It’s not inevitable. As you age you don’t necessarily have to lose height and develop mobility problems.
Close your eyes, and think of some of the older folks you know. Picture how they walk: hunched over, taking slow steps, looking at the ground, being cautious not to move too quickly in case they lose their balance.
There is a simple reason for this. We use our abs all day long whether we work out or not. Every time you move from a lying or sitting position to standing, you are contracting – or exercising – your abdominal muscles. Over time, if you haven’t worked out your back equally, the back muscles will not be able to counter the abs, causing the body to take on the C-shaped torso we associate with aging.
If aging always resulted in that C shape, every adult would eventually look that way, but they don’t. Close your eyes again and picture another older person, say Clint Eastwood. You see someone who stands upright, shoulders back, rib cage up, head centered.
To make sure you end up looking like Clint Eastwood instead of the old codger shuffling his way through the grocery store, you need to condition all of your body so it continues to perform throughout the golden years. That conditioning needs to work specific areas of the body and then work the counter areas to allow the body to maintain a neutral position.
So how do you know if you are going down the codger road?
If you’ve noticed one or more of those indicators, first check with doctor to rule out any medical problems. Then find a pro to assess your situation. It may be as simple as working on your posture, or it might require a more in-depth program to address your specific issues. This will prevent a situation that might create additional problems.
It is never too early to start. While you may never be a Clint Eastwood, there’s no reason why you can’t look like one.
Originally published in Grosse Pointe Today.