Why Random Workouts Don’t Build the Fitness You Need to Age Well
As we age, our bodies may not move or feel the way they used to. We may wake up stiff. We may have creaky joints when we sit and stand. Where did our energy go?
The good news is that we can train ourselves to move better, stay active, energetic and independent. We are in charge of how we age.
Random workouts are hit or miss.
The key is understanding the components of fitness — and making sure your program develops all of them, not just a few. They all work together to facilitate aging in motion.
Mobility
Mobility is the big one. It is how well you move actively throughout the day. Mobility is dependent on two foundational factors (in partnership with all the other components).
- Flexibility
This refers specifically to the ability of your muscles and connective tissue to lengthen or stretch. Younger people tend to be more flexible than older people. Women tend to be more flexible than men. People who are active have more flexibility than those who are sedentary. Different joints offer varying ranges of motion, enhancing flexibility.
- Range of Motion
This considers how far a joint can move or extend, depending on joint health and the flexibility of the connective tissue. Each joint has a normal range of motion that varies from person to person and over one’s lifetime. If we take the example of the hip:
- Lifting the knee or leg forward is flexion, and most people can comfortably lift to 90 degrees. The range can extend to 135 degrees, depending on the person.
- Reaching back in extension, the range of motion is only about 30 degrees.
Each joint has an expected range of motion. Bone structure will afford you more or less. Get to know your own. Injury and arthritis might further limit. Working out can help you to maintain and expand your range.
Balance
Balance starts on both feet. Standing tall and feeling your weight on both legs is an act of balance. Knowing where your weight is centered is key to preventing falls. This awareness is in your core. Maintaining strong muscles in the front, side, and back of your core is key to supporting balance. If you start to step and stumble, your weight will drop forward. If you counter by pulling your weight back to center, you may keep yourself from falling. Tai Chi is an excellent practice for learning to prevent falls.
Walking is a balance exercise. With each step, your weight shifts from one leg to the other.
I have made it a practice to incorporate balance exercises when brushing my teeth. My electric toothbrush signals me every 30 seconds to move to a different part of my mouth. I use it to stand on my left leg for the first 30, right for the next and back again for the last minute. This balancing requires solid placement of the standing foot and engagement of the glutes and core.
Coordination
This is how well you use different parts of your body to accomplish a movement or action smoothly and efficiently.
Form/Posture
To be effective, all exercises must be performed with proper form. If you are uncertain how to squat, lunge, or deadlift, please do ask a coach and review videos. Organized posture is key to achieving solid form. Why do I use the verb organized? From head to toe, good posture depends on the position of each body part relative to the others: head, neck, shoulders, chest, ribs, thoracic spine, core, lumbar spine, pelvis, hips, knees, and feet. I consider this a process of organizing the body to stand tall.
Strength
Strength refers to how much weight you can lift. When you train with dumbbells or other weights, you gradually increase the volume you can lift as you progress over time. If you are working with bodyweight, you adjust your position to make it more challenging. Push-ups start against a wall, progress to an incline, and eventually reach the floor as you build strength.
Power
Strength plus speed equals power. It improves coordination and reaction time and is beneficial in quick sports like tennis. To train for power, bring tempo into your practice. For the lower body, squat to a count of 4 and explode up tall in 1. You can add a jump as well. I’ll use the biceps for an upper-body example. Lift in 1 and lower in 3; reverse for additional sets.
Endurance
Endurance means your ability to sustain an exercise for an extended period.
- Cardiovascular endurance is the ability of your heart and lungs to fuel your body with oxygen as you hike, walk, run, row, etc.
- Muscle endurance is the ability of your muscles to work repeatedly as in doing sets and reps.
Functional Movement
The idea is to train for the movement patterns you use in everyday activities. These include sitting and standing, putting on shoes, picking things up off the floor, carrying groceries, and more. There are seven components of functional movements:
- Squat
- Lunge
- Hinge
- Push
- Pull
- Carry/walk
- Rotation
These movements often use multiple joints and planes of motion. They depend on the core for stability.
Grip Strength
This is the strength of your hand, wrist, and forearm. You can feel it when you lift a saucepan with a handle. Can you lift it empty? Can you lift it full?
Our hands are used for many things, including crushing, pinching, and holding. There are many ways to train grip strength, including farmer’s walks, tennis ball squeeze, towel wringing, and hanging from a pull-up bar.
Putting it All Together
Does it sound like a lot? It is, and it isn’t. The components feed and enhance each other.
Aging well is not the result of one exercise or one class. It comes from building a body that is mobile, strong, balanced, coordinated, and capable of sustaining activity over time.
When your training develops each component of fitness together, everyday movements feel easier, activities stay enjoyable, and independence is yours.
Write me if you have any questions or if you would like me to design a custom program for you at andrea@mighty.fit