Yes, that's the good word. Rotation is going to save us. From what? From the decline that comes with "aging" and all that that implies.
Every day I see joints in distress, mostly shoulders, but hip joints as well. Think of it. When you were a little kid, you swung from the monkey bars, you rolled around on the floor wrestling with your brother, you played day and night, any game you could think of.
Now, you have your routine, most of it focused straight ahead, looking at this screen, driving, sitting reading a book or the paper. There isn't a lot of variety here, and the spine gets habituated in certain fixed positions. The arm and leg bones are used to certain limited orientations in space.
Range of movement is lost. Muscles tighten and therefore shorten. The "joint space" shrinks. Nerves and blood vessels are cramped, pain results. Posture fails. The "shuffle" of the elderly begins.
The remedy is simple. Gentle range-of-motion exercise, not weight-lifting and not stretching, just flexibly moving the joints through the range they still have. Stand in front of a mirror and move rhythmically and fully. Arms reaching up and across, or back stroke or swaying like a weeping willow. You don't have to sign up for a weekly class unless you can't motivate yourself otherwise.
Just 5 minutes a day will bring tremendous benefit. I know, I've experienced it and so have my clients. It's like greasing the wheel....it's so simple, it gets overlooked. Within just a few days, chronic pain lessens. Ease of reaching and bending will be restored.
If you need more coaching, come and see me. I'll get you started. Really, 5 minutes a day can really change the status quo and get you back on track.
