Denise Austin Reveals ‘Number 1’ Move for Staying ‘Flexible’ Over 50
Denise Austin shares her “number one” stretch for women over 50 with Prevention.
The fitness pro says that focusing on your hamstrings is the key to staying “healthy and flexible.”
Austin explains exactly how and when she stretches to optimize the benefits.
For wellness tips to help us feel our best and live a healthy lifestyle, there’s nobody we trust more than Denise Austin. The fitness pro has been in the industry for decades, inspiring women of all ages to stay healthy with her informative VHS tapes, television specials, and Instagram videos. Now, Austin sits down with Prevention to share her “number one” stretch to stay flexible and relieve aches and pains in women over 50.
“I’m a big believer in stretching your hamstrings because it helps your knees, your hips, and your lower back. So every day I do a hamstring stretch for the back of my thighs,” Austin explains.
Her favorite variation of the hamstring stretch involves lying down and pulling your knee towards your chest, which allows you to feel a deep stretch throughout the back of your leg. “That is a really excellent one,” she says while explaining you can also do it standing up for those who prefer not to get down on the ground.
“But a hamstring stretch—either lying down, sitting up, or flat on your back—is the number one thing for us women to keep healthy and flexible and pliable,” she explains. “If your hamstrings are tight, they could tug on your lower back and give you lower back issues, or hurt your knees and your hip joints. So I always add a hamstring stretch every single day.”
Austin reaps the benefits of stretching by strategically incorporating them into her workouts. She explains that she performs dynamic stretches before she goes for a walk or does another type of exercise to “loosen it up a little” and “get the blood to circulate.” These stretches involve more fluidity (actively moving through the stretched position) and are key for warming up before a workout to prime the muscles.
After Austin completes a sweat session, she performs static stretches to help increase mobility and get a deeper stretch. “I hold the stretches for 20 seconds,” she explains.
If you’re looking for more ways to stay fit over 50, check out more of Austin’s workouts below.
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