When it comes to exercise, flexibility tends to be an afterthought. If you’re fit and strong, does it really matter how bendy you are? The answer is yes, it does.
“As we age, we’re faced with reduced muscle mass and decreased bone density,” says Kate Rowe-Ham, the author of Owning Your Menopause: Fitter, Calmer, Stronger in 30 Days. “We can become less flexible and experience joint aches, which inevitably leads to reduced mobility.”
Women are more prone to joint pains around the menopause, but men are also susceptible as genetically they tend to be less flexible.
“Think of turning your head while reversing a car,” says Omae Woolnough, a yoga teacher at the Good Rooms studio in Muswell Hill, north London. “When your spine