How stretching can extend your lifespan as research warns of 'early death' risk

Improved flexibility plays a key role in extending your lifespan, according to researchers.

In the first study of its kind, published in the National Library of Medicine, a team of international scientists tracked more than 3,000 middle-aged people for a decade. They found that people with the stiffest joints were far more likely to die early than those with better flexibility.

The risk of early death for inflexible women was five times higher than those who were supple, while inflexible men were twice as likely to face a premature demise.

Stretching has traditionally been viewed as less important that aerobic exercise to protect our health, but the research proved that flexibility also influences our risk of metabolic disease and heart disease.

“We now know that flexibility is a bit like a biological clock,” lead author of the study Claudio Gil S Araujo told The Times.

He added: “You can estimate a person’s biological age and how long they are likely to live by assessing how flexible they are at different stages of life.”

The expert explained that five minutes of stretching a day can transform your health and help you to live longer. Here's how limbering up affects the body, and how you can improve your own flexibility.

Boost your mood

Static stretching per day can yield powerful physical and mental benefits, by curbing the body’s production of stress hormones like cortisol.

A 2020 study found that asking previously inactive young adults to do ten minutes of yoga poses led to a significant and immediate improvement in their mood and cognition. Further research has shown that office workers who stretched for ten minutes after work reported lower levels of fatigue, anxiety, and body aches after three months.

Improve heart health

Regular stretching can cut the risk of heart disease by encouraging arteries to dilate easily and so improving blood flow.

Researchers at the University of Milan asked individuals to perform leg stretches like hip extensions and knee flexes five times a week, holding each stretch for 45 seconds. After 12 weeks, they discovered that the routine had reduced the stiffness of arteries and restored their youthfulness, allowing them to expand to pass blood through more easily.

Stretches to improve your flexibility

If you are not supple, do not despair – there are plenty of effective stretches that you can easily introduce around your daily routine.

• Shoulders: Reach one arm behind your head by bending at the elbow and try to touch the opposite shoulder. Make sure you don’t twist your body while doing this. Over time, try to inch your hand lower and lower down your back as the stretch becomes easier.
• Wrists: Stretch out one arm in front of the body so that it extends parallel to the floor. Bend your outstretched hand back towards your body as far as it will go.
• Knees and ankles: sitting in a chair, cross one foot over your opposite knee and circle. While doing this, rotate your top foot in a clockwise motion for one minute to loosen up the ankle.
• Hips: lie on the floor with your arms stretched above your head and straighten one of your legs. Bend the other leg as far back to the floor as possible, aiming for the area besides your chest. Make sure that your bottom is resting flat on the floor to stop your hips from rotating.

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