Mobility and Aging – Keeping it Moving

You may have heard the phrase “motion is lotion”. It’s a simple phrase often used by Physical Therapists to encourage people to keep their bodies moving. The lotion generally refers to the synovial fluids that the motion releases in our joints, which helps keep the joints lubricated so that they work better. Choosing the proper motions that are both enjoyable and safe is important for both our bodies and our minds, especially as we age. Strength or resistance training, yoga, joyful movement, and walking are some great options to choose from to help maintain mobility. Several of the fitness instructors at Handmaker would like to share their thoughts on these various options, and on how to make the most out of your workout.

Resistance Training

“Resistance Training is really important for healthy aging”, says Adam, a Personal Trainer who teaches classes in our Tynan Assisted Living and Kalmanovitz Memory Care Neighborhoods, and supervises workouts in the Gym in our Rubin Assisted Living Neighborhood. He mentioned some recent studies showing that resistance training is a very useful therapeutic tool for the treatment of a number of chronic diseases, including heart disease and diabetes. Adam recommends combining resistance training with some light cardio work for a well-rounded workout.

For those just getting started, he suggests starting with a personal trainer to learn how to do things right, to prevent injury and to be more effective in your workouts. In his training classes, he generally warms up with some light movement, and then moves on to small hand weights and isometric exercises. In his open gym time, he is happy to see so many residents motivated to exercise. He works on resistance training with them, and supervises their cardio work on the treadmill or bike.

Adam’s interpretation of “motion is lotion” is that exercise gets your heart pumping and your blood flowing. This is healing because the blood delivers oxygen and nutrients to the body. He believes that that is part of the reason why people feel better after they work out, along with all the endorphins that get released from a workout. Adam says that he benefits from the workouts at Handmaker as well, because he has the opportunity to talk to, to learn from and to get to know our residents.

Moving with Yoga

If you are looking for a good stress reliever, yoga is a great option. Natalie has been teaching seated yoga at Handmaker since 2014, and she knows first-hand how beneficial yoga can be for stress relief.

As the caregiver for her late parents and husband, Natalie turned to yoga to relax and relieve anxiety and stress during a difficult time. And it worked. Stress can build up in the body and cause problems, but the focus on movement and breathing during yoga can keep your mind off other things, and help to alleviate that stress. The focus on breath during yoga not only relaxes you, but it also exercises your lungs, something that Natalie says most people don’t realize that you need to exercise along with rest of your body. And yoga certainly does exercise the rest of your body as well, helping to maintain or even increase flexibility, as well as to strengthen your core.

One tip she has for those taking a seated yoga class is to use a straight backed chair, and to sit in the chair with as straight of a spine as possible. Keeping your spine straight as you age is important. There is so much leaning over…on walkers or sitting slumped in chairs or wheelchairs…and sitting tall in your chair during yoga is a way to try to get into a habit of sitting up as straight as you can all or more of the time. Yoga strengthens your core, helps you to breathe easier, reduces stress and gets your circulation flowing…a great combination of benefits for anyone.

Joyful Movement

Handmaker’s Joyful Movement classes “get people moving and get people moving together in community”, according to Handmaker Dance Instructor, Karenne.  Classes are organized to allow for a balanced combination of structure and creative explorations.  Karenne starts class with basic movements of different body parts to activate muscles and awaken movement feelings, allowing the body to physically prepare for the creative work where participants can improvise and share movement themes with the group. She believes that “Dance is a central art…combining body movement, sound, and emotional expressions.  Being in a dance class opens up the mind, body and heart, allowing us to be who we are while being with each other….” She feels honored to share creative space with the beautiful and amazing dancers in the Tynan and Kalmanovitz neighborhoods. She treasures watching a participant who starts a class withdrawn in a private world suddenly moving their hands to the beat of the music.

Karenne suggests that when looking for a good way to move, that you should choose to move creatively and joyfully to music. In this way you will derive even more than just physical benefits from your workout, but also open your eyes and mind in a whole new way.

Fitness Class and Walking

Adrienne is a fitness instructor who has been leading classes at Handmaker for 16 years. She thinks that while most of us might naturally find it hard to exercise, she suggests keeping a regular exercise schedule and exercising with other people.  Going to regularly scheduled classes is a big motivator for establishing an exercise routine.

She believes that keeping our bodies in shape is extremely important, especially as typical aging maladies such as arthritis begin to afflict us.  Keeping our joints flexible and maintaining muscle tone are important ways to help prevent these afflictions from overtaking us.   Further, she says that it has been proven that exercise is good not only for our body, but for our brain, especially for older people.

When asked what motivates her to continue to exercise, Adrienne says that “Exercising reinforces the feeling that I am doing good things for my body and my brain; doing all I can to not succumb to 'needless' aging - doing what I can to maintain healthy heart function, healthy lungs, strong bones and joints, etc. Of course some of this decline will happen regardless, but we can try to minimize it.”

And if she had to choose only one type of exercise, she believes that “walking is the single best exercise anyone can do if they are able to, especially if can be done with a buddy to help stay motivated. And, it can be done anyplace any weather and any time.  Any pace is beneficial, but rapid walking will also benefit the heart and lungs. And for those who are chair-bound, I recommend arm circles – little ones and big windmills – which are even good to do while watching TV!”

While each of our instructors have varying suggestions on the types of exercise they would most highly recommend, they all agree that, 1) whichever way you choose to move, you should move carefully and with some supervision or with a partner to avoid injury, and 2) try to find something that you enjoy doing so that you will stick with it, and you will be on your way to maintaining mobility as you age.