A new study shows that a really simple exercise has a profound impact on improving health. That exercise isn’t jogging or swimming or anything like that. It’s simple leg stretches.
The study, which came out of The Physiological Society and was recently published in the Journal of Physiology, indicates that 12 weeks of passive leg stretching helps improve blood flow to the point that it can help prevent some cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and diabetes.
Passive stretching is different from active stretching in a couple ways. Active stretching is stretching that we perform on our own, such as what happens when walking. Passive stretching uses an external force, like another person, a stretching rope, or even gravity. It has been shown to help arteries in the legs by improving dilation and ensuring that blood flow stays at a healthier level. It also helps to decrease stiffness, which in turn helps make simple exercises a lot easier–indirectly helping to improve fitness and health.
Compared to the control group that did no stretching, the group that stretched five times a week had significantly better circulation and mobility in the legs. It was so successful that researchers are now wondering if this is something that can be used instead of medication to help those with medical issues forego medications and use physical therapy as an effective treatment without adding risk to the overall prognosis.
There’s more research needed here, but the preliminary studies look good when it comes to improving health. And the best news of all is that this is a really easy thing to do. It doesn’t take much effort as far as physical exercise goes and pretty much everyone can do this to some degree without help. Even if the impact is minimal, it’s a small thing that we can all start doing today to take tiny strides to help ourselves live a healthier life.
The more little things that we do, the better our odds are going to be when it comes to living a healthy, happy life as we age. Even if you are already receiving senior care, there’s no harm in starting a light exercise routine. The effort doesn’t need to be great for it to have benefits down the road. Of course, working with a doctor to ensure that you are doing good and not taking steps backward is important if you haven’t regularly exercised in a while.
Good preventive care is far more helpful to seniors than even the best senior care. Avoiding health issues is always preferable to treating them. But, if senior care is needed, we’re here to help. We offer free consultations designed to help you get started out with no obligation or pressure on your end. Our goal is to give you the information and the resources that you need to make an informed decision and ensure that your family is getting the right help for the right situation.
You can call us or email to get your first appointment scheduled. We look forward to hearing from you!
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