Tag: senior citizens

How To Prevent Pain When Exercising

Posted on by Michael Devon

Age is not only a product of time, but also lifestyle choices. How you live your life now, manifests when you’re 30, 40, 60, 80, etc.

Those achey knees from barbell back squats or faulty running mechanics may worsen and require a knee replacement when you’re 50. But it’s not because you’re getting older, it’s because time is catching up with you from the way you behaved/lived/exercised leading up to your present age.

Experiencing pain or a hurt [insert joint here] after activity is your body telling you something’s wrong. It’s not about pushing past it with the “no pain, no gain” mentality. Push past your ego and admit your body isn’t the specimen you thought… and get to work on fixing the problem.

If you’re trying to live the life you want, pay attention to the little details that cumulate over your lifetime. That bum ankle slowly causes dysfunction further up the chain and 5-10 years later you wonder why you can’t function and perform like you used to.

Remove yourself from the injury cycle of exercising foolishly, hurting yourself, not exercising for several weeks, then going too hard for your body to keep up, making the old injury worse, sitting out for a month, and repeating this as a “normal” way of life. Work on preventative measures that are sustainable, no matter how old you are or what your current fitness level is, to keep yourself in the game called Life.

Senior Citizens Can Walk with Confidence

Posted on by Michael Devon

As you age it gets harder to avoid falling, doctors tell you it’s just part of getting older and something you have to live with. I’m here to tell you that you can re-learn how to walk and avoid falling! It has to do with you biomechanics and the positioning of your body to support your structure as you move. No more shuffling your feet and walking with your head down, re-gain the ability to pick your feet up when you walk to avoid tripping and crashing to the ground.

At SA Functional Fitness we take it steps further than traditional balance training that has you standing on one foot for long periods. Instead we incorporate balance into walking, so we’re training your body in the environment that you want it to operate in. Going over the foundation of walking in the gym will prepare your body to handle the demands of walking in real life, so you’re body is better prepared to handle any kind of terrain.

The reason we don’t prioritize standing on one foot to improve your balance is because that will likely cause an excessive shift of your hips to one side. When your hips shift to the side your entire body comes along with it, leading to an overall shift of your body. That shift will contribute to poor posture and dysfunctional compensations when you walk, leading to pain or injury in the long run.

We mimic the patterns your body goes through in everyday life while we exercise, so your muscles engage the way we want them to in life outside of the gym. Standing on one foot may have some relevance but when you’re out on the town or even walking through your living room, when do you ever stop and stand on one foot for the sake of it? Probably never, so we shouldn’t prioritize that during our workout, we want to prioritize what you do most, walking!

The goal during each exercise session is to connect your upper body to your lower body so that we can train the body to stay integrated as we move around. If the body is not integrating muscles together when it moves then your balance and stability begin to suffer and falling becomes more likely. Re-establishing the connection between your legs, torso, and arms will ensure that you are able to walk functionally and significantly reduce your chances of falling.

If you want to improve your quality of life, your first step is to contact us to schedule a FREE consultation! You’ll get to meet our certified personal trainer who is experienced with the human gait cycle and how it impacts different aspects of our lives, from walking to posture, and balance to joint health. You’ll learn how proper exercise can address all of these important aspects and optimize your life!

info@safunctionalfitness.com

210-947-4597