of death – and especially their risk of dying from heart disease – if they perform 140 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity every week, results show.

These results show the importance of encouraging people to work out every week, “particularly for individuals whose life circumstances necessitate prolonged sitting in particular, such as drivers or office workers,” said senior researcher Sandra Albrecht, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.

For the study, researchers examined data on more than 6,300 people with diabetes who participated in the annual National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2007 and 2018.

“Managing the elevated mortality risk in this high-risk population is particularly pressing given the widespread diabetes epidemic and the tendency among adults with diabetes to sit more and move less,” said lead researcher Wen Dai, a doctoral student in epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School in New York City.

As part of the survey, people were asked to estimate the amount of time they spent each week performing moderate to vigorous physical activities, as well as their time spent sitting.

Federal guidelines recommend that people get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise.

Moderate-intensity activities can include walking fast, doing water aerobics, playing doubles tennis or pushing a lawn mower, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Vigorous activities include running, swimming laps, riding a bike fast or playing singles tennis or basketball.

People who sat around for eight hours or more daily had a 77% increased risk of dying early if they got less than 140 minutes of moderate/vigorous physical activity each week.

However, those who met the 140-minute goal had just a 20% increased risk of early death, results show.

Physical activity had an even greater impact on the risk of dying from heart disease, researchers found.

People sedentary for eight hours or more daily had a nearly 3.5-times increased risk of dying from heart disease if they got less than 140 minutes of moderate/vigorous physical activity each week.

But if they exercised 140 minutes or more, their risk of dying from heart disease actually declined by 11%, despite their sedentary behavior.

The new study was published recently in the journal Diabetes Care.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on levels of physical activity.

SOURCE: Columbia University, news release, July 31, 2024