• Harvard Medical School reports that adults who don’t do regular strength training can expect to lose 4 to 6 pounds of muscle per decade  & one in every three adults ages 65 and older falls each year
• Researchers estimate that, generally, those between ages 60 and 70 have lost 12 percent of their muscle mass, with those over 80 having lost 30 percent 
•  In adults over age 65, balance problems are linked to falls. One-third of adults in this age group and over half of people over the age of 75 years fall each year. Men and women are affected about equally

My approach to aid in healthy aging, movement, and wellness in general, is holistic. There are many factors that influence the way your body feels, moves, and ages. The areas in which I focus are posture, balance, stability, mobility, strength, and cardiovascular health.

Our ability to balance declines as we age. Luckily, it’s an easy thing to improve with regular practice. Balance is so crucial to healthy aging that ignoring it can be a dangerous thing. Unless you actively work on your balance, it will not improve.

Stability is the ability to control your movements. For example, moving one body part (like your leg) while the rest of your body remains centered and still. Most of us can stand on one leg, but how many can stand on one leg while rotating the other without losing our balance? Stability and balance are intertwined and crucial to our overall health.

Mobility is another word for range of motion. When we have a restricted range of motion, we will often experience tightness and pain. Our bodies feel their best when they are in alignment and balanced left to right.There are protocols that can ease restriction, improve range of motion, and ultimately improve function and relieve pain.

Much like balance, strength is something that diminishes with age if we don’t do anything about it. As already mentioned, we lose muscle mass very rapidly once we hit 50. Our strength is what allows us to maintain a great quality of life as we age and affords us the opportunities to do the things that bring us joy. The good news is this one of the easiest areas to work on!

Cardiovascular health is also important to pay attention to as we age. When we exercise and get our heart rate up, the heart gets stronger. Then when we are at rest, our hearts operate more efficiently and don’t have to work as hard. The health benefit of a lower resting heart rate means less risk of heart disease.