Hello and welcome to this weeks blog – Use it or Lose it – Part 1. My first blog in February, the 30th month of the year… well it certainly feels like it, doesn’t it? I know that the period from Christmas to now dragged a bit, even though I did celebrate my 40th birthday mid-January, it was a hard slog getting there.
I hope that you are all doing well, and I hope that some of you did indeed Jump into January, as per my previous blogs. Didn’t see them? Check them out! I was encouraging you to get started with small changes to your health and activity levels now, to get the year off to a great start! It still isn’t too late to get started or improve, at any age. Which leads me to February’s topic of…
USE IT OR LOSE IT
Have you ever had family members who are busy and active right up until they retire, and then their long-anticipated retirement arrives, and they take a lot of time to rest and relax? Within months, sometimes a few years if they are lucky, they become much less able to be as active as they were, with a host of minor, and sometimes major, health conditions to boot. Sound familiar?
Along with grey hairs and more wrinkles, less mobility seems to be that cornerstone marker of old age, ageing, and retirees.
But why is that?
Retirees suffer the most from mobility issues because all they used to do, kept them mobile enough to keep doing, a bit of a catch-22 situation. Then when they stop using those joints and muscles in that way, they become less efficient, and stiffen up. A few aches and pains means they then rest more, do less because its uncomfortable, and they problem persists and worsens.
Why Does Mobility Decrease with Age?
Muscle mass, strength, and bone density all naturally decrease with age as well as the elasticity of synovial fluids. All of those things are necessary to aid mobility.
Synovial Fluid is what allows your joints to glide smoothly without crashing onto the other bone, to put it simply. It is this fluid that requires warming, along with tendons and muscles, before leaping straight into a workout or being able to move about with ease. Those aches and creaks you get after sitting down for too long? Stiffening synovial fluid is part of that equation.
As for decreased muscle mass, strength, and bone density, this is an unavoidable side effect of aging. But the great news is that it is not unmanageable.
Check back next week to learn more and find out how!
Thank you for taking time to read this weeks blog – Use it or Lose it – Part 1. Don’t forget that I offer PT services even during lockdown. Email me on [email protected] to find out more.
Chloe