STOP FEELING STIFF
How many of us have felt stiff getting up off the sofa?
And how many have felt old because of it?
And how many have felt old because of it?
We make two fundamental errors in our thinking in this situation and it can affect our entire life. We decide that it's hard for us to stand up because we have gotten old. We feel like the "oldness" will last forever. We tend to do less because our image of ourself is so piercing. And so the downward spiral starts. The reality of the circumstances is quite different and so are the emotional consequences:
- We aren't old. We simply sat too long.
- The stiffness is probably temporary. We just need to warm our body up before standing.
What are the real effects of aging?
Here are two things I'd like to accentuate:
- As we get older, we stiffen up faster and perhaps we experience a deeper sense of stiffness than someone younger does.
- We need to prepare our body far more than we do, especially when we are about to do challenging things like get in and out of a car or going down stairs.
When we feel so stiff upon getting up we jump to the conclusion that we will always feel that way, when in fact, all we probably need to do is warm up.
Feelings have an uncanny nature to them which can be very misleading. When we have a strong feeling, we sense that we will always feel this way. Feelings are by definition capable of being overwhelming. In fact feelings are often quite short lived and temporary in essence. We have the capability to feel one thing now and another totally different feeling a few minutes from now. This is one reason why most of the time it is not wise to make important decisions based on how we feel.
Nonetheless, our feelings carry significant weight. We have a tendency to base our actions upon how we feel now instead of how the potential action will make us feel in the future. So someone with painful arthritis skips an exercise class when they have a flair up because of how they feel even though the class would alleviate the discomfort. Or someone sedentary refuses to become more active because they don't want to. As we age one of the important differences is that we need to do more of what is good for us to do and less of what we feel like doing.
So when we go to move after sitting for some time and we feel stiff, we think we will feel that way forever. Often a moment or two of movement will alleviate the stiffness and we will be back to feeling younger. But that's not what we remember. We remember that we are getting "old".
Much of the time, our aches and pains are felt only when we are starting out. They are happening because the body needs to be warmed up. Once that has happened, often our discomfort disappears. However, the feeling of tightness that passes as stiffness is often so intense that we forget that all we need to do is get moving. Instead the feeling can result in us deciding that moving is hurting us so we should do less.
Nonetheless, our feelings carry significant weight. We have a tendency to base our actions upon how we feel now instead of how the potential action will make us feel in the future. So someone with painful arthritis skips an exercise class when they have a flair up because of how they feel even though the class would alleviate the discomfort. Or someone sedentary refuses to become more active because they don't want to. As we age one of the important differences is that we need to do more of what is good for us to do and less of what we feel like doing.
So when we go to move after sitting for some time and we feel stiff, we think we will feel that way forever. Often a moment or two of movement will alleviate the stiffness and we will be back to feeling younger. But that's not what we remember. We remember that we are getting "old".
Much of the time, our aches and pains are felt only when we are starting out. They are happening because the body needs to be warmed up. Once that has happened, often our discomfort disappears. However, the feeling of tightness that passes as stiffness is often so intense that we forget that all we need to do is get moving. Instead the feeling can result in us deciding that moving is hurting us so we should do less.
A big negative effect of doing business as usual:
When we go to climb those stairs, or get up after sitting, or get out of a car without warming up we can do something quite insidious. Any frailties that we have that we feel acutely from not warming up may be made worse by using that body part before it's ready to be used. For instance, suppose you get out of bed in the morning without exercising your feet. You stand on your poor feet and they complain. Maybe your circulation isn't the best and your feet are in less than perfect shape. All that weight being placed on an older set of feet can cause them to be injured or an existing injury can be made to be worse. But the complete opposite is possible if you prepare your body ahead of time. Not only don't you injure yourself but your feet actually feel great and quite able. A totally different experience. And that experience powers your idea of yourself as you age in quite a profound way.
My own experience of this phenomenon are two fold:
- Getting out of my car after sitting reading the paper used to be painful when I first put my weight on my left hip. Now I do several short warmups and almost all the pain is gone! And as a special present, the injury is healing up fast. I was aggravating it every time I stepped out of my car. So the injury just wouldn't go away. I thought it was permanent. Not so fast.
- The same hip bothered me when I went to the gym. The first thing I have to do after entering the building is climb a steep set of stairs. My hip would bother me right in the beginning. Now before I climb the stairs I do 2 simple and short warmups. The pain goes from a 5 to a 1!
How do we stop feeling stiff?
Prepare for any significant action you are going to take, especially the ones we take for granted: Some common examples:
- Standing up from a seated position.
- Going up or down stairs.
- Getting in and out of a car.
- Walking.
We think of these things as so ordinary that we don't realize that our older body needs preparation in order to handle these moves without hurting ourselves.
When we are older, we need to think more. (This is actually a blessing in disguise.) We need to be more aware of our surroundings to avoid having falls. It is wise for us to become more aware of how our body is affected under different conditions so that we can be better prepared. If we don't pay attention to becoming more aware as we age then we are likely to age much faster and suffer more injuries and complications.
When we are older, we need to think more. (This is actually a blessing in disguise.) We need to be more aware of our surroundings to avoid having falls. It is wise for us to become more aware of how our body is affected under different conditions so that we can be better prepared. If we don't pay attention to becoming more aware as we age then we are likely to age much faster and suffer more injuries and complications.
The bottom line is that it is so helpful to use common sense in how we approach our lives. So, for example, if you have lower back issues, make certain to learn the best way for you to get in and out of a car and prepare your back for doing so before actually attempting it.
Warm-up Exercises:
The following 2 movements are particularly useful in warming your body up for anything challenging:
Knee circles: Relaxed knee joints are often the key to better body use. (This is true regarding balance as well.) Circling your knees is an excellent way to get them moving without putting stress on them, a very helpful tip if you have problems with your knees. A link to a demonstration video of both standing and seated knee circles is included below.
When performing standing knee circles make sure that you
hold onto something sturdy with one hand.
hold onto something sturdy with one hand.
Alternating Hip Slides: These are an easy way to get your lower back moving before you stand up. As you are seating in your car or in a chair, press your lower back into the car seat as you bring one knee forward, then the other. Keep your spine straight throughout.
Preparation routines for these ordinary actions:
Before standing up from a seated position: Seated. All circling should be done in both directions.
- Flex and point your feet. Circle your ankles.
- Torso circles: Sitting with your back straight, legs apart, feet under your knees, circle your straight torso in both directions. (Video link below.)
- Knee circles, seated version.
- Alternating hip slides. See below.
Before going down stairs:
- Seated or standing knee circles.
Before going up stairs:
- Seated or standing knee circles.
- Pull your abdomen in before and during your climb.
Before getting out of your car:
- Alternating hip slides.
Before walking:
After walking:
- Flex and point your feet and circle your ankles.
- Seated knee circles.
- Alternating hip slides.
After walking:
- Stretch for the back of your legs, seated or standing.