To be able to move around EASILY in all regular activities like walking, climbing, bending (front & back), jumping, twisting or hopping without pain, is normal. On the other hand, difficulty in moving about easily, stiffness and joint aches are not normal! Take this movement test right away to check whether your body is youthful! Get down to the floor, sit down, and stand back upright without using your hands, in any way you can!
Did it ? That’s great !! If you couldn’t, and HAD to use your hands to do either or both of this 2-step move, it’s a wake-up call for you! If you used your knees but not your hands, that’s not bad, but there’s scope for improvement.
Getting down to the floor/mat and off it to a standing position is a pretty basic movement. We should all be able to do it in a variety of ways. Yet, it is shocking that most people cannot do this comfortably.
Is this a tough movement for you to do ?
In my yoga classes, when I ask new students to take a seat on the mat, almost everyone goes down with their hands first on the mat! Then I ask them to stand up. Almost all again use their hands to support themselves to an upright position! When I point out that they need to get to the ground without using their hands, they definitely try. Some can, and some find it tough to do so! But over time as they attend classes regularly and build their strength and flexibility, they are able to figure out different ways to come to the mat and off it to an upright position, hands off or otherwise, in a variety of ways.
The simple test described above uses our core, knee & hip joints and balance. This test is just one way to check your mobility. There are many other ways as well to check our ability to move easily. It can be a great deal of FUN to try to do these kind of movements!
Why this is important
Ease of Movement defines our musculoskeletal health! If our movement to the ground and back up is easy and smooth and we do not need our hands to do this, it says something positive about our joint & muscle health and strength.
If we want to be healthy, independent physically and enjoying life fully, we need to be able to move all our joints in their full Range of Motion. If we can’t, we gradually lose our mobility ranges and bear the risk of aches, pains, stiffness, degeneration and injuries. Undesirable changes in gait and stability follow with clumsy, awkward, difficult movements. Does anyone want to be like that ?! Undoubtedly, Ease of movement is true inner youth & beauty ! Rest assured, it is perfectly fine not to do intense movements like complete backbends or twisting the legs to drape around our necks!
Important ! A Variety of Movements are Essential !
Many believe that walking alone can keep their joints healthy. However, this is not correct. Walking moves our joints only in a single plane and not in all the possible ways. All our major synovial joints, along with the muscles and supporting structures, allow our bodies an amazing range of movements in various ways. Do you know that our hip and shoulder joints both can move in 7 different ways! If we move these joints in only one way, like in walking, we will lose the ability to move them in the other ways that they are meant to move ! Hence a variety of movements are essential.
Those who can easily climb up & down, bend forwards and backwards and lean/rotate their back with good balance and strength are more likely to enjoy all physical activities & less likely to injure themselves as they grow older. Therefore, make sure to move in ALL ways possible! This is crucial !
Interesting point here !! Do you know that in Yoga, ALL yoga asanas are based on, and involve all the spinal movements? A few are in the sketch here below.
Movement with Awareness – lot of choices!
As for what to do – regular yoga asana practise, flowy movements like in Yoga Vinyasas, Tai Chi, Pilates, animal flows and specific mobility drills train our joints to move in all directions in a controlled manner. So take your pick! Or try them all ! These strengthen the muscles and other supporting structures around our joints, leading to movement efficiency and stabilization. If your fitness routine includes going to the gym, that’s fine. Additionally, make sure to incorporate mobility drills on alternate days. Pick both challenging as well as simple, safe ways to build movements that need improvement. Generally, using a chair or other kind of props help us progress steadily.
Typically, in mobility training, movements are slow, and done in controlled ways that can be exploratory and teach us a lot about ourselves.
To summarize, staying youthful is more about our physical ease, overall health, cheer and attitude than our looks per se! 🙂
Movements I enjoy !
This below is an example of Awareness Through Movement – one of my favourite videos to watch and do ! Do try it ! Feels amazing, as it’s movement that is relaxing and rejuvenating!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igpJeOkgfzw
What do you think of this post ? Are you motivated to try some other tests to check your real age ? 🙂 Do write in!
