An Exercise Therapist's Thoughts on Getting Old

I'm not scared of wrinkles or grey hair. I'm afraid of becoming weak, disabled, losing my independence, my grace and confidence. In other words, I am not looking forward to losing my movement ability.

However, I've been taught that disability is a natural consequence of ageing, that losing function and freedom are central to the process.

But I don't buy it. This miraculous movement machine is more resilient than we appreciate. And, due to our body's developmental nature, it can only become what it has done.

Therefore, to create a body with poor movement, accumulating poor movement seems a more likely culprit than just ageing. And I've seen more evidence than anyone should need. I've dealt with countless people that claim they have no idea where an injury or issue suddenly came from, and I've had to bite my tongue before asking;

"But sorry ma'am, your body looks like you haven't nurtured its movement for decades - what do you mean this issue came from nowhere?"

I believe, if we wish to maintain youthful movement, then we must exercise youthful movements. Walking is not youthful; play is. If we don't want to become rigid and bent like a chair, we must continuously unravel our sitting.

Movement is life, and the loss of it, death. It has become common to lose excessive mobility - common doesn't equal normal.

It seems unnatural to lose so much life so long before death. I believe that we can keep our youth while we age - I've seen the proof for this too.

As much responsibility as we are willing to take for what we become, is as much control as we claim over the outcome.

Let's acknowledge that we are crafting our future through every moment. We are the sum of our actions. Therefore, we can age gracefully if we choose. But we must choose in advance and start preparing.