Five Movements For Healthy Longevity
Sixty-one percent of adults aged 65 and older have limited ability to perform basic actions, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. For healthy longevity, you should be able to bend down and tie your shoes, climb a ladder, push open a swinging door, pull down a bag of flour from the top shelf, and look behind you before changing lanes. These are tasks from basic exercises, considered functional movements, and you should never lose the ability to do them. An active life is a long life. Being able to do functional movements allows you to enjoy leisure activities without thinking about whether or not you can participate. Will your knees allow it? Can you hike without discomfort? Can you pull open a gate?
Not moving is like rust: you become brittle instead of flexible, restricted in enjoyable activities, joints hurt, arthritis flares, and injury becomes a companion. You know all about Advil. Practice these five movements everyday for healthy longevity: hip-hinge, single leg use, push, pull, and rotate.
Hip hinges are squats; bending from the hips, knees, and ankles. When you pick up a diamond earring from the floor, rise from a chair or sit in one, or use the bathroom, you become cognizant of hip hinges.
Single leg movements involve walking and climbing stairs. You balance on one foot, then the other as you move. As people age, balance becomes an issue, not because of age, but lack of practice. Stand on one foot. Climb more stairs; it strengthens the legs, and especially the knees. Even “easy riser” stairs are acceptable.
Push, as in pushing a cart at Costco, moving furniture around, or pushing yourself away from the dining room table. Or, push-ups, which develop chest muscles so you can push grandkids on a swing, or push yourself out of bed. Push-ups can be done with legs straight or legs bent, diagonally against a table, or against the wall. Any way you can do push-ups that doesn’t harm you, or hurt, is a good way to develop upper body strength.
Pulling involves opening a door towards yourself, raking leaves, or reaching for grocery bags in the backseat of your car. It can also involve pulling the dog or children behind you, who are resistant to that walk you want to take.
Finally, there’s rotation. If you golf or play tennis, put on your seatbelt, reach for wine on the table behind you, rake leaves, or dance on Saturday night, you know about rotation.
For healthy longevity and an active life, incorporate these five movements into your daily routine. Keep checking to make sure you can do them. If any one of them becomes difficult, you might want to practice more. The more choices you have in life, the better your life.
That’s Aging Intelligently