The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
As a nation weÕre getting older, and while 50 is the new 30, our bodies are still suffering from aches and pains that simply donÕt let up. We decided to ask a couple of body mechanic experts a few questions about what we can do to make our bodies feel better. These two experts literally wrote the book on the topic: Age-Defying Fitness: Making the Most of Your Body for the Rest of Your Life by Marilyn Moffat, a professor at New York University, and Carole B. Lewis, an adjunct professor at George Washington University College of Medicine and University of MarylandÕs School of Medicine. What is body mechanics? Body mechanics is simply the way you use your body during all activities of daily living: while youÕre upright, sitting or even lying down, and while youÕre pushing, pulling or lifting. With good body mechanics, you maintain the correct alignment of all of the body parts while doing any activity. Is it really possible for a 60-year-old to be as limber as Gumby? ÒIn our lectures we show a popular picture of a woman from Sun City who is obviously in her 70s or 80s. She has her heel above her head on top of a street sign with her legs 180 degrees in a stretch. SheÕs past Gumby Ñ even Gumby couldnÕt do that!Ó say Moffat and Lewis. If youÕve always been loose, you most likely could become as loose as Gumby. But if youÕve always been tight, trying to gain Gumby-like flexibility is a bit of a stretch! However, you donÕt have to be Gumby-like to benefit from increased flexibility. In fact, normal range of motion of the neck and shoulders promotes good posture and makes breathing easier. And normal range of motion of the ankles improves your balance. How much time daily would this require? To regain that Gumby-like flexibility would require a real commitment, but it is possible. An excellent study published in the Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy in 2007 found that if older people stretched five days a week for six weeks, holding the stretch for 60 seconds and repeating it four times, they could improve their ankle movement by over 12 degrees, which is a lot. See 'Exerc...' on pg. Continued from pg. The key is to be very specific in what you are trying to stretch and hold the stretch for 60 seconds. Do it five days a week and repeat each stretch four times. We recommend trying to incorporate your stretching into other daily activities: Stretch your shoulders while cooling down during your aerobic activity; do ankle range of motion by rising up on your toes; raise your toes up off the floor while youÕre brushing your teeth; stretch your spine by reaching for the floor or twisting right and left while sitting at your desk. If you had to pick only four simple ways to stay limber and energetic in 10 minutes or less a day, what would they be? Ten minutes is not quite enough time to really get benefits in all areas of fitness, but itÕs a start, and weÕll take it. HereÕs a 10-minute routine that will get you started on a total fitness program that affects posture, strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. 10-minute sample exercise program 1. Stand on one leg and then the other for a minute each (balance) = 2 minutes 2. Do the combined Pelvic Tilt and Chin Tuck (see exercise for back and knee pain below) 10 times (posture and core strength) = 2 minutes 3. Run in place or walk as fast as you can, or alternately bring one knee and then the other up to the chest as quickly as possible for four minutes (endurance) = 4 minutes 4. Do a leg stretch: Stand straight, move right foot forward, keep heel on the floor. Put weight on left leg and bend it slightly. Lean forward and push your buttocks backward keeping that right leg as straight as possible. Reach for your right toes with right hand. Then reverse. One minute on each side (flexibility) = 2 minutes Again, this program is not optimal. To really get an endurance benefit, according to all the guidelines, you need to devote 30 to 40 minutes four to seven days a week to moderate aerobic exercise. For the other domains of fitness (strength, flexibility, balance and posture), you need to target the areas that need the most work. Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public health advocate, founder and editor of DietDetective.com.