Posted On: November 16, 2023
Did you know that your ability to perform certain functional movements is correlated to greater longevity? Examples of such movements are balance, strength, power, flexibility, speed, and more.
Let’s take balance as an example – balance ability typically starts to decline around 40 years of age. After we turn 50, individuals typically lose about 25% of their balance ability each decade. We also know balance is directly correlated with fall risk, and falls are the cause of up to 90% of hip fractures.
As another example, one’s ability to do push-ups is directly linked with risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attack. Read more about these examples and more in our post on fitness level and longevity.
But how can you ensure you are maintaining healthy functional movement? The good news is that there are simple movements you can practice — and they are easy to implement at home! Check out the suggested exercises below and get started on maximizing your own longevity.
Standing on one leg while brushing your teeth.
Stand and Grab your toes, rock back and forth shifting weight. Take a step if you need to.
Walking:
Floor to stand:
Grip strength: Farmers carry
Core strength: Push ups/planks
While watching TV, sit up and down off your chair at each commercial break.
Julie Johnson, PT, DPT, is with our physical therapy partner MovementX. Therapists from MovementX provide complimentary Functional Fitness Tests annually for our members. These tests are one of the many elements of comprehensive preventive care we incorporate into our concierge internal medicine membership at Eileen West, MD and Associates.
Because it’s long overdue that women have access to women-health trained specialists and sex-specific healthcare. Menopause, heart health, sexual health, bone health, breast cancer, stroke, and much more are either unique to women or affect women differently than men and require a women-health-trained specialist to both treat properly and to help you work toward prevention. Become an Eileen West, MD & Associates member, and get the care you deserve! https://www.eileenwestmd.com/
When we say, “exceptional healthcare,” what do we really mean? Exceptional healthcare is defined by: ♀️ a sex-specific, evidence-based lens ♀️ direct access to a provider ♀️ a strong provider/patient relationship ♀️ adequate time to address immediate needs and preventative care ♀️ specific training in women’s healthcare This is where health intersects with care, and it’s what everyone deserves. Learn more about our unique model and the benefits we offer our patients using the link below. https://www.eileenwestmd.com/
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