Getting Older Is Mandatory… Moving Like You’re 100 Is Optional!
Don’t Let Your Body Retire Before You Do!
By Dr. John McAtamney, DC | Inspired Chiropractic | Floral Park, NY
Let’s face it. Getting older is part of life. But somewhere along the way, somebody convinced us that getting older means getting slower, stiffer, weaker, and eventually making noises every time we get out of a chair.
You know the noises.
“Ooooh!” “Ahhhh!” “Ugggh!”
Suddenly, standing up from the couch sounds like the opening scene of a dinosaur movie!
But here’s the good news: Just because you’re adding candles to your birthday cake doesn’t mean your body has to start acting like an antique!
At Inspired Chiropractic, we believe that life is meant to be lived in motion, not watched from a recliner.
Meet Sarcopenia: The Muscle Thief Nobody Invited!
There’s a fancy medical term called sarcopenia. It describes the gradual loss of muscle mass and strength that can occur as we age.
Think of it as your muscles quietly packing their bags and heading to Florida without telling you!
As we get older, especially if we become less active, our muscles can shrink, our strength can decrease, and everyday activities can become more challenging.
Suddenly:
- Getting off the floor requires an engineering degree.
- Putting on your socks becomes an Olympic event.
- Walking upstairs feels like climbing Mount Everest.
- And bending over to pick something up requires serious consideration about whether you really need it!
But here’s something important.
Age-related muscle loss is common, but significant weakness and disability are not inevitable.
Our bodies are designed to move, adapt, and respond to the demands we place on them.
And that brings us to something chiropractors have been talking about for more than 130 years.
Your Nervous System: The Boss of the Whole Operation!
Your brain and nervous system are the communication network that coordinates your muscles, joints, balance, posture, and movement.
Think of your brain as the CEO of your body.
Your muscles are the employees.
Your joints are the machinery.
And your nervous system is the communication system that keeps everybody working together.
When movement becomes limited by pain, stiffness, or joint dysfunction, the entire operation can become less efficient.
And nobody wants their body operating like a government office on a Friday afternoon!
Your nervous system constantly receives information from your joints, muscles, and other tissues. This information, called proprioception, helps your brain understand where your body is in space.
It’s your body’s built-in GPS!
And unlike the GPS in your car, you can’t just yell at it when it takes a wrong turn.
Chiropractic: Helping Keep the Machinery Moving!
At Inspired Chiropractic, we focus on the relationship between the spine, movement, and nervous system function.
Chiropractic adjustments are designed to address specific joint restrictions and improve spinal mobility when clinically appropriate.
When joints move more comfortably, people may find it easier to stay active, exercise, and participate in the activities they enjoy.
And that’s important because movement helps maintain movement!
Now, chiropractic adjustments don’t directly rebuild lost muscle or cure sarcopenia. Building and maintaining muscle requires regular activity, especially resistance exercise, along with appropriate nutrition.
But helping someone manage mechanical discomfort and move more comfortably may support their ability to stay active.
Think of chiropractic as one member of your healthy-aging team.
We want you moving, stretching, walking, playing, dancing, gardening, and occasionally embarrassing your grandchildren with your dance moves!
The Real Danger Isn’t Getting Older. It’s Giving Up on Moving!
Have you ever noticed what happens when you stop using something?
Leave your bicycle in the garage for ten years, and those tires aren’t going to look too happy.
Leave your muscles unused, and they begin losing strength.
Avoid moving your joints, and stiffness can become more noticeable.
Spend too much time sitting, and getting up can become an adventure.
Your body responds to what you ask it to do.
Ask it to sit all day, and it gets better at sitting.
Ask it to move, and you give it a reason to maintain strength, coordination, and flexibility.
The old saying “Use it or lose it” may sound like something your grandfather said, but when it comes to healthy aging, Grandpa was onto something!
Five Ways to Keep Your Body From Acting Its Age
1. Move Every Day!
Walk, swim, dance, garden, or chase your grandchildren around the yard. Find something you enjoy and do it regularly.
2. Build Some Muscle!
Resistance exercises help preserve strength and combat sarcopenia. You don’t need to become a bodybuilder. Even appropriately selected exercises using resistance bands or light weights can help.
3. Keep Your Joints Moving!
Comfortable joint motion is an important part of everyday function. Chiropractic care may help address certain mechanical problems that interfere with movement.
4. Feed Those Muscles!
Adequate protein, good nutrition, and hydration support healthy muscle function. Your healthcare professional can help determine your individual nutritional needs.
5. Don’t Ignore Your Balance!
Balance and coordination exercises can help reduce fall risk. Because the only falling we want to encourage is falling in love, not falling down the stairs!
Your Birth Certificate Doesn’t Determine Your Future!
Here’s something we remind people at Inspired Chiropractic:
There is a difference between growing older and becoming less capable.
You may not move exactly like you did when you were 20.
And let’s be realistic. Some of the things we did at 20 probably weren’t particularly intelligent anyway!
But maintaining mobility, strength, coordination, and independence is possible well into our later years.
Healthy aging is about preserving the ability to do what matters most.
Picking up your grandchildren.
Walking your dog.
Playing golf.
Traveling.
Gardening.
Getting down on the floor and, perhaps more importantly, getting back up again!
At Inspired Chiropractic, We’re Not Trying to Turn Back the Clock!
We’re interested in helping you make the most of the time ahead.
Our chiropractic approach emphasizes spinal function, joint mobility, and the important relationship between movement and the nervous system.
We want our practice members to understand that their bodies are wonderfully adaptable and that staying active is one of the most valuable investments they can make in their future.
Because the goal isn’t simply to add years to your life. It’s to keep as much LIFE in those years as possible!
And remember:
You don’t stop moving because you get old. But when you stop moving, getting older can become a whole lot harder!
So get up. Stretch. Take a walk. Keep moving.
And if getting out of your favorite chair sounds like a Tyrannosaurus rex giving birth…
It might be time to have your spine and movement evaluated!
Inspired Chiropractic — Helping You Keep Moving Through Every Season of Life!
Dr. John McAtamney, DC
Inspired Chiropractic
114 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 112
Floral Park, NY 11001
There Is Magic in a Healthy Spine!
Chiropractic care can help certain musculoskeletal conditions and mobility limitations, but it has not been established as a treatment or prevention for sarcopenia. Progressive resistance exercise, physical activity, and adequate nutrition are central to maintaining muscle health with age.