FLEXIBILITY
Allows you to do the little things youngsters take for granted.

We need to maintain our flexibility as we get older to ensure we are able to perform everyday movements that we tend to take for granted when younger. For example, bending to tie shoelaces, stretching to the top shelf of a cupboard. Nearly 1 in 4 people over fifty are unable to wash their own hair or do up zips behind their backs due to inflexibility in their shoulders.

A wide range of easy movement in our spines is particularly important in order to avoid stiffness and back pain. Also stiffness in the joints slows our reactions.

Moving our joints around reduces stiffness, so Research into Ageing considers it good policy to stretch and rotate all our joints twice a day, especially after getting up in a morning. This needs to be done carefully however, especially if you are not a regular exerciser or already suffer from joint stiffness. The often heard mantra " No Pain No Gain" is rubbish.