Lack of Flexibility

mrtentaclenun
mrtentaclenun Posts: 174 Member
edited September 28 in Fitness and Exercise
I am as flexible as a piece of wood. No joke. When trying to touch my toes I am over 6 inches away (much to the laughter of my employees!). When I sit with my legs straight out I can't even think of straightening my back. The farthest apart I can spread my legs will sitting like that is less than 45 degrees, comfortably. I can push for more but it hurts.

This lack of flexibility puts a huge damper on more... intimate matters in my life, as you can imagine. My boyfriend is amazed all the time at how little I can bend without crying out in pain :(
Not to mention this makes some exercises more difficult as well!

I try to be good and stretch every day but I usually forget. I also feel like I've made no progress when I do try, and it hurts me to stretch a lot of the time. I know better than to bounce or anything like that, I take it slow and breathe and all that jazz.

I REALLY want to like yoga, I do. I even took a class on it when I was in college but it is soooo boring to me. Plus it hurts a lot of the time I guess since I am so painfully inflexible.

I just want to be flexible :( I didn't know it was so much to ask! I want to be able to touch my toes and lift my legs up without pain, and be able to do what I consider a pretty normal about of flexibility. Any tips??? Help!

Replies

  • EllePapps
    EllePapps Posts: 1
    The only advice I can provide is try yoga again! I used to suffer from a bad back, to the point that I needed help out of bed. Not good when you are in your 30's However, been doing yoga for a year now & have not suffered once! If you find a good teacher you will love it. Make sure you go to a proper yoga studio & not a gym as it's worlds apart.

    Good luck!
  • LaurieEReid
    LaurieEReid Posts: 273
    Me too. But a year of yoga has helped a lot and particularly in the recreational activity that you mention. :wink: Sorry to say but nothing will help except perseverence and slow progress.
  • alexis92
    alexis92 Posts: 64
    I find yoga pretty boring as well. I would try Jazzercise! They have some awesome DVDs and a lot of their moves are based on dance. They pride themselves on helping you to improve your cardio, strength, AND flexibility, and I have definitely found that to be true while doing the Jazzercise DVD I own (Jazzercise Live!). This one has a 20, 30, and 60 minute workout as well as different kinds of strength workouts. I hope this helps!
  • Chelseahhhhh
    Chelseahhhhh Posts: 3
    I feel your pain! I'm about as flexible as a stick. Even when I was in dance, which I did for 7 years, I couldn't touch my toes. Hahaha, it was awful and embarrassing!

    I have a piece of paper taped to my t.v. that says "stretch" in really big letters. I always watch the news in the mornings, before I go workout, and it's right there to remind me, as annoyed as I am sometimes!

    Hahaha, I totally understand! (:
  • EDesq
    EDesq Posts: 1,527 Member
    You really need to try Pilates. I don't know how old you are but I know this, as you age it will only get WORSE and become PAINFUL! If you are under 35 and have these problems with range of motion/flexibility it may also be a Warning for joint and bone problems in the future. Take it very seriously.
  • percussionbeat
    percussionbeat Posts: 85 Member
    Well, you've been trying already, so that's good! :)

    As they say, though, no pain no gain..here it's a little difficult to get flexible without stretching constantly. But take it easy...it comes with time.

    What I like to do is work a little stretching into little everyday movements. Like picking things off the floor with as straight legs as you can manage, or turning around while keeping your feet planted for a good trunk twist. Even things like reaching over while sitting on the couch watching TV: put your leg out sideways on the couch and stretch. It'll hurt at first, of course, but don't overdo it..it really takes time.

    Hope those little tips helped! Keep at it, you'll do fine :)
  • laurenstephw
    laurenstephw Posts: 32
    I was like you too. I did the Biggest Loser yoga until I learned the whole routine and traditional yoga techniques. I personally do it to calm myself down. But as you said you found it boring. However, I also found a yoga stretching technique on youtube, which I do while watching tv after work almost everyday. I can actually lean into my stretches now and go deeper than I could before. The only advice I have is stretch everyday. Once you are well warmed up after like 5-10 min, push yourself a bit deeper than is comfortable. Hope that helps. It won't be overnight but it helps.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    Unfortunately, the only way to become more flexible is to keep stretching. If you aren't in at least some pain when you're stretching, then you aren't doing it right!

    I was a gymnast in my youth and was pretty flexible. I did karate into my late 20s. I stopped stretching out regularly after that and now I'm paying for it. We get less flexible as we get older, and I find that as I do stretch out, I have to stretch longer to get to the point I want and it takes me less time to "snap back".

    Keep stretching! Don't bounce when you do. Push slowly, keep breathing evenly and realize it'll take some time before you're going to be able to touch your toes. The sad truth is, if you don't stretch, you are as flexible now as you will ever be and you'll be a lot less flexible by the time you are 40 and a lot less flexible than that by the time you are 60.
  • aubry87
    aubry87 Posts: 34 Member
    Try a Hot Power yoga, the heat helps you stretch and the quick pace keeps you interested. Plus, its a great work out.
    I used to be the same way with flexibility but after taking the hot yoga for about 3 months I have seen massive improvements in my flexibility and in my body in general.
  • callipygianchronicle
    callipygianchronicle Posts: 811 Member
    You really need to try Pilates. I don't know how old you are but I know this, as you age it will only get WORSE and become PAINFUL! If you are under 35 and have these problems with range of motion/flexibility it may also be a Warning for joint and bone problems in the future. Take it very seriously.

    I agree with this. You are looking forward to some serious pain if you don't actively work on your flexibility. Pilates is a good recommendation. But since most of the moves are designed to fire your core, your flexibility isn't as challenged as it is in yoga. I recommend taking a vinyasa (sometimes called power yoga) or Bikram (hot) yoga class.

    But you're simply to going to "get" it after one class. My personal experience is that I take yoga three times a week, and it took about eight weeks before I made giant leaps in my strength and flexibility (though I started pretty flexible in some areas). I have very weak abs and it has taken almost six months for me to have enough strength to lift my feet in boat pose. But I can do a handstand, no problem.
  • callipygianchronicle
    callipygianchronicle Posts: 811 Member
    double post
  • pinkgigi
    pinkgigi Posts: 693 Member
    I have had a lot of back pain and thought it was due to a weak core, so I have worked on strengthening that. However, when I had a bio-age done last year, my core strength tested fine, but my flexibility was poor, so I gave myself a goal of improving it and it has definitely helped my back pain.

    I just made stretching a priority after doing a gym class and the last few months I have been taking Bikram yoga class. You may have thought yoga was boring, but you may have to persist or find a kind that suit you (there are lots).

    GG
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