We all know that flexibility and mobility are important in being able to do the things we want to do, whether that be hiking, fishing, golfing or even walking. What if I told you that your own mind could be holding your body back from being mobile and flexible?
As we age, our range of movements decrease. By this, I mean the number of different movements we make with our body. Remember back when you were in the 5th grade. Rocking, rolling, crawling, running, and spinning were things that we did on a daily basis. But eventually, we all “grew up”, and these movements became fewer and fewer until maybe now we don’t even have a reason to bend over other than putting on our socks.
As we get older, we also slow down. Think back to the last time you sprinted, or even jogged. Here again, as we get older, the things we used to do for fun or as normal activity begin falling away.
Let me ask you a question. Do you think you move slower at your current age because you have “aged”, or maybe because you have stopped doing the things that made you move faster? The true answer may be a bit of both, but much can be gained from simply re-conditioning the brain.
As movement is concerned, our brain’s number one focus is safety. Just try to fall haphazardly and see what happens. It is super hard to fall realistically under voluntary conditions. As we move less, we move less (makes sense, right). This eventually leads to our to seek a different “equilibrium of safety”, which acts to decrease our range of motion. Eventually, just walking might appear to your brain to be akin to the activity of voluntarily falling. It is going to limit mobility to decrease gait length and speed. It is also going to make you want to stare at the ground with your head in a downward position because this is the “safest” manner possible. Do you see the progression?
The science behind this concept is simple. If you have a joint in your body that is no longer receiving a strong neural impulse (The brain and the body area no longer fully communicating) the brain will simply recognize the joint as unstable and will use other muscles to stabilize the joint as a safety (protective) mechanism to brace that particular area. Our brain is saying “I don’t think it is safe for you to do that, so I am not going to allow it”. This often ends in what we call a lack of flexibility or mobility. It sounds crazy but many of the problems of “aging” may not be due to joints, muscles, and tendons. The problem may be in how our brain perceives our current body condition based on recent past movement patterns (or lack thereof).
But oddly enough, even elite athletes gain flexibility by performing simple movements, seemingly unrelated to the activity they desire to perform. This just goes to show that any of us can perform better by participating in activities that only take minutes per day.
Lets try something! Flip the page to follow a short activity to show you what we have been talking about. And I you are as impressed as I think you will be, call or get online to schedule your complementary consultation so we can show you that this is just the beginning of what could be!
Experiment 1. Develop a “baseline” measurement of flexibility. Slowly bend forward, allowing your hands to fall towards the ground and your feet. Take note of where the tips of your fingers are when you are no longer able drop them any further. Are you able to put your palms on the ground, touch your toes, touch your shins, touch your knees? 2. Back up to a wall so that you are about 12 to 18 inches away.
3. Place your back on the wall with your feet still away, then bend your legs to appear as if you are “sitting” without a chair. It is ok if your legs are not at a 90 degree angle. Just try to bend them as much as you can but still be able to stay in that position for about 90 seconds. 4. Recheck Flexibility. Using the same activity as in step 1 above, observe how the final placement of your fingertips/hands. Did you gain 1 inch, 2 inches, 3 inches of “flexibility”? How did it feel during the “before” vs the “after”?
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