How To Stay Mobile As You Age
When you were a kid, you bounced out of bed in the morning and ran out the door to play with your friends without a care in the world. No aches, no pains, no worries about being able to run, stretch, reach and no worrying about injuries or if you can achieve some level of physical activity.
When you were young your bones, ligaments, and muscles were strong and lucid; you were flexible and never worried about falling and breaking a leg or having trouble getting up out of the chair.
You can choose to accept the inevitable and deal with it or you can take preventative action to strengthen your body and mind to maintain or even improve your mobility as you age. As always, the choice is yours.
As you age your body becomes weaker; bones are less dense, tendons and ligaments naturally lose their elasticity, the mind loses its sharpness, balance and coordination dwindle, and your aches and pains become more prominent.
Exercise Every Day
Fitness experts report that just 15 minutes per day of exercise will help decrease the mobility issues that go hand in hand with aging. There’s no excuse to not go for a walk, bike ride, swim, hike, or tend to your garden or play a round of golf. Figure out something physical you enjoy and get to it!
Strength Training
WebMD reminds us that as we age our muscle naturally breaks down; which weakens the body and decreases mobility. Just 15 minutes 3 times a week of weight training or strength training will counter the aging process and build your body stronger and more agile.
Daily Stretching
If you snooze, you lose! There’s no way around this one, if you don’t actively make a point of taking 5-10 minutes to work on your stretching each day, you’re ligaments will shorten and your muscles and joints will get tight. This will leave you stiff, sore, and less mobile. Prevention is everything. Stretching on a regular basis helps you loosen your joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments, increasing your range of motion and strengthening your mobility. Be sure to warm up with a quick walk or even a few squats in place, just to get the blood flowing, before you start stretching. This will decrease your risk of injury.
Exercise While You Sit
Even if you don’t have very good balance and already have limited mobility, you can still get that cardio exercise in. You can exercise while sitting down in a chair to help improve your mobility and overall health and wellness.
Reach Up High Over Your Head And Down To Your Toes
An excellent way to start your day the second you step out of your bed in the morning is to stand with your feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent, while reaching as high as you can above your head. Then slowly reach down as far as you can towards your toes.
Sign Up For A Yoga Class
Yoga is fantastic for strengthening the body and improving mobility; and you can have fun doing it at any age. Yoga is a low impact, safe and effective way to keep your body limber and agile for life.
Aqua-Fit Classes Are Excellent
The advantage to exercising in the pool is you have zero stress on your joints. In addition, the natural resistance of the water gives you both the cardio and muscle building exercise. Exactly what you need to strengthen your heart, improve balance, and of course improve motility.
Get A Massage
Targeted massage therapy remobilizes the body. By relaxing your muscles, you reduce tension you give your muscle and ligaments more elasticity, and your joints more flex or range of motion.
Go See A Physiotherapist
A physio specialist can assess your body motion and provide suggestions and exercises to help you deal with mobility issues and improve and strengthen your body as a whole.
Do Squats
Bodybuilding.com trainers say that when performed correctly, squats will increase your mobility, longevity, range of motion, and flexibility. Make sure you have an experienced trainer show you how to perform them correctly to avoid injury. Even if you have a chronic knee or hip injury, you can do a modified squat that is still beneficial.
Go Swimming
When you swim, you’re removing the stress on your joints, lessening pain and making it easier to challenge your range of motion and mobility. Even just slipping into the pool and swimming a few laps is better than nothing.
Get A Trainer
If you want to stay mobile as you age it’s well worth your while to invest in a personal trainer. This just means you know they will keep you on track and they can set up a program that suits your preferences and tolerances. You’ll never get bored and because you’ve got your trainer to answer to you will always have an inspiring measurement tool to make sure you stick with the program.
Soak In A Hot Tub
When you heat your body, you naturally relax your muscles and joints; they become softer and less brittle. This of course eases aches, pains, and makes it easier for you to stretch and test your mobility without straining yourself. Make sure to get your doctor’s approval before using hot tubs.
Go In The Steam Room Or Sauna
The same thing applies to the steam room or sauna. A great stress reliever in particular for sore muscles after a workout, giving your muscles a jumpstart for repairing and gaining strength. Just make sure you don’t ever stay in longer than 15 minutes at a time just to be safe, and ask your doctor if saunas are safe for you.
Go Dancing
Dancing is fun and it gets you moving in a relaxed atmosphere. Having fun socially while you are challenging your mobility is an awesome way to decrease your age-related aches and pains and test your limitations mobility-wise.
Have A Drink
This doesn’t mean you should go get drunk, but studies show having a glass of wine with dinner releases endorphins and gives you that “feel good feeling,” increasing the chances you’ll get more active. Not to mention having a drink is usually part of a social engagement; which means it’s giving you a reason to get up off the couch and move it!
