Improve your health without exercise

Recently published research shows that regular stretching helps relax muscles and improve cardiovascular health.

Regular stretching helps improve height and artery function. Photo: Getty.

Research published in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation has opened up a way to improve health and fitness for people who have just had surgery or are in poor health and cannot do strenuous exercise or physical activity.

Stretching activities are usually performed for a few seconds on a specific position or part of the body. However, repeating this activity regularly over a longer period of time can help to gradually stretch the musculoskeletal system.

Additionally, sitting in a static position for about 40 minutes, stretching your body will help you improve arterial function, lower blood pressure and improve blood flow.

Scientists in Japan recruited 26 sedentary people in their 20s to measure their arterial function while performing 10 exercises involving muscle groups in the arms, legs, neck and trunk. Each exercise was performed three times and held for 30 seconds while sitting, standing and lying down.

A noninvasive technique that measures pulse wave velocity (PWV) was used to assess subjects' vascular reactivity. High PWV correlates with arterial stiffness, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

PWV fell 3.6 percent in the arteries in the arms, legs, and hands during the first half of the test, the researchers said. The reduction in arterial stiffness in subjects who participated in aerobic exercise was 6.8 to 9.7 percent.

Heart rate varied on average between 54 and 79 beats per minute during the stretching period, but respiratory rate remained almost unchanged.

According to Zing.vn