Waking up feeling stiff? It’s just a part of growing older, right? A sign you should slow down. Well, not if you’re Dame Helen Mirren.
In a 2023 interview with the Evening Standard, she argued that getting older actually makes regular exercise more important, rather than less.
Her recommendation? Twenty minutes of yoga in the morning. For anyone who wakes up feeling a little stiffer than they'd like, it's an appealing solution. No expensive equipment, no punishing workout, no journey time to the gym....
But can a short daily yoga session really make a difference to our flexibility and mobility as we age?
Why mornings matter
After several hours lying still, our muscles cool down and the fluid that cushions our joints becomes less evenly distributed, explaining why those first few steps out of bed can sometimes feel surprisingly uncomfortable.
Why morning stiffness worsens with age
As we get older, it becomes more noticeable. That's because we naturally lose muscle mass and some flexibility. Our tendons also become less elastic and the cartilage that cushions our joints gradually wears down. Some of us can also add osteoarthritis or other joint conditions into this achy mix.
So, what to do?
Helen's approach
‘The older you get, the more exercise you have to do,’ said Helen in an Evening Standard interview. ‘When you’re my age you should do 20 minutes of yoga in the morning.’
Sam Bhide, physiotherapist, agrees: 'Yoga is excellent for morning stiffness because it increases circulation and lubricates the joints after a night of inactivity, while also improving flexibility,' she says.
Rather than forcing your body straight into intense exercise, Sam says the goal should be gentler: ‘Even 15 to 20 minutes is enough to gently wake up the muscles and joints.’
The movements physios recommend
If you're feeling stiff when you first wake up, Sam recommends beginning with gentle, flowing movements rather than static stretches.
Her favourites include:
- Cat-cow stretches to gently mobilise the spine.
- Downward-facing dog (using yoga blocks if needed) to lengthen the calves and hamstrings.
- Child's pose to ease tension in the lower back and shoulders.
‘The movements should feel controlled and comfortable,’ she explains. ‘You're encouraging movement, not forcing it.’
Why yoga becomes more valuable as we age
Maintaining strength is important at any age, but as we age, staying mobile becomes a priority, too.
The NHS, for example, recommends balance and mobility exercises to help maintain independence and reduce the risk of falls in later life.
And there's encouraging scientific evidence to support the benefits of yoga for troublesome joints. A 2025 study published in JAMA Network Open followed 117 adults with knee osteoarthritis, whose average age was 62.5. When a yoga programme was compared with traditional strengthening exercises over 12 weeks, the yoga was found to be just as effective at reducing knee pain. In fact, after 24 weeks, those practising yoga had seen slightly greater improvements in some measures of stiffness, pain and physical function.
In other words, you don't necessarily need a punishing workout to help keep your joints moving comfortably.
The GH takeaway
You don't need to become an advanced yogi.
If mornings are when you feel your stiffest, spending just 20 minutes gently moving your body may help you start the day feeling looser, stronger and more confident.
As Helen Mirren reminds us, the best exercise isn't the hardest one. It's the one you'll still be doing next year.