Stretch for Longevity
Doing these exercises is like taking a multivitamin to support healthy mobility in your body.
With so many biohackers out there suggesting that women do all kinds of expensive and, often, questionable things in the name of longevity, it’s refreshing to hear about a health span–lengthening practice that’s free—and achievable by pretty much anyone. Enter: stretches. “Stretching can help you maintain your mobility, and it’s an important piece of aging healthfully and promoting longevity,” says Rachel Tavel, DPT, CSCS. While total-body stretching is key, the shoulders in particular deserve your attention: Too much—or too little—activity causes tension in this area, but that can also result from stress, which makes you tense up your muscles, especially the traps, those muscles at the back of the neck and shoulders. (Ever feel like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders?)
Counteracting this ache becomes even more important as you age, because shoulder mobility tends to decrease as you get older, most likely due to a loss of the synovial fluid in the joint, as well as thinning cartilage and ligaments, which can stiffen joints, according to a study in JSES International. People also just tend to move less and sit more as they tick off the years, which puts stress on the neck and shoulder joint, says Sabrina M. Strickland, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine doctor at the Hospital for Special Surgery.
On the flip side, overworking the joint can also contribute to stiffness in the shoulders and upper back. Athletes—particularly those who repetitively throw or swing items, like baseballs, golf clubs, or tennis rackets—are most prone to tightness, says Dr. Strickland.
