A New Way to Help Your Heart: Stretch!

You stretch to make your body more flexible and less stiff. But did you know it can do the same for your blood vessels?

It’s true. New research from the University of Milan in Italy showed that a 12-week stretching regimen improved blood flow, lowered blood pressure, and decreased the stiffness of arteries. Good blood flow leads to less damage on artery walls and may mean a lower risk for heart attacks and strokes. People with stiff arteries often have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and/or inflammation.

Researchers recruited almost 40 men and women for the study and divided them into three groups. One group did several leg, ankle, and foot stretches 5 times a week for 40 minutes, while another group just stretched one side of the body for the same amount of time. The third group didn’t stretch at all. When the study ended 12 weeks later, those in the stretching groups significantly improved the health of their blood vessels. Specifically, their arteries were much less stiff and function of their blood vessels got better.

The study participants did a form of stretching called passive stretching, which means they used stretch bands or their own weight and gravity to get a good stretch. Thankfully, this type of stretching can easily be done at home.

Although stretching significantly helped blood vessel function, researchers noted that the benefit of stretching for the heart muscle isn’t quite as great as doing aerobic exercises like running, walking, or riding a bike. But if you are limited to activity at home during the COVID-19 pandemic and find it hard to get your heart rate up, stretching is a good option. Doing both aerobic exercise and stretching is even better!

Stretching doesn’t take the place of other methods for keeping your heart in good shape. Weight loss, managing high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and/or high cholesterol with healthy eating and taking prescribed medications as directed also help to keep arteries flexible and blood flowing well.

Give the Mediterranean or another plant-based diet a try. These eating patterns include plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains (oats, whole wheat bread, and pasta) and lean types of protein like fish and poultry. Go easy on fat from meat, full-fat dairy products, added sugar, and salt.

Combine these good habits and you’ll be on track for excellent heart health along with a host of other benefits! And the good feelings you get from stretching are a real plus! (Just ask your dog or cat!)

5 Tips for Safe Stretching

1. Don’t hold your breath while stretching. Keep your breathing smooth and steady.
2. Don’t stretch so far that you feel pain. You should only feel mild discomfort.
3. Avoid bouncing or jerking movements, which can lead to injuries. Just hold the stretch.
4. Don’t rush. Try holding the stretch for 10-30 seconds. Release and repeat the stretch before moving on to the next exercise.
5. Stretch at the end of a workout or after a hot bath or shower when your muscles are warm.

3 Beginner’s Stretches

Here are three excellent stretches for beginners from the American Council on Exercise:

1. Standing Hip Flexor Stretch

• • Step forward with the left foot, keeping the right foot in place.
  • Drop the back knee slightly allowing the tailbone to move closer to the floor.
  • Don’t arch or round your back.
  • Hold, and then repeat on the other side.

2. Seated Head-toward-knee Stretch

• • Sit with your right leg stretched out in front of you. Bend the left leg with your left foot next to your right thigh.
  • Gently fold your torso forward over the right leg.
  • Hold, and then repeat on the other side.

3. Reclining Figure 4 Stretch

• • Lie on your back with both knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
  • Cross the right foot over the left thigh and pull your left thigh toward you.
  • Let gravity bring the legs closer to your body to deepen the stretch.
  • Hold, and then repeat on the other side.