Someone recently asked me… “My back, my knees, and my hips ache all the time, I know I’m getting older, but is it too late for me to get help?” The answer is NO! It is never too late. One of my favorite quotes is, “The best time to get started was yesterday. The next best time is today.” WRITTEN BY MATT GUNNING PHOTOS BY EVIE GUNNING
One of the false “truths” we believe is that when something hurts, we should stop doing everything. Movement is the best medicine we can give ourselves. I’m not saying you should move if you’re in pain, but you should find ways to move safely and pain-free. Dr. Pat Davidson recently mentioned this movement and medicine concept and explained how it is like drugs. The point he was making was that there are good drugs and bad drugs. What does that mean? A bad drug binds to certain tissues in our body to achieve the overall goal. It also binds to tissues that are unnecessary and not good for us. Those are the bad side effects we can have from taking certain medications. A good drug, on the other hand, binds to the primary tissue we need assistance with yet avoids the other tissues that create a negative experience—those bad side effects. The same is true for movement/exercise. If you can apply the right exercises while avoiding the negative side effects, then the concept holds true: movement truly is the best medicine you can give yourself. This is where I feel a quality strength and conditioning program is vitally important. If you think of exercise or movement as money and you keep depositing that money into the bank (your body), it will accumulate over time and create value. It will create healthier joints, more muscle mass and increased bone density. These are all very important factors in having a healthy, pain-free body. Many times, even for people that exercise on a regular basis, we are missing out on the little things which make all the difference in the world. This is why I created the “Fabulous Five.” These are five quality exercises that can add value to your life, and five simple exercises that can be done anywhere and which can have a long-lasting impact on your body for years to come. These require zero equipment so anyone can do it. saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com
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