3 Tips To Make You Stronger
Has your body begun to CHANGE?!
Nothing more scary and frustrating than your body not performing to your expectations as you age. So what can you do when you feel your body is getting weaker?
Tip #1 Grocery shop like a New Yorker
When I lived in NYC, I would only shop for what I could carry home. This consisted of 2 train transfers and a 15 minute walk to my apartment in Queens. So, yea. I had to think about what was on my grocery list.
And now that I’ve returned to Montana, I’ve found myself parking close to the store & using a shopping cart to wheel my groceries back to my car. I’ve gotten spoiled. I’ve gotten weak!
SOLUTION: Park your car further from the store. Shop with the knowledge that this will all be carried out in your arms. Bag up the groceries with a backpack, a sturdy bag or just load up on your plastic bags (you’ll learn to bring better bags eventually) and carry your load out.
Truth #2 Sit down & stand up in slow motion
For the past few weeks, I’ve been encouraging my students in Bamboo Bodies to take note of their movement ‘gaps’. This is where you learn that you have a weak window in your movement. It’s most noticeable when I watch students sit and stand in class. If you cannot sit down with slowly, then you’ve got to see the possibility of injury - because within this gap, you have no strength nor control.
SOLUTION: Be it the dining room chair, your living room cough, the doctor’s office chair or your own toilet - sit down SLOWLY and when it’s time to stand - how slow can you rise? If you find yourself ‘popping up’ to stand or ‘falling down’ to sit. You’ve got a weak point in your motor map and with slow sitting and standing, you can strengthen the lower body for control!
Truth #3 Hang like a monkey
There are a few studies out that correlate your grip strength to your risk factor due to fragility. But I can tell you this, A.) if you’re carrying your groceries you’re already there B.) if you can strength train with weights, that too can help reduce sarcopenia (muscle loss) in the hands but C.) if you can HANG from a pull up bar… well, then you are doing well my friend.
SOLUTION: I’m working on a great workbook that will teach you how to feng shui your home for movement as this is ideal. But until I release that, may I suggest that you reach up to your door frame and hold your fingers around the lip of the door. You may not give up all your weight but if you can create a little controlled hold as you control the hold in your finger tips. This is a great start for hanging like a monkey!
WANT MORE SIMPLE TIPS TO HELP YOU FEEL AGELESS?
Check out this Youtube video that I made a while ago. Still a fun one!
