Whoa!!! Something odd has happened and I can’t get my legs apart!!!

[Thistlepicker]

Not like I used to anyway! I had to climb over a low fence yesterday, just above knee, and I couldn’t lift my legs high enough!!! What’s going on? I haven’t injured myself, I’m 50, is this old age?

I got over the fence in the end but I was far from gazelle-like...

@wasnotwasweregood

What do you think is the best hamstring loosening exercise. My knees are ducked but physio said it’s actually the Hams & Glutes are too tight pulling my knee cap over -x ray showed some Liss if cartilidge but should still be enough there for it not to be the issue. Knees still retaining fluid and hurting 😩physio long gone. Walking sometimes makes them better & sometimes worse. Same with various exercises. Can’t do deep steps & cannot kneel on anything.

Mabel do you do yoga at home if so which clips do you recommend?

At least you won't have to worry about unwanted pregnancy

:-)

Age has nothing to do with it, it’s lifestyle

I'm nearly 50. I still feel fairly fit and flexible. That is until I try and run anywhere.

I'd recommend an all-round fitness programme. Les Mills on Demand has loads of programmes, incl Combat, which keeps you supple and fit with all the kicks, punches, twists and cardio.

@bestoption personally I think down-face dog is really good for hamstrings as you can make it more difficult as you improve. Might be better for knees but can be tougher on your upper body as you push into shoulders. Might be worth a You Tube search for some good tutorials. Good luck! x

Yoga with Adriene. I’m so much more flexible.

Hmm. I’m hyper mobile and can still put my hands flat on the floor with my legs straight, downward dog, and all the bits of sun salutations apart from the kneel/lunge forward cos my giant knockers get in the way.

Maybe it is my hip then. I had it xrayed last year as it was aching but it just showed wear and tear as normal. I’ve got shit knees though.

I think it’s not just flexibility you need, it’s strength. I’m not terribly flexible but I’m very strong. Martial arts are really good for this. Also any exercise class where you’re jumping off the ground - it builds strength and power.

It was just at the point when I was upside down that I realised I couldn’t remember how you continue and finish the cartwheel and felt quite certain I was about to die.

😂😂😂😂@NastyOldBag That has totally made my day.

How can I get my bend back

www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/flexibility-exercises/

m.youtube.com/watch?v=kFhG-ZzLNN4

m.youtube.com/watch?v=2vrB8SlVC8I

Nasty sorry that was so funny.
It reminded me of the time in school PE.
I was about 12 and we had to practice a handstand with a partner.
The idea was the partner held out her arm and when you were fully upside down, your legs rested against their arm. Then went into a crabs bend.
My evil partner/cousin didn’t put out her arm. Not expecting this, my brain froze and I hit the mat like a reverse belly flop.
I honestly thought I’d never breathe again.
40 years later and I’ve never forgotten 😬

Age.
To maintain flexibility you should do stretching exercises every single morning. Touch your toes that sort of thing.
At least that’s what my grandma told me when I was little, she was still excercising gently for 15-30 minutes in her 80s to keep everything working. She explained the joints get stiff like a rusty toy and muscles shorten like a shrunken wool jumper. That’s what’s stuck in my mind since I was like 5 years old.

I'm a bit older, not particularly fit (have never been able to put my hands flat on the floor when standing) and I could do this without a second thought,so maybe it is your hip.

I was gormless enough to see if I could still stand up from a cross legged sitting position on the floor. I ended up faceplanting the chair I'd tried to use to help me stand up after giving up on trying to sit cross legged

That sounds so like something I would do!!

Yoga pose of a child would help, but go gently! And maybe a variation of half pigeon that you are comfortable with?
I use the half pigeon more now because my hips muscles are very tight. (I'm also hypermobile too, but have arthritis as well.)

It’s hard for people to say other than it’s defintely not your age. Either it’s your hip or you’re basically unfit and it’s impacted your flexibility. It’s not age. I’m fifty one and I can do it.

I am 50 and a size 18. I got into a bath the other day, after not having a bath almost 18 years as my house only has a walk-in shower. The bath was quite old, metal and narrow.
When I finished and wanted to get out I discovered I had a problem. I have a shoulder that is prone to partial dislocation and so I was loathe to put my hands behind me on the top of the bath and push myself up. However, the bath was too narrow for me to turn around much at all. For a short time I wondered if I was unable to get out!
In the end I turned a bit and pulled myself up using the side of the bath. I don’t think this is how I used to get out of a bath though!!

I think you may be right re it being your hip. I'm 59, pretty flexible and my legs and core (though not upper body) are reasonably strong, but there's some things my hips don't like/won't do.

I think I could get over the fence you describe, but I wouldn't be able to get on a bike with a crossbar.

I do (well, did and will do again when I can!) Pilates, and things like squats. And I've set myself a policy of never using my hands when getting up from a chair or up off the floor.

Uh-huh. Despite the yoga I did years ago, I am now very unbendy. Also, my joints ache when the weather changes. (50-something.) Might have to dig out old yoga DVDs or see what I can find on Youtube....

I'm 50 and hypermobile and, despite being active, my hips are knackered. One has never been the same since my then 9 year old leapt on me in excitement and I fell on a hard piece of furniture and bruised my arse. After a couple of months, i suspected that i'd probably actually broken something.

Bending over the side of the bath t wash my hair leaves my hips in agony, once I manage to stand up again.

So i can do a 3 mile round trip to the shop and lug abot £30 worth of shopping back at a stately pace, after jogging much of the downhill stretch there. Even though the bags weren't that heavy I (I am doing now) spend the next day with a lot of shoulder pain, though and, if i wore normal boots instead of over pronation support trainers, would spend a couple of days swearing at my knees.

penelope I realised a few years ago that if my weight gets over 11 stone, my pain increases and mobility really suffers and I get breathless a lot. I do my best to stay within a normal BMI range because it makes such a difference to my comfort and mobility.

Yup I’ve got a dodgy hip and even when I’m extremely fit I have to physically grab my left ankle and pull my leg up.

I’ve got extreme tightness in my posterior chain muscles too as I’m imbalanced because of it.

Bizarrely it’s come from originally having mildly hyper mobile hips.

I realised a few years ago that if my weight gets over 11 stone
Yes, I realise my size was part of the problem. That’s why I mentioned it. If I’d been a size 10 I would have had more room to manoeuvre myself. It’s the first time anything like that’s happened. I’m now into my second week of trying to drop some dress sizes! Imagine if the fire brigade had had to come and get me out if the bath!!