The Goal Was Never to Stay Young

I had an interesting experience recently with two different clients.

Both were describing areas of their bodies that felt tight. Normally when something feels tight, our first instinct is pretty predictable: I need to stretch more.

But something about what I was seeing made me wonder if that was actually what they needed, so I suggested they both get assessed for hypermobility.

Turns out, they were both hypermobile.

Now, I want to be clear that this is a more unusual example and I’m definitely not suggesting that if you feel tight, you’re secretly hypermobile.

What was interesting to me was that in their particular cases, what felt like a lack of mobility wasn't really a lack of range at all. They actually had a lot of range of motion. What they needed was more strength and muscular control within that range, rather than continuing to stretch and allowing the joint to do all the work.

It was a good reminder of something I see all the time in my work:

What our bodies need isn't always what we assume they need.

This is actually something I talked about in a video, Why Do I Feel Tight Even Though I Stretch? If you’re someone who stretches regularly but still feels like you’re always tight, I get into some of the reasons that can happen and why more stretching isn’t always the answer.

Our Bodies Are Going to Change

And I've been thinking about that a lot in relation to aging.

We spend so much time talking about exercise as a way to hold onto our younger bodies. We want to move like we used to, look like we used to, recover like we used to. We notice something has changed and immediately start thinking about how to get it back.

But our bodies are going to change.

Mine already has. Yours probably has too. Pregnancy, postpartum, menopause, injuries, stress, work, kids, aging itself... we aren't going to have exactly the same body at 50 that we had at 25.

I'm starting to think the better question isn't, "How do I keep my body from changing?"

It's "What does my body need now, and what do I want it to keep being able to do?"

That answer is going to be different for everyone.

What Does Your Body Need Now?

I work with women at so many different ages and stages of life, and that's one of the things I love about what I do.

With one person we might be working on strength. With someone else, balance is becoming more important. Another person might need mobility, while someone with plenty of mobility may actually need more stability and control.

Sometimes we're working on power, which is something I think a lot of women don't realize becomes really important as we age.

I'm not trying to make any of those bodies move like they're 25 again.

I want them to be able to get off the floor. Carry their groceries. Travel. Hike. Pick up their kids or grandkids. Catch themselves if they trip. Feel confident taking the stairs. Keep doing the things they enjoy without constantly wondering whether their body can handle it.

The goal was never to stay young. The goal is to keep participating in your own life.

Try This: Think About What You're Training For

For a minute, forget about what you want your body to look like five, ten, or twenty years from now.

What do you want it to still be able to do?

Maybe you want to travel without worrying about hauling your suitcase around. Maybe you want to hike, garden, play a sport, get down on the floor with your grandkids, or simply keep carrying your own groceries.

Whatever your answer is, that's a pretty good clue about what you're actually training for.

Your body will change. The way you train it probably should too.

But getting older doesn't mean becoming less capable. It means paying attention to what your body needs now so you can keep asking it to do the things that matter to you.

And to me, that's a much better goal than trying to stay young.

💙 Liz

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