I was in a toy store recently and I saw one of those toys which is a figure of a person on a pedestal. When you press a button on the bottom of the pedestal, the body collapses. Sometimes they are called “push puppets”. Many of us have seen similar toys.
It collapses because when you push the button on the bottom, you release the tension on the strings which hold the figure together. When you release the button, the tension on the inside strings is returned and the body goes back to normal. When you push the button slowly, the figure collapses slowly.
Compare that string to your skeleton, muscles and the other internal structures of the body that hold YOU together. When those internal bodily structures collapse by pushing the button of aging, you start to fall apart.
Our muscles and bones are like the string that holds the toy together. As we get older, we start to lose the tension on our internal support system. It’s our job to keep our muscles, bones, joints, etc in good condition so our bodies continue to hold together.
As we age, the body’s internal structure tends to weaken. Muscles atrophy and get smaller and weaker, bones become brittle, circulation slows and body fluids pool. We weaken and ultimately collapse into a shuffling, bent over, struggling ghost of our former selves.
One of the goals of exercise is to strengthen the infrastructure that holds our body together. The takeaway? Start an exercise program that strengthens your muscles, keeps your joints moving smoothly, and keeps your bones dense. This involves resistance exercises for the muscles, weight bearing exercise for the bones, full range of motion exercises to keep the joints mobile, and some aerobic exercises to keep the fluids circulating and the lungs strong. You will grow older much more gracefully.
There are plenty of opportunities to get exercise. At home. At the gym. With friends, with a group, or alone. Any and all exercise will help keep your old body young.
Thank you for reading.