Would You Rather Get Old Or Grow Up?

Would you rather get old or grow up? I for sure would rather grow up. Although getting old is inevitable, I want every year to bring me wisdom rather than deterioration. We are all afraid of getting older because we associate old age with weakness and mental decline. This doesn’t have to be the case and I am going to explain why.

I read this amazing book “Somatics” by Thomas Hanna. Thomas Hanna was one of the original students of Moishe Feldenkrais. Who in the world is Feldenkrais? Well, he was a brilliant man who came up with a system of exercises to overcome pain. You see, when we are born we are equipped with 2 reflexes. Hanna refers to them as “Red Light” and “Green Light”.  Our first reflex, “Red Light” is necessary for the survival and to avoid pain. When under stress, our natural reaction is to curl into a ball to protect ourselves. This reflex stays with us through our lives. You have probably noticed when you are in an uncomfortable situation, your shoulders ride up to your ears, your back stiffens, your breath shortens and you find yourself bending your hips and knees. This is a deeply wired reflex, just like the one when a doctor taps you on your knee and your leg kicks out.

Green light reflex is different and it makes you take action. Think of a baby learning to move. First, he or she gets control over their neck muscles and extends their head. Then they learn to roll and, crawl and later walk. The body mechanics associated with this reflex are extension of the spine, hips, shoulders and head. Now many years later, think of what happens in your body when you have to do something that you don’t want to. Your neck extends, shoulders move back, hips extend and you are ready to go. Green light reflex takes over when we have to be responsible adults, go to work and pay bills.

What is interesting is that we get stuck in constant battle between these too reflexes. Our daily lives are full of good and bad stressors and our bodies get stuck with two sets of muscle groups pulling in opposition. Typically when one muscle contracts, the opposite muscle group relaxes. For example, in order for you to do a bicep curl, your triceps have to relax. With time and continued stress we forget how to relax the opposing group and get stuck with opposing muscle groups staying slightly contracted. The result is stiffness.
We mistakenly attribute stiffness to old age. Think of the time when you were a kid and could move freely. You had your needs met and were free to play all day. Fast forward to present time: sit down job combined with stress is the main reason why you feel stiff. The problem is that we forget how to move.

Thomas Hanna came up with absolutely genius exercises that teach you how to move again. I first read his book before I became a PT. My own physical therapist shared it with me and honestly this book is one of the reasons why I became a physical therapist. Last month, many years later, with lots of practice, knowledge and experience under my belt I re-read it and was completely blown away. I have since incorporated these exercises into my practice and noticed amazing results. One of my patients with really bad hip arthritis improved her hip mobility within 5 minutes. My other patient who had a very stiff ankle improved her ankle mobility and her gait within several minutes. My other patient who had a very stiff and painful shoulder was able to scratch his middle back, something that he was unable to do in over a year.

Somatics exercises a pain free and feel very good. I started doing morning cat stretch routine and my body feels much more flexible. When I do them at night, I wake up without stiffness. I also noticed myself standing taller and felt more balanced. Pretty cool stuff. This is the reason I love what I do. Oh, and another incredible thing that I noticed was that I felt less tired. It makes perfect sense: it takes more energy to move when your muscles are tight. It is that simple!!!

It is very empowering to know aging doesn’t have to mean that you have to feel stiff, sore, tired or weak. You may need to do a little more stretching, you may need move exercise up on your priority list, but it is a small price to pay for life experiences, growth and maturity. Life should be like fine wine. Better with age!