Use It or Lose It

For some time now I've been noticing how much agility I have lost. The idea of running quickyly down the stairs or skipping across the parking lot no longer seem simple or natural. In fact, I feel a bit awkward when I bend, climb or squat. I've also noticed loss of certain movement patterns in some of my older yoga students, especially those involving the pelvis. I find this alarming. Not only would I like to retain some semblance of grace in my movements but agility is critical in preventing falls and other accidents.

Sometimes blessings come in disguise. As I attend physical therapy sessions during my recovery from knee surgery, regaining agility is part of the program. For example, I've had to get on a trampoline and hop back and forth, sometimes alternating legs. When I was first instructed to do so, I thought my PT was joking. Then awkwardly I tried to comply. What I found amazing is that the initial awkwardness quickly gave way to more ease as I continued. Not that I can skip and hop as though I'm eight years old again, but I'm doing better than before my knee surgery!

So I am now more convinced than ever that agility can be maintained or regained through movement. I now have a balance board and a mini tranpoline besides my exercise bike and my yoga mat, and my daily exercise routine has become longer and more diverse. It definitely takes more time to maintain an older body, but then that's why there is such a thing called retirement, right?