How do you physically prepare for retirement? Part 1 (Your Neck and Head)

What do I mean by this?  I feel that the best way to physically prepare for retirement is to actively participate in how your body is aging.

I like to say that the solutions to most problems are simple. Simple does not always mean easy. It takes effort. The simple part should be preforming the exercises. The hard part is developing the focus to preform them correctly every day. (Or at least 5 to 6 times per week.) The good news is once you can do them correctly, it takes a lot less effort to maintain the ability than it did to obtain it.  

Having worked with clients up to 95 years of age, I have made sure to observe what changes have occurred to their physical condition.

Today’s topic is the first post of the area that can change the most, our posture. (Part 1 Head and Neck) What changes in our posture during the decades from reaching adulthood until retirement? 

Just because it is normal doesn't mean it has to happen to you.

I believe that all training should begin by improving a client’s posture before working on more complex things like mobility and strength. Bad posture with a lack of mobility and stability can lead to injury. 

Improving your posture will also lead to less chance of losing your balance and falling. The farther your head is in front of your shoulders, the more likely you are to fall forward.

When I mention posture do you think of your body being held in a rigid and static position? After reading my blog posts about this, I hope your picture of posture will change. While it is important to be able to put your body into a certain position, posture can be thought of as more dynamic than that.  

 

What causes changes in posture? Whatever position(s) we spend the most time in has a huge effect on posture. An example is sitting down watching TV or working on a computer or tablet. My mentor Vern Gambetta likes to say "gravity never rest." Gravity is always trying to pull you down.

 

I like to say that posture begins at the top of your head. In order to improve posture, work on exercises that counter the forward head posture. WHEN WORKING ON ANY EXERCISE INVOLVING YOUR SPINE, NEVER FORCE YOUR BODY INTO A POSITION. The focus should always be on how you are controlling the muscles and joints and the movements they are controlling. The pace of each movement should be slow. Perform from 5 to 10 reps of each. The goal is to get the muscles turned on as opposed to tiring them out. If you feel fatigue in the muscle when you are done, you have done too many. What exercises you perform is important. How you perform them is more important. 

Before attempting any of the following exercises be sure to get the approval of your Physician. Especially if you have ever had neck pain or a neck injury. If you aren’t sure how to perform any of these exercises, have someone who knows how to teach them show you how to do them.

After evaluating that a new client should and can work on their neck mobility, I begin teaching each client the following:

Neck Mobility (Since it is easier to focus on what I want them to learn, I usually begin with my client in a seated position and move to a standing position as soon as I feel they are ready. The standing position takes more balance and control of the torso.

 

    * Flexion/Extension - Tuck your chin into your chest, and then lift your chin upward as far as possible. Keep your torso as still as possible.

    * Lateral Flexion - lower your left ear toward your left shoulder and then your right ear to your right shoulder. Focus on keeping your shoulders down.

 

    * Rotation - Turn your chin laterally toward your left shoulder and then rotate it toward your right shoulder. Keep your torso as still as possible.

 

    * Chin Tucking – With chin slightly down, put a couple of fingers on chin. Slowly push chin straight back. Hold for a count of 10 to 20.

These exercises are simple yet hardly anyone works on them. Including them in you daily routine will help keep your posture from becoming old. I really do believe it is that simple.

Next weeks topic (Part 2) will be Your Shoulders and Thoracic Vertebrae