Today’s hacks aim to break the status quo! I cringe when I hear people refer to their aches and pains with the statement,”I am getting old!” Yes, everyone is aging – thankfully – but aging isn’t the only reason for some of our aches! I have a poster that says “You don’t stop running because you get old. You get old because you stop running.” Here are a few hacks to challenge the status quo in 2022!
Fitness Hack – Incorporate some strength and mobility work as often as you can. This does not have to take a huge amount of time. I tend to do my foot strengthening and back mobility while I am on the phone with my ear phones allowing me to be hands-free. I do some band work to strengthen my hips (which helps my knees and feet) while I wait for something to heat in the microwave. For athletes I coach, I incorporate their strength right in the middle of a run or ride or row to ensure that it gets done since it is easy to finish the cardio piece but harder to add on a strength piece to the tail end of a workout. I know this because I am human too and, in the past, I would rather run an extra 15 min than spend that 15 minutes doing kettle bell swings. Now, older and wiser (I hope), I set aside 15-20 minutes for strength work 3 times per week. I stand taller when I do my strength work and I feel less stiff when I stretch and do some simple mobility work. I suggest downloading the ROM Coach from the app store and running through a few routines depending on your sore spots. I do the Slumpy Psoas stretch a few times per day (in particular as I get out of bed each day) to help with my stiff back. I also do the Segmental Spine with a foam roller to open up my vertebrae. And I do the Strong Feet I routine.
Here is a strength routine you can incorporate right at home! Choose exercises that are compatible with where you are at with your fitness. Click here for a body weight strength circuit
Lifestyle Hack – try to do some of your meetings in motion. Have a phone meeting while you are out for a walk or walk around your office or your house as you chat. Phone calls are a great time to stand up and move around. Sitting is so tough on the body especially as our body gets a little less flexible over time. My physiotherapist, Steve Hill, always says to me “motion is lotion.”
Product Suggestion – if we are going to keep moving, we need good shoes. I have flat feet with quite a bit of wear and tear (thanks for 40 marathons on those poor little flat feet), so stable and comfortable footwear is key! I probably wear 3 or 4 different pairs of shoes each day. My indoor shoes are the ASICS Nimbus Lite (they are so comfy!). I run in the ASICS Nimbus 23 but I am about to try the new Nimbus 24! In the cold and/or rain, I wear the ASICS Cumulus (or Kayano) AWL (All Winter Long) Trail shoe. I row in a more minimal shoe called the ASCIS Roadblast and I walk Hadley in either the ASICS GT2000-10 or Nimbus Lite or Noosa or Novablast. Send me a note if you need a recommendation. I wear orthotics and I even have a torn tendon in my foot but I run pain free thanks to great shoes!!