We all know that our bodies can lose flexibility as we age which can lead to hardening of the arteries (narrowing of the arteries). This is often the beginning of Cardiovascular Disease. Try this simple artery flexibility test at home to gauge if you might be at risk for dangerous hardening of the arteries.

The simple test

Simple muscle flexibility is an accurate test of your hearts respiratory fitness and physical fitness and is also an aspect of arterial flexibility. In a study at the National Institute of Health and Nutrition in Tokyo, 526 healthy people were divided into three age groups and instructed to sit on the floor with their backs against the wall. While researchers held their legs straight in front of them, they were asked to use their arms to push forward a device that measured their maximum reach. Researchers then classified each as having “poor” or “high” flexibility. They also simultaneously measured blood pressure and pulse wave velocity, which gives a clinical measure of arterial stiffness.

The findings were that in middle age to older people, poor flexibility was directly associated with arterial stiffness. These findings were published in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology.

There could be several reasons for the association. Researchers speculate that habitually working to increase flexibility by stretching your muscles may also relax the arteries and help decrease arterial stiffness. Another possibility involves collagen and elastin, the composition of which changes with age, reducing the flexibility of both muscles and arteries. A third possibility relates to blood pressure, since we already know elevated blood pressure stiffens arteries. In this study, researchers found that those with the highest blood pressure also had the poorest flexibility.

Try This Flexibility Test

It’s easy to test yourself -  It takes just about 10 seconds. If you cannot touch your toes when sitting with your legs held straight, your flexibility is poor. By integrating flexibility exercises such as Yoga, Pilates or basic stretching into your exercise routine may help prevent arterial stiffness. TopHealthSpot offers a wide variety of Educational Yoga and Pilates DVD’s as well as helpful Yoga Accessories such as Yoga Straps and Yoga Blocks to help you increase your level of flexibility. Follow the recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association, which advise those who don’t work out regularly to stretch for 10 to 15 minutes every day… and says that those who do exercise regularly should incorporate several minutes of stretching before and after each workout. That’s a very easy prescription for something that could save your life.

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