"I've always been inflexible!"
Have you? I have never met a 4 year old who hasn't been able to squat deeper than an olympic lifter...true story! The fact is that you may have never needed your flexibility until your adult years. Here are my tips to get flexy and drop it lowwwww!
Tip 1: Move more #lifemantra
My ultimate tip is to move your body every single day. This may be a walk, run, gym session, playing with your kids or an at-home HIIT session. Your body moulds to its environment, and if you're always sitting down or not moving very much, then neither are your muscles and connective tissues. If these aren't moving, then your body can feel 'sticky' and immobile when you try to bend over or squat low. Doing this can cause potential injury (no thanks!) so get moving!
Tip 2: Invest in a foam roller
Skip two coffees this week, drive to heaven (aka Kmart) and buy a foam roller. Spending just 5 minutes on a foam roller each day will do the world of difference to your movement and mobility goals! You can use this on your calves, hamstrings, quads, glutes, back and chest. It is safe to do so and will make you feel amazing afterwards*.
*Key word is afterwards.
Tip 3: Know what you're doing
Know it. You should already.
Not really, that's a joke, but you should educate yourself (or pay someone else to) on what stretches to do and how to foam roll properly. Stretching can cause just as much DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and possible injury as an intense workout can, because of the fact that you're pulling and 'tearing' the muscle and tissue fibres while doing so. You should be careful in how much you stretch and where, so I suggest seeing someone or researching what is best for you.
Tip 4: Don't expect to do the splits in 7 days (it won't happen)
Set yourself a realistic goal for your mobility. Thinking that you'll be as flexible as an olympic gymnast in one month is just like saying you will wash the pan after it soaks for half an hour (it always needs to soak over night, right?). Instead of this, tell yourself that you'll be able to stretch deeper and further than last week, or that you'll be able to run farther with long steps and a great upper body twist to help you. These goals should be specific to you and your training, not to anyone else's.
There you have it, my top tips to get flexy. As I said in tip #3, please see a health practitioner to help explain to you what you can do to reach your goals in a healthy and safe way.
See you at Kmart.
PS. Move more, move better
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