By Cynthia Allen on Huffington Post
No matter how many candles were on your last birthday cake, to get the most out of your life and be on track for feeling fine at 99, here are seven essential moves you need.
#1 Wiggle - Just stop with the sitting still as a rock. Schools should stop it and so should we. We are bodies in constant motion. A little bit of movement, even while sitting, goes a long way in keeping circulation going. Recent research makes a good case for toe tapping as a way to prevent cardiovascular disease.
#2 Turn - If you are one who cannot easily look over your shoulder to back out of a drive or talk to the person next to you on the subway, you know this is a problem. To regain your ability to turn, consider returning to the developmental motion of rolling around on the floor (or bed). You may feel silly doing it. Or too creaky. Or you may get a little motion sick when rolling. Start small and gradually do more.
While sitting or standing, Cathy Paine, Feldenkrais practitioner offers this tip, “Begin to experiment with different ways of turning. For example, bring one arm out in front of you at shoulder height. Use your arm to lead yourself to one side, say to the right while looking at your right hand.” Learning to use more than just your neck can turn this turning challenge around.
#3 Reach - Laying on the belly and reaching for a “toy” is the next thing to master. “Mastering reaching means you know how to balance yourself against the floor while extending an arm. Your abdominals and extensor muscles come into play. Your shoulder blades and thoracic spine become mobile,” offers Physical Therapist Stacy Barrows and creator of the SmartRoller®. “There are creative ways to play with reaching in sitting and standing such as watching your fingers as you reach. Sliding your hand up a wall at different angles. Or pushing off with one foot as you reach for an elusive light cord.”
#4 Crawl - A movement that is highly organizing for the entire body is crawling. MovNat coaches are huge advocates of crawling as exercise. “If you want to improve your shoulders, your gait, and your entire body, then adding crawling variations is ideal,” says Steve Gangemi, Chiropractor and MovNat trainer in his article “How to Crawl Your Way Back to Shoulder Health”.
Continue to read the full article here >>