Tag: walking

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Healthy Joints and Movement

As we get older, we realize the importance of having resilient, healthy joints, whatever we are doing, exercise or simple everyday activities. Humans are meant to move. We are designed to use the hundreds of joints and muscles that make up our biology. We want to shape our daily life so that it is as similar as possible to how it was during hunter-gatherer times. And when it comes to movement, it has to be varied motion throughout the day. If we do not structure our days around movement the way evolution intended (or planned), that’s when we can most likely end up with tight muscles, brittle joints, and cartilage starting to wear thin.

If you experience knee stiffness or joint discomfort, it is good to know that some simple strategies can help. What follows are 4 easy tips to help you maintain strong, flexible joints.

Sit Less

When you sit, it reduces blood flow, which means the joints benefit from fewer nutrients. Sitting also allows for tendons and ligaments to shorten – an added stressor on the joints. As mentioned in Why Everyday Movement is Non-Negotiable, when you have to sit for long periods of time, such as when working at a computer, every 30 minutes or so, you want to get up, stretch, and walk a little bit. The same goes if you are at a standing workstation. You want to incorporate movement throughout the day to nourish your cells. A few squats or other simple exercises can be nice little breaks throughout the day.

Walk More

When you walk, it compresses and decompresses the ankle and knee joints. This sends nutrients to the cartilage that help keep it elastic. When you walk, it also enhances the production of synovial fluid (an egg-white-like substance) that helps keep the joints lubricated.

Taking short walks in the morning, at lunch, or after dinner, whenever you have a few minutes can be a great addition to your daily movement regimen. You can take the stairs more often and/or go on a hike with your dog, or with some friends. Whatever fits your schedule best to keep your body strong.

Go Barefoot (or Wear Minimalist Shoes)

When you wear cushioned heels, it shortens the Achilles tendon and modifies the alignment of the ankles. As mentioned in a previous post, you should progressively allow some barefoot time for low-risk activities to strengthen feet and replicate natural range of motion. Opt for shoes with minimalist design (like Vibram FiveFingers, Nike Free, Merrell, Inov-8, etc.), but make sure you go from a regular 8mm shoe (to maybe a 4mm shoe) to a zero-drop shoe gradually in order to give your body enough time to adjust.

Stretch and Roll Out Your Muscles

Going from cold muscles, say, right to CrossFit, puts great stress on the tendons and ligaments. You want to take the time to do some dynamic stretching before exercising and some static stretching afterward (as the latter weakens muscles temporarily). 

Using a foam roller is another great option. As mentioned in Why Foam Rolling, before a workout, you would foam roll at a fast/rapid rate, targeting a light to moderate depth. This gets your muscles ready to work hard and it up-regulates the nervous system.

After a workout, you should foam roll at a slow rate, targeting a moderate to deep depth. This is a nice way to recover and calm the nervous system.

In Summary

As you can see, 4 easy strategies can go a long way in helping you maintain joint health. Staying active is the main thing. Enough movement throughout the day (along with other variables) is necessary to ensure proper cellular health. Enough daily physical activity can help with joint stiffness and strengthens the muscles surrounding the joints. Sitting less, walking more, going barefoot whenever possible, stretching and foam rolling are all inexpensive ways to take care of your joints for the years to come.

Until next time!

References

Asprey, Dave. “6 Simple Habits to Build Stronger Joints.” Dave Asprey, 27 Jan. 2017, daveasprey.com/6-simple-habits-build-stronger-joints/. Accessed 4 July 2021.

“Simple Tips for Healthy Joints.” Ancient Nutrition Newsletter, info@emails.draxe.com, 4 June 2021. Accessed 4 July 2021.

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Why everyday movement is a must

We live in a world that is far from the hunter-gatherer life our bodies are designed to experience. That is why everyday movement is non-negotiable if we want to adjust our bodies to the mostly sedentary life that we live. In Move Your DNA, biomechanist Katy Bowman states, “Your body is never ‘out of shape’; it is always in a shape created by how you have moved up to this very moment. It is constantly responding and shifting to a continuous stream of input provided by your external and internal environments, even if that input consists only of sitting still, for hours on end.” Enough movement throughout the day is necessary for proper blood flow to be delivered to the different muscles used, which means more oxygen and nutrients, along with “waste removal.” Enough movement throughout the day (along with other variables) is necessary to ensure proper cellular health.

What everyday movement means

When we have to sit for long periods of time, such as when working at a computer, every 30 minutes or so, we want to get up, stretch, and walk a little bit. The same goes if we are at a standing workstation. We want to incorporate movement throughout the day to nourish our cells. A few squats or other simple exercises can be nice little breaks throughout the day. That way, going to the gym after work can be optional. As a matter of fact, if you think that going to the gym for one hour can make up for a long day of sitting for hours, that is not the case. We want to shape our daily life so that it is as similar as possible to how it was during hunter-gatherer times. And when it comes to movement, it has to be varied motion throughout the day. Taking short walks in the morning, at lunch, or after dinner, whenever you have a few minutes can be a great addition to your daily movement regimen. Whatever fits your schedule best and only implement one change at a time to ensure adherence to it.

My daily stretches

Each day, I make sure I do a certain amount of stretches. I start with the upper cat back in the morning and then, throughout the day, I do various stretches whenever I have a minute: the upper cervical rotation self-mobilization, chin tucks, psoas stretch, piriformis stretch, quad stretch, calf stretch, standing calf raises, tricep dips, pec stretch, and a couple of shoulder exercises. I also add the good morning exercise (a Foundation training exercise). At lunch, I usually do several eye drills to fully work the six eye muscles, followed by a couple of Tai Chi exercises for relaxation. Once home, I like to do the side-bridge and regular plank for the core, and on certain days, some squats, kettlebell swings, and balance exercises. At the end of each day, I stretch the hamstrings and stay in the half-lotus position for a bit. Lastly, I do the cat/cow yoga pose for the lower back. Some days I skip some of the stretches, but this is my usual routine for now. I truly believe discipline allows us to stay grounded whatever we have to face each day. And again, everyday movement is non-negotiable!

References

Katy Ann Bowman. Move Your DNA : Restore Your Health Through Natural Movement. Carlsborg, Wa, Propriometrics Press, 2014, pp. 21, 25, 36–37.

Sisson, Mark. The Primal Blueprint : 21-Day Total Body Transformation. Oxnard, Ca, Primal Blueprint Publishing, 2016, p. 125.

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