Conduct a brief experiment: While sitting on the floor with your legs straight in front of you, reach forward from your hips and touch your toes. Not flexible enough? Then perhaps you need to check the flexibility of your arteries. According to a new study by the University of North Texas’ Kenta Yamamoto and other international scientists examining adults age 40 and older, your performance during a sit-and-reach test can represent your arterial stiffness—which means, if you can’t touch your toes, your heart is not ideally fit, says Yamamoto.
Yamamoto cautions that stiff arteries don’t necessarily mean a person will experience a heart attack (some arterial stiffening is natural with age). However, stiff arteries can make an adult more prone to coronary heart disease, which is the leading cause of death for American women, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). To reduce your risk for heart disease and increase flexibility, the AHA suggests increasing physical activity, examining blood pressure and cholesterol levels and avoiding alcohol and cigarettes.
