If You Care About Fitness, You Should Work On Your Mobility | Get Fit Sanely Listener Picks: Kelly and Juliet Starrett
This episode features excerpts from an interview with Kelly and Juliet Starrett, authors of "Built to Move," focusing on the importance of mobility and flexibility as we age. Listener Abby shares how their insights helped her maintain physical ability after an injury.
Deep Dive Analysis
9 Topic Outline
Introduction to Mobility and Flexibility
Listener's Personal Experience with Injury and Aging
Introduction to the Sit and Rise Test
Performing and Understanding the Sit and Rise Test
Practices to Improve Sit and Rise Capacity
Defining Mobility and Physical Capacity
The Importance of Hip Range of Motion
Kelly Starrett's Approach to Low Back Pain
Maintaining Physical Corridor as You Age
3 Key Concepts
Mobility
Mobility refers to the ability to move one's body freely through the environment without pain and to perform desired physical activities. It's often visualized as a 'wide hallway' of physical capacity, which tends to narrow with age, emphasizing the goal of keeping it as open as possible.
Sit and Rise Test
This is a simple, well-validated test that assesses an individual's capacity to get up and down off the ground independently. It serves as a quick snapshot of current and future movement ability, with a diminished capacity often being a predictor for needing assisted living later in life.
Muscles and Tissues as Obedient Dogs
This analogy suggests that consistent exposure to various body positions and movements signals to the brain that these positions are safe and valued. This process helps to 'open up' the brain's control over these movements, improving range of motion and reducing perceived threat.
5 Questions Answered
Mobility and flexibility are crucial because as we get older, our 'window of physical ability' can start to narrow, making it harder to do the things we enjoy and increasing the risk of injuries and physical limitations.
The sit and rise test involves lowering yourself to the ground from a crisscross applesauce position and standing back up without using your arms or knees. It's a simple, well-validated snapshot of your overall movement capacity and how well you're likely to move into the future, with inability linked to needing independent assistance.
You can improve by regularly practicing the act of getting up and down from the floor (exposure) and by spending time sitting on the floor in various positions (like crisscross applesauce, long sit, 90-90, or kneeling) for about 30 minutes a day, perhaps while watching TV or working.
Good hip range of motion is key to maintaining a wide 'physical hallway' as you age, allowing you to move freely without pain. It's associated with lower rates of lumbar disease, hip arthritis, fewer joint replacements, and reduced fall risk, especially in cultures that regularly engage in squatting or ground-sitting.
Kelly Starrett, a physical therapist, often prescribes three main pillars for addressing low back pain: teaching people how to breathe, encouraging them to walk a lot more, and showing them how to mobilize their hips.
13 Actionable Insights
1. Maintain Physical Capacity
Make a conscious effort to maintain your physical capacity and range of motion as you age, aiming to keep your ‘physical hallway’ wide open so you can continue to engage in desired physical activities.
2. Daily Floor Sitting
Spend time sitting on the floor in various positions (e.g., crisscross applesauce, long sit, 90-90, kneeling) for about 30 minutes a day, perhaps while watching TV or working from home, to expose your hips and body to different positions and improve hip range of motion.
3. Practice Floor Transitions
Regularly practice getting up and down off the floor to improve your overall mobility and capacity, which is essential for tasks like the sit and rise test.
4. Perform Sit and Rise Test
Test your mobility by performing the sit and rise test: from a crisscross applesauce position, lower yourself to the ground and then stand back up without using your arms or putting your knee down. This provides a simple snapshot into how well you’re going to move into the future.
5. Relieve Low Back Pain Pillars
If experiencing low back pain, focus on improving breathing, increasing daily walking, and mobilizing your hips, as these are key components in a physical therapist’s strategy for addressing this common issue.
6. Consciously Use Full Range
Be conscious and intentional about incorporating activities that expose your body to its full range of motion, as daily routines often prevent reaching these ranges naturally.
7. Proactively Maintain Mobility
Actively work to maintain mobility over a longer period of time, as this can prevent stress about injuries or setbacks and allow you to continue doing physical activities you enjoy as you age.
8. Enrich Healthcare Conversations
Use external information (like podcasts or books) to enrich conversations with physical therapists or other healthcare providers, fostering a more relationship-oriented and less transactional interaction.
9. Scale Sit and Rise Practice
If concerned about falling or struggling with the sit and rise test, scale the practice by first lowering yourself to a chair or coffee table, gradually working towards the floor to improve movement capacity.
10. Start Small with Floor Sitting
Begin sitting on the floor for even five minutes, using a cushion if needed, as the primary goal is exposure to the positions, which signals to your brain that these positions are safe and valued.
11. Explore Floor Sitting Variations
Feel free to explore different floor sitting positions, including leaning against a couch, as the key is to expose your body to fundamental positions and shapes rather than adhering to a strict ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way.
12. Define Personal Mobility
Define mobility as the ability to move your body freely through your environment without pain and to do the physical activities you desire, using this definition to guide your personal fitness goals.
13. Utilize Body Assessment Tests
Utilize simple tests, like those in the ‘Built to Move’ book, to gain information about your body’s current state and engage in ‘care and feeding’ practices to maintain range of motion for all physical activities.
5 Key Quotes
The number one reason you might end up in a nursing home is your inability to get up and down off the ground independently.
Kelly Starrett
Muscles and tissues are like obedient dogs.
Kelly Starrett
Sitting on the ground should be a non-political conversation.
Kelly Starrett
As we age, people start to feel that hallway start to constrict a little bit.
Juliet Starrett
The problem is, it's easy to get out of bed, sit at the table, sit at the car, sit at the desk, sit on the couch, and never actually touch any of these full ranges of motion unless you're conscious about doing it.
Kelly Starrett
2 Protocols
Improving Sit and Rise Capacity
Juliet Starrett- Practice getting up and down off the floor (exposure).
- Spend 30 minutes a day sitting on the floor in a variety of positions (e.g., crisscross applesauce, long sit, 90-90, kneeling), perhaps while watching TV or working from home.
Kelly Starrett's Low Back Pain Strategy
Juliet Starrett- Learn how to breathe.
- Walk a lot more.
- Mobilize your hips.