25 March 2010 

Flexibility

Probably not of much interest for you youngsters.

Yesterday, when I was young, while in the drivers seat, I could turn my body and see all around me.

Sitting in a normal chair I could cross my legs and hook my toe around my ankle. I could bend at the knees and look at the bottom most shelf in the kitchen and stay in that position for as long as I needed to. I didn't groan as I stood up and I could walk off without a trace of difficulty.

I could reach all parts of my back to scrub it while in the shower and dry myself properly to boot. I could jump off the bus and climb stairs without a single puff or wince. I could go down on my knees and place my butt on the floor and stay there playing with the kids.

I could play aggressive tennis for hours, take a shower and get to the office by ten. I could work all day and drive in the crush and still feel good when I got home. (OK....I know many of you girls can still do that but you are built a bit differently ............ thankfully.)

Why could we do all that when we were young and, in most cases, we can't do it anymore? See the title?....Flexibility.  From here I must generalise.

Where at one time we would (not could)  turn our body either side let us say, 45 degrees. We would bend at the knees to pick something up, as the years progress that incrementally reduced by a degree or more so that by the time we are fifty or sixty we're almost immobile.

Watch many elderly people walk. They walk with short strides or slow strides. They can't turn to look behind them, they can't bend at the knees and they can't get up, even from a high....ish chair, without difficulty.

I took one such old man and over a period of a few months made him turn sideways, I made him bend at the knees an inch at a time, I gently but forcibly crossed his legs a bit more each day, he walked up and down stairs slowly at first, then quicker, took longer strides by forcing the issue, started lifting some light weights increasing as the weeks went by, moved on from slow walking to faster walking and eventually running.

The arms were forced to reach further and further around his back and his legs were required to raise to a higher mark each week. The stretching programme was increased by greater and greater degrees until he could sit on the floor with his legs straight out, lean forward and grab his foot as low down as his heels (see pic). He could go down on his knees keeping his heels wide apart and sit his butt on the floor, he could crouch down on his knees and stay there for long periods.

That was about 2 years ago and because of all that, my tennis and golf has improved dramatically and I feel as I used to feel, yesterday. when I was young. At 70 years of age (see the pic above, that was at 68, do I look it?)....careful now....

I feel as I did in my thirties and if you think about it, our ancestors were flexible all their lives through to old age. Look at some pictures of some of these tribal chaps in the jungles of Africa and South America, they can squat all day.

You see them in positions even some youngsters would have a problem with. Why.....because they never stopped being flexible as we in the more civilized world have. We unwittingly allow flexibility to pass us by and put it down to old age......not good enough. Try it for yourselves and see.

You could include weights and increase your running distances if you want to really speed up your metabolism (which does slow down somewhat as we age) Doing that will speed up the outcome but if you don't want to, it'll just take longer.

I have a subscriber who will be explaining all this much better than I and he will tell by scientifically studied means how we can all avoid today's ills (even cancer).

I'll try to put it together before the weekend.

Choose
The single clenched fist lifted and ready,  Or the open hand held out and waiting.
Choose:
 For we meet by one or the other.
Carl Sandburg: 

How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.
Marcus Aurelius: