Never Too Old to Get Healthy

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.

1. ANKLE ROCKS

When people have knee problems, one of the biggest issues may not have anything to do with the knee. Rather, it’s often because they lack mobility in their ankles. To perform this exercise, stand facing a wall in a staggered stance with one foot about 3 inches from the wall. You will begin to push your knee towards the wall without lifting your heel off the ground. You will go back and forth working through your range of motion. I use the wall as a guide for my knee to touch and I want to improve this over time. This should be done without any shoes.

Perform 10 repetitions on each leg.

2. 90/90 SWITCHES

Hip mobility is very important for keeping our lower back and our knees healthy. For this exercise, arrange yourself in a good 90/90 position (one leg is 90 degrees in front of your hips and the other leg 90 degrees behind your body). You will try to keep your heels from moving too much on the floor. You begin by slowly opening the back knee without losing your 90-degree position and keeping your front leg down as long as you can before you have to lift it. You will then roll onto your bottom and shift to the other side, keeping that 90/90 position. Perform 10

switches on each side.

3. FLOOR SLIDES

Shoulder problems are a major problem for adults due to our increased driving, sitting at desks and constant use of mobile devices. Posture is a huge factor in saving your shoulders. In this exercise, you will lie on your back and keep the natural arch in your lower back as you lie with your arms on the floor in a 90-degree position. The goal is to eventually keep your arms, hands and wrist pressed into the floor as you slowly exhale and press your arms over your head. Perform 10

repetitions moving in a slow, controlled manner.

4. WIDE-STANCE T-SPINE OPENER

The inability to open up or activate the back is probably one of the bigger issues I see with people, especially males. Again, technology causes us to move less. A perfect example is the rear-view camera in almost all cars now. It is great, but it causes us to move less. So, in this exercise, you will stand with your legs as far apart as you can get them and keeping them locked out the whole time. You will then bend over and place the palms of your hands flat on the ground. If you lack the mobility to do this, you can add some books or a small box to get your hands flat and pressed down. You will press one hand into the ground and then, with your eyes following your other hand, reach up to the ceiling. Perform 5 repetitions on each side.

5. TOE TOUCH SQUATS

This is the final exercise and combines all the previous four. You start with a hip-width stance, toes pointed straight ahead, and reach down and touch your toes without bending your knees. Don’t worry if you can’t do this; it will give you a goal to shoot for—and you will get there if you’re consistent with these movements. From there, keeping your hands on your toes—or as low as you can go—pull yourself down, keeping your toes pointed straight ahead and heels on the ground. You will try to go as low as you can keeping your arms inside your thighs. The goal is to pull your hips down as low as possible keeping a vertical spine. From the bottom position, you will reach up with both arms, then complete the squat by standing up.

Perform 10 repetitions.

So, to put this into practice, I would suggest doing these five exercises every day. It should take less than 10 minutes. Do this for two months and I guarantee your knees, lower back and shoulders will feel better.

Move better, Feel better, Get stronger.

SF

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