It's not unusual for your muscles, tendons and joints to tighten up, or stiffen up with age. The same can happen prematurely with injury or certain diseases.

As a child you were probably more like a Gumby - loose jointed, flexible, almost made of rubber. If you've been feeling more like you've "turned to stone," you're not alone. Your body's soft tissues such as ligaments, tendons or the capsule or cover around your joints are made of a biomaterial called collagen.

With age (especially after 40) or injury, the collagen fibers can dramatically change from a structural and mechanical, even biochemical standpoint. What once was elastic as a brand-new rubber band, becomes like one that you found after a few years under or behind the radiator. Pull on it and it doesn't have much spring - it just snaps.

It's like the tissue on the back of your hand (not the palm side, but the opposite top side of your hand). Try pinching it firmly. Hold it pinched for 3-5 seconds and then let go. See how fast it drops back down. With children it is instant. Adults, much slower. The elderly, sometimes it stays up, until pressed back down. That is the elasticity in your collagen changing its makeup and structural characteristics with each birthday.

So how do prevent this tightness and stiffness?

• Regular exercise keeps your body young. Motion is lotion.
• With age, you must spend more time working on flexibility, so start a good daily stretching program. Most adults especially need help with four typically "tight spots": front of shoulder; lower back; hamstrings (rear thigh); and calves.
• Take up yoga. Just don't try to compete with some of the "pretzels" or loose jointed individuals in your class. Just try to improve a little each week.
• Regular massage helps, and there are therapists who specialize in deeper tissue work and mobilization."
• Stay hydrated. A little dehydration (very common for most of us) affects how your tissues perform.
• Always warm up (break a sweat) before activity and sports. Tissues become more elastic at higher temperature.