Movement for Life

Movement, our ability to move our physical body effectively, is typically one of those things we take for granted. Until we can’t.

Simple injury, like sprains, strains, and even broken bones can sideline us temporarily but we’re usually back out participating in our normal lives after relatively short healing periods. The process of aging however, can bring about more permanent changes. These declines in Health and mobility are most often brought on by our own choices. The body slows down a bit, things start to hurt a little, we back off on activity, next thing we know, we have problems getting off the couch entirely.

The good news is that there are things you can do to limit these normal declines in performance and actually enjoy a more robust lifestyle as we age. Here’s how.

The Process

As much as we dislike it, aging is a thoroughly natural process that happens to all of us. Even Jim Morrison reminded us back in the 1960’s that “No one here gets out alive”. Though he was likely writing about a more dramatic aspect of death, the phrase still fits. So let’s make the best with what we’ve got.

How aging slows our bodies down is some pretty complex physiology at the cell level. Science understands a lot but there is so much more to learn. What we do know is that our bodies are on a long, slow journey from ability to disability. The longer we live, the more of our body cells naturally die off.

One of our physical abilities that declines is body awareness. Technically known as proprioception, this is how we know where our body or body part is located in space.

Try this quick check: As you read this, think about where is your left foot in relation to your right one. Where is your left pinky in relation to the rest of your hand?

As you read the words above, you did a quick mental check and came up with the answers, right? But you had to think about it for that split second first. Your brain already knew the answer but the conscious part had to check with the part of your brain that handles that kind of information.

When we are younger, this conversation across the brain is pretty vigorous but as we get older, the communication declines. This is why movement can become challenging the more decades we put behind us.

The Use-It-or-Lose-It Health Solution

While there is quite a bit of work going on in the area of finding drugs that may have the capacity to retard or reverse some of these processes, these solutions are still a long ways off.

[pullquote2 style=”right” quote=”dark”]Our ability to exercise makes all the difference.[/pullquote2]The great thing is that much of the same research also indicates that we may have innate abilities to combat some of these losses. The consensus is that regular exercise slows down the natural decline in our body awareness. So folks who regularly exercise, do not experience the same degree of loss of body functions as compared to people who don’t exercise. Our ability to exercise makes all the difference.

So older individuals who exercise experience an improved quality of Life due to the increased muscle mass, cardiovascular changes and other physical benefits. The greatest benefit is when an individual is physically active all of their life but couch potatoes should not despair! Exercise programs adopted later in life also provide improvements in physical function and general health. Even for individuals managing disease processes like Diabetes.

Movement is Life

The key element here is to start moving your body on a regular basis. If you aren’t already, start. If you do already, keep going. Whether it is just a regular walk through the neighborhood or training for Senior Olympics and Master’s Races, the idea is to do something physically active each day.

Exercise builds you up. It should be uncomfortable but not painful.

I enjoy the way exercise allows me to test my boundaries. Sometimes I am surprised that I did more than I thought I could. Other times, I get reminded that I don’t have a 20-year-old body anymore. Either way, it is a conversation between by brain and my body that is well worth having.

 

We do not stop exercising because we grow old – we grow old because we stop exercising.
–Kenneth Cooper

 

I’ve been a Peanut Butter nut since childhood. Calorie dense but a great flavor alone or with other foods. Just watch out for the additives in most commercial brands. Go for the ones that contain just peanuts and a little salt. The peanuts settle out of the oil, so you’ll need to mix them, but the nutrition is better without all of that added sugar.

Peanut Butter Dip

Just mix together:

• 1 cup Greek Yogurt (flavored or plain, according to taste)
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp. honey, agave, or maple syrup, to taste

Dig in with or spread on your favorite fruits and vegetables.