A flexible way to stretch

This Week’s Top Stories from Harvard Health

A flexible way to stretch As you age, it's normal to become less limber. Your muscles shrink and your tendons lose their water content, which makes your body stiffer. But add in less activity from a sedentary lifestyle and your lack of flexibility can become even worse. The good news is that it's never too late to slow or even reverse the loss of flexibility.

Get your copy of Stretching Stretching is an excellent thing you can do for your health. These simple, yet effective moves can help you limber up for sports, improve your balance and prevent falls, increase your flexibility, and even help relieve arthritis, back, and knee pain. Whether you're an armchair athlete or a sports enthusiast, this Special Health Report, Stretching: 35 exercises to improve flexibility and reduce pain, from the experts at Harvard Medical School will show you how to create effective stretching routines that meet your needs and ability.

Fiber: The carb you can count on for heart health When we think about following a healthy diet, we often fixate on what we shouldn't be eating, such as sugary desserts and fatty fried foods. A better strategy may be to focus on what we should be eating — especially more foods naturally rich in fiber.

Additional News from Harvard Health Publishing Even brief periods of movement can reverse the harmful effects of sitting Why is the blood pressure in my right arm different from that of my left? Beer-before-wine strategy doesn't hold water

Stretching Featured content: • Stretching: The basics • Safety first • Stretching to ease pain • Six questions (and answers) about stretching exercises • SPECIAL SECTION: Warming up for sports with dynamic stretches •  ... and more! Click here to read more »