As the saying goes, ‘if you don’t use it, you lose it.’ In the case of aging, it is actually true: Being sedentary and lack of exercise will cause the gradual loss of muscle strength and muscle mass over time. This can lead to fragility, falls, functional decline, and a general feeling of weakness and loss of function for life's tasks and enjoyments. But, through fitness you can work to lessen the effects of time and aging on your body. The secret to successful aging and maintaining your independence is to incorporate functional fitness into your day so you don’t “lose it!”

Functional fitness is one of the best defenses against the toughest aspects of aging. Training your body in the gym will allow you to enhance your daily tasks outside the gym: Exercises that mimic the movements of daily activities such as walking, squatting, bending, pushing, and pulling, will help you strengthen your muscles for everyday tasks so you won’t have to worry about strains, pulls, and other injuries. It’s okay to go to the gym to look better. But, most importantly fitness will help us live better and do things like walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded, lift a gallon of water without wrenching a shoulder, open a jar of jelly, squat to pick up items that fall out of a 40 pound backpack strapped to your back, carry your own groceries into the house, play with your grandchildren, chase your dog down the street after he gets loose, and generally perform better.

The reality of incorporating functional fitness exercises into our exercise routine is simple:
we have to do it!

A functional fitness workout prioritizes natural movements that help us conquer the obstacles and tasks faced in our everyday life. The goal is to develop movement proficiency and strength equally across the board. Some of the best exercises include:

SQUATS

Squats are one of the most fundamental functional movements in our lives: Getting off the ground, moving in and out of chairs, and shoveling snow will all be easier after regular squatting practice. Simple bodyweight squats are a great way to get started. Once you get comfortable with a regular bodyweight squat, you can start incorporating weights, like with a goblet squat.

DEADLIFTS

Moving furniture, grabbing bags of dog food, and taking a sleeping child to bed are all forms of the deadlift. When you start to incorporate the deadlift into your life, you make all these movements easier (and safer). A good place to start is with the Romanian Deadlift with light weights.

OVERHEAD PRESSES

Performing the overhead press will not only increase your upper-body strength, but it will also strengthen your core, since you balance and stabilize yourself while standing and lifting. After you are proficient, placing a cast iron skillet into a top kitchen cabinet and hoisting luggage into the top bin when flying will all seem easier!

PULL-UPS

It’s important not to neglect the “pull” muscles. They are responsible for, well, pulling yourself up.

STEP-UPS

Not every building has an escalator, so being able to walk up a flight of steps is pretty functional, especially if you live on the top floor. Start with a low step. As you get proficient, move to a higher step and you can even add some weights.

BOX JUMPS

Practicing jumps will improve your power, balance, and agility, all critical for functional fitness.

But let’s face it, being strong will help you navigate the world in front of you, so in that sense, any form of strength training could be considered “functional fitness.” The more you do, and the more variation you include, the more functionally fit and independent you’ll be as you age. You’re never too old to start!

Success Studio happens to specialize in functional fitness. So if you need help getting started, click on the button below for a complimentary strategy session.