Play With Your Kids Or Grandkids –
An excellent way to have fun while getting sore and stiff joints moving is to play a game of soccer or ball with your kids or grandkids. Kids are loaded with energy and letting some of it brush off on you is only going to help you strengthen your mobility to build your body and mind stronger.
Reach Up For That Top Shelf
You may be hesitant to reach up for that bowl on the top shelf just because you feel some tightness when you do. Newsflash – If you don’t reach for it, you are only going to feel more pain and tightness over time. You have to mentally challenge yourself to reach a little bit further each time in order to increase your mobility and decrease your pain associated with it. In other words it won’t’ go away on its own.
Always Change Up Your Exercise Routine
Diversity is king when it comes to keeping your mind and body agile and alive. If you are bored, you’re much less likely to get moving. Make a conscious decision to change up your exercise routine so you are never stuck in a rut or plateau.
Challenge Yourself
You know your limitations and if you don’t set your thinking to always challenge yourself you will lose your mobility faster that you should. If you normally walk for 30 minutes a day try adding 5 minutes on or increasing your pace. If you normally hire someone to cut your lawn, why don’t you try doing it yourself? Your only limitations are the ones you create.
Record It
Seeing is believing. A natural tool of inspiration is to record all your accomplishments so you can look back on them to actually see how far you’ve come. Psychology.com experts report this is an invaluable tool in the name of health and wellness.
Lift Soup Cans
What many people don’t realize is you can work on your mobility and motility by using items around the house. When you’re in the kitchen waiting for the water to boil you can use two soup cans to do bicep curls. This is helping you gain strength and build muscle, which in turn supports improved mobility.
Have More Sex
The health benefits of having more sex are truly incredible, from boosting immune system function and energy, to strengthening your mind, confidence, and ability to get moving. Sex is a physical act, which means when you are having sex you are indeed improving your mobility.
Get A Dog
Experts report that seniors who own a pet can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, increase social interaction, and improve strength and mobility, not to mention the mental stimulation.
Join Walking/Biking/Running/Hiking Group
By committing to some sort of activity group, you are increasing the odds you will get more activity in your life. Studies show when people interconnect the social with the physical, the results are more positive and longer lasting.
Volunteer At A Local Hospital
When you make the time to help a good cause, you naturally feel obligated to step up to the plate, rather than just sit at home and do nothing. Working as a runner at the hospital is a great way to get more exercise into you day by running errands around the hospital and taking patients to different procedures.
Focus On Improving Balance
Having confidence in your ability to not tip over is ultra-critical in ensuring you don’t try to convince yourself to take the “safe” route and just stay put. That’s one of the worst moves you can make. There are all sorts of safe exercise you can practice to strengthen your balance, improve coordination and make it easier for you to get more active.
Use Walker/Cane When Necessary
If you already have mobility issues, it’s a good idea to make sure you use your walker or can when you need it. This means you aren’t using your limitations as an excuse not to get up and move. If you need your cane to stabilize yourself while you get the mail then use it. That’s a much better choice than not going at all
Invest In A Walking Stick
There’s no doubt that the older we get the less stable we are on our feet. Therefore, if you do a lot of walking it’s always a good idea to use a walking stick just to ensure you don’t lose your balance and crash. This is also a peace of mind that encourages you to walk more.
Lose Weight
When you lose weight, you are naturally increasing energy and decreasing the tremendous stress on your joints. Studies show by losing just 5% of your body weight you will increase mobility and decrease your risk of developing serious disease like heart disease, stroke, and cancer.
Do More Things Yourself
The only activities you really can’t do are the ones you choose not to do. Where there’s a will there’s a way, an oldie but a goodie. Perhaps you have a cleaner that comes in once a week to do all your cleaning. Maybe you should try having her come once every two weeks so you can do some of the cleaning on your own? Maybe you should tend to the garden instead of hiring someone else to do it for you? Things to think about when you are looking for ways to improve your quality of life by improving your mobility.
Get Good Quality Shoes
One of the worst things you can do for yourself is walk around in cheap shoes with no support. This places unnecessary stress on your joints, making it uncomfortable for you to get active. Get yourself a really good pair of shoes and it may even be worth your while to get a pair of orthopedic shoes, something important to think about.
Eat Healthy
Doctors from WebMD report that eating a healthy diet full of fresh veggies and fruits, lean protein, and complex carbs will help to support optimal health, increased energy, and improved mobility. Moreover, what many people don’t understand is that lack of fluid intake or dehydration is often prevalent in people with decreased mobility. Usually this is because it may be troublesome to go to the washroom. All this does is steal your energy and ability to move around, which naturally decreases overall mobility. Drink 6-8 glasses of water EVERY day to ensure you give your body and mind the power to improve mobility.
