The Anti-Aging Movement Checklist: How to Feel Great as You Get Older
The dream is to grow older and keep feeling like we are young. While there is no magic potion or fountain to jump in that will allow us to stay healthy forever, modern science is gving us better insight into what can keep us healthier for longer. Exercise, and movement are only a part of the equation to remaining youthful, they are definitely an important part that cannot be neglected.
The word exercise is often equated with regular visits to the gym or wanting to add muscle volume to your body. However, when it comes to the aging process, maintaining the ability to perform certain activities and skills is crucial. This may require a certain amount of strength to perform regular exercise activities, but just being strong for the sake of being strong is not the solution.
We are providing a short checklist of movements, activities, and exercises that you should strive to perform at any age. The ability to perform these movements is no guarantee that you will stay healthy, but your ability to perform them will be a good indicator of your ability to remain active—which is a key contributor to your health.
If you can check all of these movements off the list, I would highly recommend re-testing them at least once a year to make sure that you maintain your ability. If you lose the ability to perform an exercise, it may be time to form a structured plan to get your ability back before it becomes out of reach.
Don’t get discouraged if these tasks may seem particularly difficult. I’m including an easier version of each task if it is more realistic for you and keeping you enthusiastic. It is important to know that physical therapists not only help patients who are in pain, but also those who are having difficulty with specific activities. If you are having difficulty with any of the tasks below, the therapists at SPT are ready to provide the professional help you need to get you back to a fully functional life.
1. SL Squat or Sit to Stand
Leg strength is the most important factor in maintaining function as you age. There could be an argument for cardiovascular fitness, but you will have a very challenging time keeping your cardiovascular fitness if your legs are not strong enough to be used over and over again. Some benefits of increased leg strength are:
Improved balance
Decreased fall risk
Improved bone density
Improved movement variability (think going up a big step or getting on a boat)
Reduced lower body injury risk
A single leg squat or sit to stand is a great indicator of your ability to move your own body weight on one leg. Each one of your legs should have the ability to move your body weight, and this movement is a great test of that. If you can perform this movement, repeatedly training it can make you stronger. If you cannot perform it, step downs could be a great way to work up to this strength. It’s surprising at how strong your legs can get just from performing controlled step downs. An added benefit is this movement maintains your ability to safely go down stairs or tolerate big step downs.
2. Reverse Lunge or Kneel to Stand
A reverse lunge closely resembles the movement you need to perform to stand up from being on the floor as well as going up stairs. If you try this movement, you will notice how it works the muscles on the back of your leg and hip (hamstrings and glutes). These muscles often become weak and limit many movements such as getting out of a chair or any form of step up movement. An easier form of this exercise is a split squat which is exactly what you would need to do to stand up from kneeling.
3. Lifting from the Floor or Deadlifting
Lifting from the floor can be intimidating, especially for those who have previously suffered from low back pain. Lifting from the floor is not a dangerous activity, but it can be worrisome especially if you are not strong in this movement or conditioned to do it repeatedly. The best way to reduce your injury risk with lifting from the floor is to practice and strengthen the movement while gradually increasing weight as you become more comfortable. This movement works the back of the legs similarly to the reverse lunge, but with a bigger demand on the core when your chest bends further over your knees. Your core and back-of-leg strength is crucial to posture, lifting, and keeping you upright.
The formal exercise name for lifting from the floor is deadlifting. Deadlifts are also a great indicator of your true overall strength. Your grip strength will limit how much you can hold while your upper and lower body have to be able to lift the weight. You can imagine how this strength carries over to lifting grandkids, carrying boxes at home, and holding a cooler full of treats while you walk to the beach.
4. Push-Up
Even though leg strength is the most important part of keeping you functional through the years, your arm strength cannot be neglected. Push-ups are a great measure of upper body and core strength. It is often forgotten that a push-up is just a plank while your arms move you!
If you never perform a full push-up, counter or stair push-ups can still be a great way to improve your ability to move your body weight with your arms. This is crucial for getting in and out of bed with ease, getting off the floor, and maintaining upper body bone density. Shoulders are frequently fractured with falls in the female population as early as the 40’s due to poor bone density and muscle strength. A great way to reduce this risk is weight bearing arm strengthening like a push-up.
5. Body Weight Row
The opposite of a push is a pull! Even though this movement requires some extra equipment, it is still pretty important. Pulling movements work many of your postural muscles that keep you upright. You also need to be able to move furniture or pull yourself up from a tight space when there is something safe to grab on to. This movement can be substituted with dumbbell rows, but they do not require as much core strength.
Bonus Round
These movements may not make the top of the list, but should still be considered. If you are up for more of a challenge, take a look here!
1. Side Plank
More upper body weight bearing! This time from the side. This will be very challenging on the core and surprisingly work the muscles on the side of your hip that help you balance. Side-to-side movements often get forgotten, but remember that you may have to move to the side to keep your balance. You can make this easier by performing a side plank on your knees.
2. Lateral Lunge
More side-to-side work! Doesn’t this one look a little like getting in and out of the car? This movement is great in keeping your ability to squat in different directions. While a lateral step up doesn't make us shift our center of gravity as much, it could be a good substitute for someone who can't do a lateral lunge yet.
3. Heel Raise
I feel guilty about listing heel raises this far down the list, but at least they made it. Your calf strength is crucial in your ability to balance. Try to play with shifting your weight forward while you stand on two legs and feel your calves working to stop you from falling forward. Calf strength is also overlooked for knee health and your ability to run if that is something you like to do. If you can’t do it on one leg, try to do many of them on two!