Slow the Aging Process

I am tired of people blaming “getting old” for their stiffness, aches, and pain. It is not the aging process that is the underlying culprit of those maladies. I grew up reading Agatha Christie novels and watching kitschy detective shows like Columbo, Quincy, and Kojak. In almost every story there was a main suspect that your attention was meant to be drawn toward. Meanwhile, there was always a quiet character lingering in the corner of many scenes, not drawing attention to themselves. Inevitably it was always the quiet, unassuming character that ended up being the murderer.

It is the same scenario when it comes to most daily aches, pains, and maladies. The main suspect is “getting old”. Meanwhile the quiet character in the corner is movement. The less movement a person experiences, the faster the aging process occurs. It just so happens that most people slow down as they advance in years. So it is easy to think the problem is “getting old”. 

If that were the case, then logic would tell us that everyone should experience the same physical ailments at specific ages throughout their lives. Yet that is not the case. We have clients running races in their eighties and nineties. These people have maintained a regular routine of movement, or exercise, and their bodies are able to slow down the aging process. At the same time we have people in their thirties and forties who are struggling to move without pain because they have been sitting behind a desk for decades without giving their bodies what they need: motion.

So the next time you are about to complain about aches or stiffness, consider how much you were moving over the past week. Do not blame “getting old”. Blame being lazy. Name the real suspect in the room. Agatha will be proud.