FEELING HORRIBLY STIFF – or creaky?
The process of getting older can be full of pitfalls. But the facts are all out there. Not getting enough sleep, drinking too much, eating unhealthy food, being overweight, maybe smoking, or stressing about things, plus other anxiety
issues are all going to make you look and feel worse as you get older, not better.
issues are all going to make you look and feel worse as you get older, not better.
Perhaps you’re already very aware of those. But there’s this one thing which you might not know. And it can really help you if you’re starting to feel horribly stiff, or creaky. Or maybe you know you just don’t move as well as you used to.
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Exercise has been shown to vastly increase our happiness and health as we age. But not just any old exercise. It’s important to understand that you need to do more than just one sort of exercise.
You know you should move often. But you might not know the importance of all the different types of movement. And, most importantly, you might miss out on one vital element which will help you as the years go by.
Aging Tip
You know that you should move often. But not always in the same way.
A lot of people always get active in the same way. They always run, or always cycle, or always just do the upper body in the gym. But that’s not the best for you, your body, or your aging process.
It’s important for your body to try all types of movement. Sometimes you should move fast for a shortish time, so you get your heart rate up (assuming that’s ok for you). This stimulates fat loss AND helps you feel good fast too. It also strengthens your heart & lungs. These are pretty important bits of you, you’ll agree.
Other times you should move for a longer time – but slower. Say like a nice long walk. This builds stamina and endurance. It can clear your mind and enable your busy brain to switch off for a bit. We all need a dose of that.
A long walk can be a bit like buffering for our brains. It allows us time to process what’s in our heads.
Sometimes you should move against gravity or with weights, so you keep your muscles strong and toned.
Your joints and bones are constantly regenerating themselves – you’re basically a biological miracle of self-repair. Doing stuff you “find hard but in a good way” helps keep your joints mobile and your bones dense. Working with body weight, and with weights also helps build muscle mass which makes you into a calorie-burning machine, which is nice.
Then there’s Stretch. As I get older I love stretch more and more.
Why you should do this
Stretching keeps your joints open and moving. It literally keeps them well-oiled. Stretching lengthens connective tissue, sending blood supply into areas that are sluggish to renovate, rejuvenating them from the inside out.
The Stretch is calming. Slow. Time can stand still. You can escape.
In fact, Stretch is the complete opposite of what most of us do all the time. We rush. We stay in one position too long.
We stagnate.
And we age faster than we need to.
Stretch will help you reverse your aging process.
It will help you move more easily, avoid pain, gain strength without impact, keep your joints healthy, and it’s good for your mental health too.
You should stretch often, in every part of your body. And you could do this with me!
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I include some lovely Stretch sessions in On-Demand Workouts with Noelle on Facebook.
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My members LOVED this last one.
“Long & Lean, Stretch Routine”
is a 30min flexibility workout that we did last week. It’s been done many times over in the last few days so I know they like it! It’s waiting in the Group for you right now. Why not take a look! |