The Aging Movement

Hey Fitters!
 Firstly, thank you Lonny for tonight's blog post topic! If any of you readers have an idea, post it in the comments below.

 Tonight's topic is personal to all of us. We're all doing it. I'm doing it, you're doing it, the Queen of England is doing it RIGHT NOW! It is the act of aging. It is inevitable, and as it happens, our body's needs change. But something that maybe people don't realize is this:

The needs of every individual differ by degree, NOT by kind.

Every human being needs to better themselves in the ten aspects of fitness (check out this Post to see those aspects). What an Olympic speed skater and what your grandmother need to support their quality of life is the same in that they need to develop their strength, coordination, agility, etc. However, while Apollo may be doing 185 pound explosive front squats to cut a tenth of a second, Bertha is doing box squats holding a 10 pound dumbbell at her chest. Both are the same movements that elicit the same stresses to the body, but differ by degree (speed, weight, depth) But why? Why do work on a movement that she won't be doing in real life? Let's think about it.

As we age, what is it we want to be able to do as long as possible? I think most of us would agree that it is to live independently. Would you rather live to be 85, visiting family hundreds of miles away and hiking in the woods, or live to be 110 in a chair in your house, with hospice taking care of you? Whatever your choice, we can agree that the second does not sound appealing. So by doing a weighted squat, Bertha is training her mobility through a squatting motion, as well as developing (or at least maintaining) muscle mass. This allows her to get out of a chair on her own, walk up and down stairs, step off curbs, get in and out of her car, all on her own. This allows her to maintain her independence well into her golden years.

With all of that being said, there are things we can focus on as we age to continue our quality of life, which are also the things we tend to lose as we age. The main aspects of fitness I believe we should focus on as we age are:

Mobility/Flexibility - As we get older, our muscles become less supple, and muscle imbalances cause us to not be able to move our joints through full range of motion. It is imperative that we work to maintain mobility through these ranges so we can continue to use our joints the way they are intended.

Strength - Along with muscles becoming more immobile, we also lose a great deal of muscle mass. To combat this, it is important to use resistance training (weighted exercises) to build and maintain muscle mass. This is what helps insure that we can get out of that chair, and keep getting up when we are down.

Balance - "I can't do that, I don't have any balance." I've heard this time and again from everyone from 75 year old men to 28 year old women.  Balance isn't like brown hair, it isn't genetic, you gain it by practice (which is how you work your neurological system, as opposed to training, which benefits things like strength, endurance, and other "organic" bodily changes). So if you want better balance, you have to work on your balance. And most injuries that occur to the older population occur via falls, making balance vital.

So now I tell you how to train for these things, right? Sorry, there is no way I could do that in one post, it would be an endless list. And moreover, everyone has different needs, even in their mobility (shoulders, ankles, hips, etc.) strength (hamstrings, shoulders, etc.) and balance (stand on one foot, stand on tiptoes with eyes closed, balance on a beam, etc.). So to truly learn more, you can continue to read my blog, look for more information on your specific needs with resources such as the internet, or even visit a personal trainer like myself and start preparing for living well the rest of your life!

Stay Fit.

Try telling this man "That's just a part of getting old." Don't let someone else's sorry excuse become your "reasoning" to live a poorer life. Squat, jump, run, lunge, pull, push. LIVE. Until the very day you stop, LIVE.

Best Rolls for Deep Squats

The Perfect Warm-Up

Greetings Fitters.
 Welcome back. I hope you've fared well this Wednesday. For this post, I wanted to get into the "Perfect Warm-Up".

 I'm going to go ahead and burst the proverbial bubble early. There is no such thing as a perfect warm-up. But there are aspects that should be present in every warm up to ensure that your body is ready for the rigors you are about to put it through.

1) Cardiovascular - Do this to stretch the lungs, warm up the muscles, increase core temperatures slightly, and pump the blood more quickly. It does not need to last more than 5 minutes, and shouldn't be vigorous. Rowing, biking, jogging, or uphill walking are great examples.

2) Dynamic Movements - Use movements that move your joints through an increased range of motion that they usually do not see throughout the day. This gets your muscles ready to stretch farther, and harder, than the usual day-to-day movements. This may include arm circles, long lunges, high kicks or high knees, wide side-lunges, etc.

3) Shoulders and Hips - These are the "junction boxes" between the torso/core and arms and legs. Because of the vast amounts of muscles that are connected here, the range of motion that these joints have, and the fact that an extremely large percentage of exercises utilize these joints, it is important to make sure they are ready to move.

4) Movement specific - If you are going to do deadlifts, make sure you stretch the hamstrings and lower back. Lunges? Do deep, long lunges to warm up. Bench press? Do some pushups, and warm up the shoulders. Burpees?......well, better get it all warmed up. And good luck.

5) Sweat - "Are you sweating?" "No." "You're not warmed up." "But I feel loose and ready to go!" "Are you sweating?" "Well...no." "You're not warmed up." You don't have to be drenched, but you have to be warm.

Warm ups should be a minimum of 7-10 minutes. There's no sense not being ready to move. Keep yourself safe, and always

Stay Fit.

