Anti-Aging Series: Stop the Decline!

How do you want to feel when you are sixty, seventy, or even ninety years old? What degree of physical function will you maintain as you grow older? Planning for retirement isn’t just about financial savings. You can take steps to protect your physical, mental, and emotional health for future years as well.

We want you to be able to continue your healthy, active lifestyle for many years to come. Playing with grandkids, running errands and doing housework, traveling, or just taking a walk – all require physical abilities that are affected by aging. You need strength to get up off the couch, flexibility to put on your coat, and balance to prevent falls.

Welcome to our new blog series on strategies for successful aging. Just like saving for retirement a little at a time, these tips will prepare you for retirement physically and teach you how to stop the decline!

Our first topic is shoulder flexibility. As we age, our muscles, tendons, and ligament lose their flexibility, causing stiffness and limited range of motion. Functional abilities such as putting on a coat or reaching to a high shelf become more difficult. 

Here are two key exercises that will help you maintain your shoulder flexibility:

Doorway Stretch

This stretch will improve your anterior shoulder and chest flexibility, opening up the common rounded shoulders posture that develops as we age.

How to do it:

1) Find an open doorway and lift your arms approximately level with your shoulders and bend your elbows ninety degrees. Brace the length of your forearms against the doorframe.

2) Move one foot forward through the doorway while keeping your forearms against the doorframe. Continue to lean forward until you feel a comfortable stretch in the front of your shoulder and chest.

3) Hold for twenty to thirty seconds or until you feel the muscles relax. Repeat three times.

Alternative version 1: Stretch one shoulder at a time by bracing one arm against the doorframe and turning away to open the shoulder and chest.

Alternative version 2: Try different heights for the arms, both higher and lower than shoulder level. Find the stretch that is most effective for you.

Wall Angels

This stretch will improve range of motion of the shoulder joint capsule and further address rounded shoulders posture.

How to do it:

1) Stand with your back against the wall, feet about six inches from the wall, and hips and shoulders directly touching the wall.

2) Bring your arms up into the “I surrender!” position with your forearms touching the wall from elbows to backs of your hands.

3) Slide your forearms up the wall, maintaining complete contact with the wall at your forearms, shoulders, and hips. Go up slowly, easing into the stretch.

4) Stop and hold the stretch for two to three seconds, then ease back to the starting position. Repeat fifteen to twenty times.

Alternative version: Try the same stretch while lying on the floor.

Next time on our anti-aging series: shoulder strength exercises!