As my clients know, I am always striving to improve upon the therapy I provide them. What I do now in a typical session is very different from what I was doing 6 months ago. Mainly because I have advanced my techniques and body therapy I.Q. I am constantly educating myself by keeping up on medical research, seeking out experts in their fields as well as taking classes from those same experts.
I refuse to accept that much of the loss of function as we age is “normal” aging. What I have discovered is that although it might be common, it is NOT “normal” aging. More importantly, it doesn’t have to be this way either.
So, what the heck is “normal aging” anyway? I do not have the answer and I will tell you that I’m not sure anyone else does either. Yes, tissues in our body do lose water and become stiffer as we get older, but a big part of looking younger is based upon what we do and don’t do with and for our bodies. Not what you inject in your face!
I can’t tell how many people I know (men and women) who will spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars every year on hair, skin products, facials, manicures, pedicures and appointments with their “cosmetic dermatologist” on things like Botox, wrinkle fillers, and countless other procedures their doctors tell them will make them “look younger and feel better.”
For example, I took a call from someone complaining about their foot pain, how they now limped when they walked and how it’s been limiting their life for months. The person went on to say how they had received my name from someone else who said I had helped them, “get back to tennis.” Next thing I know, I sensed an attitude change on the phone when I told this person that I do not take insurance. Seriously? Are you kidding me here? When was the last time your Botox or wrinkle filler was covered by your insurance???
Newsflash…Looking old (whatever age you pick for that) is in great part related to how we move or DO NOT move. Ever think about what your face looks like when you are trying to reach under the table to pick up something that you’ve dropped? What about what you look like when you get up from sitting? All the Botox and filler in the world isn’t going to hide what you look like when you move. Poor body movement can actually make you look OLDER than you are!
Your body is only as good as the movements it can control. It will get from Point A to Point B using what it has available most efficiently with what it has to work with at that particular time. In other words, an integrated system such as our bodies is only as good as its individual parts.
Constant exercise when you are restricted doesn’t make you better either. If you’re training on a Bosu Ball when you are already unstable, then this results in more instability in your body or worse… injury. When you are weak, tight and unstable then the harder you train or push yourself, the faster your body will break down. If you want to move better, you gotta make your health a priority and make a commitment (whatever the cost).
Part of what we fear most about getting old is not being able not to do the things we used to do (restriction of movement). Studies actually show that what people fear most is not dying, but being disabled. Well, loss of function is a gradual form of disability. Just remember that whatever musculoskeletal function you lose or give up now will remain lost — AND THEN you will lose more on top of that. If your knee hurts and you give up running, there’s a real possibility that you will never take this up again. The same goes for simple things in life. If you have trouble getting on the floor, then that will become something you avoid or don’t do. Soon, another layer of limitation will be added on top of that. And it goes on and on… year after year…
My conclusion? Try taking this 2 minute quiz (link below) and let me know how old you REALLY are. Be honest!
http://www.biological-age.com/index.html#
