8 Stretches That Could Help You Live Longer

Research says flexibility is linked to longevity. Here’s how to improve yours

Stephanie Watson,

AARP

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Published April 01, 2026

collage on a blue background showing a woman in a red tank top and navy leggings performing three different stretches

AARP

Key takeaways

A long-term study found that people with higher flexibility scores had a lower risk of dying.
The link was strongest in women, with the least flexible facing a higher early-death risk.
Flexibility supports daily movement and fall prevention.

Your doctor may have recommended you get at least 150 to 300 minutes of aerobic exercise a week. That advice is backed by sound science. Research has linked consistent physical activity to a lower risk for conditions like cardiovascular disease. A recent study suggests that having good flexibility might also play a role in longevity.

That study, which was published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, involved 3,100 people ages 46 to 65. Participants underwent a series of flexibility assessments called the Flexitest.

A sports and exercise physician measured the range of motion in their ankle, knee, hip, trunk, shoulder, wrist and elbow. The researchers assigned each of 20 joint movements a score from 0 to 4. A higher combined score correlated with better flexibility.

After following up with the participants for an average of 13 years, researchers discovered that people with the highest flexibility scores had the lowest risk of dying. The difference was most pronounced in women — those with the lowest flexibility scores were nearly five times more likely to die prematurely than women with the highest scores.

Research on flexibility and your health

Why might flexibility be a good indicator of longevity? Lead author Dr. Claudio Gil Araújo, a physician at the Exercise Medicine Clinic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who has been studying flexibility for almost five decades, doesn’t know for sure, but he has some theories.

One possibility is that people with poor flexibility have more problems with common daily activities, like showering and combing their hair.

“They start to lose autonomy. They start to be less mobile,” Araújo says. Having poor mobility could increase your risk for a fall.

Flexibility in the joints might also be a marker of flexibility elsewhere in the body. A Japanese study published in BMJ Open linked poor flexibility in middle-aged men with hardening of the arteries, known as atherosclerosis. “Those may be related because the connective tissue that restricts your mobility may restrict the mobility of your [blood] vessels,” Araújo says.

Before you dive into a stretching routine, thinking it will help you reach centenarian status, know that this study couldn’t prove that flexibility increases longevity. It was observational, meaning that researchers only evaluated the outcome. They didn’t put participants through a specific stretching regimen to see what happened.

The researchers also didn’t account for other factors that might have affected longevity, like diet or exercise. “They didn’t evaluate the influence of regular physical activity in the individuals. That, in itself, can be a predictor of survival,” says Phil Page, a professor of physical therapy at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Even if good flexibility alone can’t guarantee you a longer lifespan, it’s essential for other reasons. It helps you do daily activities, keeps you active and is an important component of fall prevention, Page adds. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths in adults 65 and older, so preventing falls could help you live longer.

Are you flexible enough?

How do you know if your joints are mobile enough to improve your daily function and possibly your lifespan? Araújo’s Flexitest evaluates flexibility in seven joints, but some of the movements are impossible to do on your own. You would need to work with a physical therapist or exercise physiologist.

Before you try any new flexibility exercises, check with your doctor or physical therapist to make sure they are safe for you.

Here are five stretches you can do yourself to test your flexibility. The same movements will also improve your flexibility if you do them two to three times a day and hold them for 15 to 30 seconds.

1. Seated arm stretch

While sitting or standing, stretch your arms up above your head. Try to clasp your hands together while keeping your elbows straight. This tests your arm flexibility.

2. Shoulder mobility

Put your thumb up behind your back as if you were adjusting a bra strap (use your imagination, guys), reaching up as high as you can, then switch sides. This tests your shoulder mobility.

3. Trunk flexibility

Sit up straight on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you and your feet pressed flat against a wall. Lean over and try to touch the wall. This checks your trunk and hamstring flexibility.

4. Wrist flexibility

Hold one arm out straight in front of you. Bend your wrist down so that your hand curves in toward your wrist. Then do the other arm. See how close you can get your fingers to your wrist. This tests wrist flexion.

5. Hamstring flexibility

Lie on your back and bring one thigh up toward your chest so that it’s perpendicular to your body. Grab behind the knee with both hands. Then try to extend your leg as straight as you can. This movement tests your hamstring flexibility.

Flexercises

Araújo has developed his own set of exercises, appropriately named “Flexercises,” which he says improve flexibility. Each one is a series of four progressive positions. Once you get into the fourth position, you hold it for 15 to 30 seconds. Then you do each movement in the reverse order until you return to your starting position.

6. Standing leg lunge: Flexercise 1

Stand in front of a sturdy chair with your right leg slightly out in front of you and both feet flat on the floor.
Place your right foot flat on the chair.
Lean forward and try to lay your chest against your right upper leg.
Put both arms out straight behind you and clasp your hands.

7. Seated back stretch: Flexercise 2

Sit in a chair with your left leg crossed over your right knee and your left foot pointed toward the floor.
Raise your left foot so that it’s pointing upward.
With your left hand, gently press down on your left knee.
Bring your right arm up straight with your hand facing behind you. Bend your elbow and touch your back with the palm of your right hand.
Repeat on the other side.

8. Seated arm stretch: Flexercise 3

Sit in a chair. Cross your right leg over your left knee.
Hold on to the seat of the chair with both hands.
Put your right hand on your right knee and gently press down.
Raise your left arm up straight in the air.
Repeat on the other side.

How to safely become more flexible

Becoming more flexible doesn’t require a major time investment. Five to 10 minutes a day should do it, says Araújo. He suggests making flexibility part of your overall fitness “package,” along with aerobic endurance, strength and balance.

Sandwich flexibility training between your aerobic and strength training routine, Page suggests. First, walk in place or take a slow ride on a stationary bike to get your blood moving. Then stretch once your muscles are warm. You can do static stretches where you hold the pose or dynamic stretches where you keep moving (like taking big, slow steps with high knees). Finish your workout and then do another set of static stretches for five to 10 minutes at the end.

Always stretch safely. Make sure to breathe, especially if you have high blood pressure and/or heart disease. Some people hold their breath while stretching, which can cause a spike in blood pressure. If you have arthritis, warm up your joints with a shower or heating pad first to loosen them up and allow you to stretch further.

It’s normal to feel a pulling sensation when you stretch, especially if you haven’t done these types of exercises before. “But if you’re feeling sharp, shooting pains when you’re stretching a muscle, that’s not normal,” Page says. You shouldn’t need to check in with a doctor before starting a new stretching routine, but do reach out if you feel any pain or other symptoms while doing these exercises.

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The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.

Stephanie Watson is a freelance writer with more than two decades of experience covering consumer health. Her work has appeared in WebMD, Time, Harvard Health Publications, Healthline, HealthCentral and many other publications. She also served as executive editor of Harvard Women’s Health Watch.