Does Flexibility return?

I teach dance, and I definitely lost a lot of my flex when I hit puberty - bones growing all over the place and me not keeping my stretching up. It does get better - if you work on it EVERY DAY. Warm up to get the blood pumping and then do basic stretches - making sure to hold each stretch for 30 seconds. Don't bounce - you might rip something (and that FRIGGIN HURTS, let me tell you!!) I'm 28 and I decided I'm not ready to retire from competition yet - so I've been working really hard on my flex and it is getting heaps better. Now to lose the 50kgs that's holding me back from being a superstar...

Incorporate pilates and yoga into your fitness rountine. You can do these every day since the workouts are usually only 20 minutes. Your flexibility will return.

Incorporate pilates and yoga into your fitness rountine. You can do these every day since the workouts are usually only 20 minutes. Your flexibility will return.

I've tried some yoga and my co-ordination sucks lol I will give it another go.

I agree if you keep at it yoga will help good luck

Yoga will sort of help you lose weight.

First off, it's not much of a calorie burn, though different styles work you in different ways.

Hot yoga (bikram 105 degrees, ashtanga 92 degrees, some vinyasa/power 75-100 degrees, ask before you go) Many people claim that hot yoga burns more calories than other types, but it doesn't seem possible that heat burns calories - otherwise those in the south without air conditioning would be thin. Heat does increase your heart rate, so many times you get a false reading on your HRM for calorie burn. Heat can help you increase your flexibility faster, but you are also more likely to pull a muscle in a heated setting. Ashtanga and Vinyasa have a lot of movement, and usually a lot of pushups in them, so they generally burn more calories than other types.

Hatha - all yoga that is a physical practice is Hatha yoga, but on the schedule it means a mixed bag. You don't know what to expect - could be anything from some sort of ashtanga vinyasa to a restorative class. Best to ask before you go.

Iyengar/Anusara/alignment based yoga - these are types where you go to learn how to do yoga, where to put your feet, etc. Anusara is more of a mix between Iyengar and Vinyasa and it's probably the fastest growing method - it appeals to a lot of people. Most people think of Iyengar yoga as a yoga for the injured or middle aged - and while it is great for those populations, we frequently do 1 minute or more timings in Iyengar classes (think of trying to do handstand for a minute!)

Viniyoga - a slow flow class - there's movement, but it's gentler - I don't know much about this method.

Kundalini - a lot of breath work in this class.

All that to say, you never know what you might get a in a yoga class. I seriously doubt you will burn more than 400 calories an hour in any class, unless you are rather big.

However, if you really get into yoga, you will become more mindful about your eating habits and what you eat - so that's usually the part that helps you lose weight. Also a reduction in stress can help with weight loss.

More than you wanted to know, right?

Oh, and to answer your original question, yes, in a way. When I was a kid, I could touch my feet to the back of my head in a backbend - and while I have yet to do that again, I can still bend backward quite well.

Oddly, when I was a kid, I could do the splits with the legs out to the side, but not forward and back - now I'm the opposite - after 11 years of yoga, that is.

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I haven't really done much yoga or pilates, but just incorporating stretching into my warmups before exercise and cooldowns after, my flexibility has improved a LOT.

I was never able to touch my toes, even as a very bendy, hypermobile child, until this past year, and I'm 39!

My yoga instructor is mid fifties and is over weight, but is so flexible!! He has only been doing it for 10 years, so age and weight wont stop anyone. I went for ages and could touch my toes, but then I stopped as going through some bad family stuff. And then when I went back into it, I had lost it all, and now cant touch my toes without bending my knees. So you can also lose it too.

Yoga is essentially stretching, so if you dont want to go to a Yoga class, there is a free app you can download that you can do from home. It doesnt happen over night, but over time you will get there.

Yoga, regular stretching after exercise when your muscles are warm. I'm a dancer and I am not naturally flexible. I worked really hard at it in high school for competitions and I've lost a little since I started weight training and running. If I do yoga for a few weeks I can usually get it back.