Control of your legs is critical to your movement, balance and stability as you get older. Since your legs are often the “first to go”, you must strengthen them and learn to CONTROL their movement.
Why? Both leg strength and agility are necessary to stay upright without support as we get older, and to be able to avert serious injury in the event of a fall.
As we get older our leg strength declines, we slow down, and we don’t move as nimbly as we once could. So, we have to compensate by rebuilding our leg strength and doing some simple “footwork” movements to keep us agile.
My dictionary defines Agility as quickness and ease of movement; nimble; spry, implying rapidity and lightness of movement. “Quickness implies rapidity and promptness. Spry suggests nimble or alacrity, especially as displayed by vigorous elderly people.” Hmm.
The NASM Personal Training Manual says, “Agility is the ability to start, stop and change direction quickly, while attaining proper posture.” It goes on to say that “agility training can also help to prevent injury by ‘enhancing the body’s ability to effectively control eccentric forces in all planes of motion as well as by improving the structural integrity of the connective tissue.’ ” Got that?
In less technical terms, that means to help catch yourself with your legs if you start to fall, no matter in which direction.
How do you, as an older person, become agile and quick? How do you increase strength and control to your legs?
For leg strength, simple squatting exercises are best, either with or without weights. I’ve written about that several times recently and won’t repeat it here.
For leg control, I suggest things like simple Jumping Jacks and “skipping”. Jumping Jacks? Skipping? You’re kidding, right.
Not really. Most seniors not used to physical movement may find it difficult to do the Jumping Jacks at first, yet after a few tries, they become easier. But Jumping Jacks are one of the best single movement patterns you can do to keep springiness and resiliency in your legs. Your arms, legs and the entire body, including the lungs, blood, and lymph systems respond to the simple up and down bouncing movements of that exercise.
The good thing is that they can be done with nearly straight legs (slight flex) and minimal “bouncing”, and if you do the movement gently, will have minimal impact on your knees. And if you want, you can do them with your arms by your sides with much the same benefit for your legs.
And did I really suggest skipping? Yes, really. One of the original boot camp style fitness programs in the country started here in the Washington, DC area. When I first got into fitness as a sideline in my early sixties, I did some work for the company and participated as well. And yes, one of the exercises was skipping. There we were, fifteen or twenty men and women, skipping and bouncing down one of the most affluent streets in the DC suburbs at six AM every weekday morning, waking the neighbors with military style cadence calls. Skipping teaches you leg control, agility and balance.
A friend of mine is an avid skier in his early seventies. He can be found skipping down the passageways of the gym in the mornings to help him keep his legs strong and agile for his skiing trips. You don’t need long corridors, you can skip in place in your bedroom and nobody will see you.
The goal of doing squats, Jumping Jacks and skipping is to develop agility through strength, spring, resilience and elastic recoil energy in your legs. They provide you with another tool to help stop a fall and prevent injury. They will also help you move more quickly and easier and may be a longevity factor as well.
Thank you for reading.