Focus on This to Live 100 Great Years

Welcome back!
 What a great weekend my fellow Fitters! Saturday, it started with a great breakfast, workout in the morning, then straight to campus to enjoy the Purdue game with the suite tickets my wife and I received from some family friends (thanks Pam and Courtney!), then left there and went to a movie, then finished with a visit with friends at 9-Irish (a local fan favorite). Today was a deep-clean of the household to prepare for the holiday week. What did you do for your mental fitness this weekend? How about physical?

Last week, we talked a little bit about the 10 domains of Fitness (see post titled "Running Does Not Equal Fitness"). With all of these aspects, it can be a little daunting at first to really incorporate all of these domains into your routine. What's more, it is very common for an individual to find those aspects of fitness that appeal to us more than others. Think about it, what is your favorite exercise? Running? Olympic weightlifting? Hypertrophy training (bodybuilding)? Agility drills? I doubt that you enjoy every exercise that exists. Ever see an individual exercising that you knew could probably do with a little more cardio, or perhaps incorporate some lower body exercises (perhaps lightheartedly called "chicken legs" by their colleagues)? As I have mentioned in previous posts, it is important for overall health and fitness to be the best you can be in all domains of fitness.

Inevitably, I get asked "What do you think is the most important focus of fitness?" What a tremendous and formidable question. If you had to spend the efforts of the rest of your life on one aspect of fitness, what would I suggest?

Firstly, we are asking this question accepting the fact that nutrition is above all else when it comes to the importance of your health. Without having sound nutrition, we can forget the question completely, for fitness is foundationally rooted in appropriate nutrition. Secondly, I am not recommending that any other aspect of fitness be ignored in the pursuit of any other.

With that being said, I do believe that one aspect of fitness, if pursued with proper nutrition, could help anyone live a fulfilling life well into their 70s, 80s, and 90s. And the answer might surprise you. Flexiblity.

Flexibility, and more importantly Mobility, is vital to being able to live, in what my opinion is, a satisfying life. With great nutrition, and normal physical activity, a person's body will remain healthy. Without proper mobility, however, one will quickly suffer. Not being able to walk, turn, jump, step up, crawl, etc. will lead to a very sheltered, and frankly, boring life.

We can all agree, needing assist through daily tasks is undesirable.

 As we get older, many of our abilities begin to decay, but a lack of mobility in particular is a very debilitating loss. Consider the aging adult. As an older man or woman begins to move less, their body becomes much more inflexible, including loss of shoulder mobility, as well as hip mobility. They begin to lose the ability to reach over their head, or sit into a deep chair. Soon, they are unable to reach (or hold) anything near head height, and it is impossible to get in and out of a chair without assistance.




To prevent this, we need to pursue two things: We need to move, and move well, through full ranges of motion of all bodily joints. That includes overhead pressing, pushing, pulling, deep squats, and more. We also need to improve our already limited range of motion with flexibility/mobility training. Many of us are already combating 20-30+ years of grody movement (knee or back pain? Blame poor movement), and we need to restore proper, full range movement.

Do what you love for as long as you can!

Want to live 100+ years going hiking in the Adirondacks, zip-lining in the Bahamas, site-seeing in France? Move your body, move it right, and work on the flexibility and the mobility to do it that way the rest of your life (and working on the other 9 domains of Fitness won't hurt either).





Stay Fit.

Pain is the LAST Step

Hello all!

   Welcome back, I hope you had a terrific Thursday! It was one thing to another today, meetings, sessions, food, meetings, donating blood, seminars, and meetings. But I didn't forget about you all. Tonight I want to talk about our acceptance of pain, and my inability to accept our acceptance (and perhaps your acceptance of my inability to accept your acceptance, should you accept it).

I avoid pain with foam rolling. This is how puppy Kratos helps.

 It follows somewhat my latest post about poor movement, and the implications of dysfunctional kinesiology. When we move poorly, our bodies tell us by hurting. We hurt chronically, it becomes a natural part of our daily routine, and we accept it. But pain is a response. It is a symptom of our dysfunctional movement. When you have a runny nose, is that the beginning of your flu? No! Your body is already wracked with the virus, and your immune system is just starting to show the signs. Pain is a similar symptom. You move poorly, this puts strain on your joint/ligament/tendon/muscle/nerve, your body responds: inflammation, tenderness, soreness, pain, Pain, PAIN! And when you continue to let the nagging irritation in your joint go unaddressed, injuries ensue. Rotator cuff tears, meniscus injuries, tendonitis.


So what to do? Step 1: Stop the movement that caused the pain. If you tried a new workout/movement, and you hurt later, discontinue that movement until you can learn to do it correctly. Step 2: Learn to move correctly (see my last blog, which will tell you to see me). Step 3: There is no Step 3. Moving correctly will cure your ailment. If your pain has not subsided and dissipated within a few days, you know damage has been done, and you should most likely see a doctor. There is no such thing as "working through the pain"! Pain is a Giant Red Blinking Light that is saying "System Malfuction", that you are using your available machinery (muscles and joints) outside normal, factory recommended usage (proper movement mechanics).

So don't wait until it hurts, don't accept the hurt, and don't work through the hurt. DON"T HURT! Move right, and be happy. And always always ALWAYS.


Stay Fit.

P.S. Fun fact, P.S. stands for Post Script.

P.S.S. Please add comments at any and all times to my blog. It feels good to know someone is reading, and outside opinions are the only way true education can be found. Without testing and combating thought, there can be no evolution of knowledge. So get to it!