Get Your Eyes Checked
If you can’t see then you aren’t going to be moving around much. Have your eyes checked regularly and if you need glasses get them. This is going to remove the stress of falling or bumping into something and give you confidence to consciously and persistently work on your mobility.
Take Action To Prevent Falls
If you are a little unsteady on your feet, make sure you take action to stop an accident from happening. Install handrails if necessary around your house to start. If you need a cane or walker to inspire you to walk then get one. Do whatever it takes to set yourself up for confident success in moving around as much as you can.
Stay Positive
Age is just a number – mind over matter. Research shows the power of positive thinking is invaluable in the big picture of life. If you let your age get you depressed and feeling sorry for yourself, then you’re much less likely to focus on staying active, which prevents all possibilities of improving your mobility.
Challenge Yourself But Acknowledge Your Limitations
It’s always good to push yourself outside of your comfort zone but on the flip side, it’s essential that you know when to stop. Too much too soon can lead to serious injury. If you normally walk for an hour each day and want to do more, add an extra 5 minutes each day instead of 30 minutes. Work your walk up slowly to your new goal. Slow and steady truly does win the race. Always ask your doctor before starting any exercise to be sure it is a good fit.
Strength Train At Any Age
Lifting weights at any age is a good move. In order to combat natural imitations age puts on your body; muscle and bone loss and decreased joint strength and mobility, you need to build new muscle. By implementing regular strength training into you day you are setting yourself up for long-term improved mobility and overall better health. Just 15 minutes per day, 3 days a week, makes a huge difference. There are also many strength training chair exercises available.
Play With Your Grandkids Kids help us stay active because they are so naturally, make sure to have those grandkids over as much as possible and they will keep you on your toes and physically active for hours.
Join A Different Exercise Club Each Month
When you challenge your body and mind, you are renewing your investment in great health. This also inspires you to take action to naturally trick your body and mind into new physical challenges. If your body and mind know your routine by memory, you’re going to decrease your overall benefits. Change is good on all levels, particularly when it comes to strengthening mobility.
Cut Your Own Grass
This is an easy one. Even if you just do the trimming, you are making a point of actively challenging your body to improve your range of motion and that will serve you well down the road.
Don’t Sit For Long Periods Of Time
When you sit for long periods of time, particularly when you’re older, you start to seize up and the longer you set the less mobile you become. Make a point of getting up out of your chair every 5 or 10 minutes to go for a quick walk or to do some stretching. Just make sure you are never stuck in one place for long periods of time.
Exercise While Sitting Down/Watching T.V.
Believe it or not you can be lazy and still active. When you’re sitting down to watch your favorite show make sure you do some simple exercises. Something as simple as shoulder rolls or reaching down and touching your toes is only going to help!
Park Further Away From Destination
If you park right beside the entrance to the grocery store, you make it easy. However, if you make a point of parking a few blocks away from your destination and walking the rest of the way, you force yourself to put in the extra effort. Little bits add up. Start small and work your way up.
Use Stairs
Escalators and elevators are lazy, when you can take the stairs just you get your body moving that little bit extra. It may take you a few minutes longer but that’s a few very important minutes invested in your long-term good health.
Get Dropped Off Further Away
If you don’t drive and normally are dropped off to do errands, ask to be dropped off a little bit further away from your intended destination. This forces you to challenge yourself physically and improve your mobility in the process.
Book A Trip With Lots Of Activity
Everyone needs a vacation from time to time and when you book your next trip make sure it’s chalk full of activities. What this is going to do is give your mind and body many opportunities to get up off your butt and move. You snooze you lose! Sign yourself up for a walking, hiking, or biking tour and you’re off on the right foot.
Get A Good Night’s Sleep
Sleep is the cornerstone to great long-term health. Your body needs adequate time each night to shut down and recharge, according to sleep experts at Psychology Today. When you get good rest, you have more energy and focus and this does wonders when it comes to strengthening your mobility.
Get Creative Throughout The Day
If you consciously remind yourself to work on mobility each day, you will. Look around you and think of ways you can get more active and strengthen your body and mind to better stand the test of time. Take a few extra trips up and down the stairs to do laundry. It doesn’t hurt to run the vacuum through the house twice. In addition, when you are cooking you can incorporate some light exercises like squats, lunges, and overhead presses, to make the most of your time. It all helps!
Do Not Stop
Even on days that you are tired it’s very important to do at least 10 minutes of exercise. Something is always better than nothing!
Improving your mobility as you age is all about creating that conscious desire to continuously work at it. When you mentally acknowledge the benefits of your actions you are increasing the odds tremendously that you’ll stick with it and continue to look for ways to decrease your aches and pains and increase your flexibility, ability, mobility, and desire to get more active.