There’s a commonly held belief that the only valid workout is one where you sweat and burn calories. This could involve something aerobic, like a spin class, running, or a Zumba class.  And yes, there is something satisfying about moving in such a way that we can release stress from our bodies, raise endorphins and increase that feel-good sense of accomplishment. It is great for the cardiovascular system and helpful if the goal is to lose weight.

Another aspect of fitness is strength training. Besides the obvious benefits of looking and feeling strong, an increase in muscle mass helps to burn calories more efficiently, improve immunity, and reduce insulin resistance.  (which by the way,  can reduce the severity of COVID symptoms should you happen to contract it.)

These are both very important aspects of fitness. However, many people are told by their doctors that all they need to do is just walk. Or they go to the gym and get into a groove of using the same machines which isolate specific body parts, usually in a sitting or lying position and think that that is enough.

But if your goal is to live a long and healthy life, (which is pretty much why we are exercising, isn’t it?) then you are missing many pieces of the puzzle.

The aging trajectory

The trajectory of aging is usually a downward slope and commonly looks something like this:

·      Loss of strength, stamina, and balance

·      Loss of mental clarity

·      Loss of the ability to drive and to perform activities of daily living

·      Moving out of our homes and relying on others to care for us

We are all getting older…

and unfortunately there’s not a thing we can do about it!

BUT, the good new is that we can change the way we do it! We can actually alter the trajectory of our aging to live better, for longer, while continuing to do all the things we love to do well into our 90’s, and beyond!

How?

We need to train for function.

Function is the ability to do all the activities of life and to continue to do them as we age. Functional movements are movements that are multi-joint and multi-planar, such as:

·      Squatting

·      Lunging

·      Lifting

·      Reaching

·      Pushing

·      Pulling  

These movements relate to activities of daily living, such as sitting and standing, lifting a package or a child, walking up or downhill, and preventing a fall. They involve posture, balance, speed, agility, power, coordination…the list goes on. In fact, here is a chart from the Functional Aging Institute that shows all of the trainable aspects of function:

This chart maps out all of the different physical, mental, and emotional challenges needed to maintain healthy physical function. Many of our physical activities inherently include some of these skills, but no single activity includes them all.

The take-away here? 

Mix it up and vary your activities to challenge all aspects of your function.

You might do something aerobic, like walking or biking 4-5 times a week, plus functional fitness training 2-3 times a week, and perhaps winding it up with a tai chi or yoga class to reduce stress and improve balance.  No one size fits all – it’s individual, and based on your own specific strengths and weaknesses.

So consider your current activities in the light of their functional benefits and see if you can balance it out with a few other activities. Pick something new to challenge your brain and your movement patterns. Pick something that interests you to insure that you will keep at it.  And work with a trainer that is trained in functional movement.

If you need help with this, let me know. I am a certified functional aging movement specialist, and happy to help! You can contact me through this site to arrange for a free consultation.

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