The No. 1 at-home exercise to help you feel more limber

When it comes to boosting your overall well-being, flexibility is more important than many realize. Yet it often gets overlooked or pushed to the back burner.

Staying limber helps you maintain a solid range of motion and good posture — especially as you grow older. It also reduces the risk of injury while enabling you to perform daily tasks and hobbies with ease.

Essentially, a limber body is a key part of leading an active, independent life.

According to a long-term study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, greater flexibility could actually add more healthy years to your life.

Researchers studied the flexibility in more than 3,000 women and men ages 46 to 65. They then assessed mortality rates 13 years later.

Their findings? Women with the least amount of flexibility were five times more likely to suffer from premature mortality, and men with low flexibility were twice as likely, compared to those with great flexibility.

If you want to improve your flexibility and longevity, we’re sharing the No. 1 exercise you can easily do at home to feel more limber.

Why being limber matters

Being limber is key for “enjoying life to its fullest,” stresses Pamela Paley, Club Pilates master trainer and teacher, who is nationally recognized for her experience and decades-long commitment to movement education.

“Limber, to me, is being able to move freely through a full range of motion with ease, without stiffness or pain,” she adds. “Moving with control, and in balance, alignment and flexibility, (means) moving both sides equally, front and back and left and right sides. We want to have elastic strength so the muscles lengthen and support the joints.”

Best at-home exercise

According to Paley, the best exercise you can do to feel more limber is the standing Pilates roll-down. This bodyweight move trains the core — including the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, and internal and external obliques.

“Rolling down (from a) standing (position) also works the hamstrings, glutes (maximus), hip flexors and balance,” Paley says. “The upper body is also engaging the cervical flexors and, even more, learning how to release the upper traps and shoulders.”

You can perform standing roll-downs every day. In fact, Paley recommends doing the exercise four to six times per day to enhance spinal articulation, build strength in the posterior chain and establish solid core control. By focusing on your breathing, you’ll also master breath control and coordination.

Here’s how to perform a standing roll-down:

■ Stand tall, feet hip-distance apart and your gaze focused ahead.

■ Take a deep breath in and, on the exhale, nod your chin toward your chest.

■ Move one vertebra at a time as you gradually roll down, keeping your legs straight and hips aligned with your heels.

■ Pull your abs inward.

■ Hang at the bottom for a moment.

■ Breathe in, and begin to roll back up to the start position — your head should be the last body part to come up.

Paley stresses the importance of slowly working your way through the exercise without rushing through it.

“Remember to feel the weight of your body come forward almost to the balls of your feet as you articulate so the hips don’t push back behind the heels but stay over the heels,” she says. “When articulating back up, the shoulders should be back before the head comes up. Many people use one breath but then miss moving slowly and feeling each vertebra. I picture myself like a candy cane when I am rolled down.”

Another helpful exercise

​​If you have back issues, Paley recommends performing the supine spinal twist as well. This exercise fires up the deep abdominals, obliques, spinal rotators, and hip and pelvis stabilizers.

Here’s the proper form:

■ Lie flat on your back on a workout mat with your arms stretched out to form a “T.” Your feet should be hip-width apart on the ground.

■ Breathe in as you bring both knees to one side toward or on the ground, keeping the opposite shoulder pressed on the floor.

■ Exhale and look toward the side opposite your knees.

■ Hold the position for three to four full breaths.

■ Then, inhale and start to bring your knees back to the center.

■ Exhale, and bring them to the other side.

■ Perform this move six to eight times a day.

Prioritizing your flexibility, mobility and balance should never be put off until tomorrow. The best part? You really don’t need a pricey gym membership or fancy equipment to make it happen. The right at-home fitness plan can help you sculpt a strong, independent body for many years to come.