MOBILITY FOR GRACEFUL AGING.
So here we go again.. With the end of October approaching, the temperatures in the northern hemisphere going down, adding more and more rainy days.
If you are over 40+ years old, the chances are that the pains and aches are becoming more frequent than during summer quite high.
They even say that if you are over 40 and nothing hurts when you wake up in the morning, you are probably dead..🤣
But does it have to be like this?🤔
Well, if you know me well by now, you know I am a strong wellness warrior and as a certified massage therapist fixing people´s back pain daily, I know some stuff about pain.
Every pain in the body has to do with inflammation. Period.
It requires lifestyle changes to reduce inflammation and eliminate pain for good. It is possible and I´ve seen it many times and experienced it myself.
A holistic approach is the only one that works, because everything in the body is interconnected. I like to have good systems with solid structure in place and therefore I´ve come up with these 3 simple pillars - MOVE, NOURISH, REST.
If you have these 3 pillars covered on a daily basis, your health will improve and you´ll feel great no matter your age.
Today, I´m going to talk about the first pillar of graceful and pain free aging - MOVEMENT.
Human body was designed for movement. That is why our spine has a curvy shape - it works like a spring that reduces the impact on the joints during movement. Makes sense, right?
Now, what happens as we age…
The cell reproduction slows down after the age of 30+.. In terms of physical activity and mobility here are 2 main problems related to aging.
1️⃣ MUSCLE MASS LOSS.
The cause is age-related SARCOPENIA.
Physically inactive people can lose as much as 3% to 5% of their muscle mass each decade after age 30. Even if you are active, you’ll still have some muscle loss.
Sarcopenia typically happens faster around age 75. But it may also speed up as early as 65 or as late as 80.
Symptoms can include weakness and loss of stamina, which can interfere with physical activity. Reduced activity further shrinks muscle mass, so it's a vicious circle.
But this is not only an aesthetic problem.
This factor also affects the nervous system performance - the reduction in nerve cells responsible for sending signals from the brain to the muscles.
Another side effect is lower concentration of certain hormones such as growth hormone and testosterone.
With this loss, muscles are no longer doing such a good job in keeping the joints in a healthy alignment. The balance is not that good anymore and injuries might be more frequent and more serious. The recovery after these injuries is longer and more difficult.
Ok, now you might be thinking… oh, I need to start to go to the gym again! 🤦🏼♀️
Hold on a minute…
If you really love to lift heavy stuff a few times a week, go ahead and enjoy it. But if you´ve never trained in a gym and you don´t even like the idea, then I don´t think you should go that way.
On the other hand I think that daily exercise that stimulates all the muscles, makes them work and stretches them at the same time is vital for optimal health.
Years ago, I chose Bowspring method for this specific reason and it is so effective that I can get a full body workout just with 20-30min and feel a bit sore the next day, which is a great proof of working out.
There are many different approaches out there for functional movement, and at the time of choosing your activity, ask yourself this:
Am I strengthening my muscles and stretching them too to keep my mobility?
2️⃣ MOBILITY.
If you are only focused on strength, the muscles get shorter. Then they start to pull the attachments and tendons (I´m not entering the tendinitis topic today, as it is another wide world) and they reduce the range of motion in your joints. But here´s another problem, when you keep this going for a long time without stretching.
Joint lubrication is reduced with poor range of motion. Basically if you don´t use the full potential of your joints, the body says why to bother producing lubrication if you don´t use the joint..?
Without lubrication - more friction - arthritis - pain..
Are you getting the picture?
If you´ve never thought about movement as a tool for wellbeing, that´s ok.
We learn something new every day.
Every learning journey starts with awareness and paying attention to where is the starting point.
So today I have a test sequence for you. It is a series of exercises based on simple transitions from standing to kneeling, from squat to standing and a bit of balance.
The point is to do it as slow as possible and without collapsing in your upper body - keeping the rib cage expanded to all directions, belly long and spine with its natural curves.
Give it a try and let me know in the comments how it feels. ⬇️⬇️⬇️
