On The GRIP of Movement Practice
On over 6 decades of dedicated movement practice and years of athletic competition. I don’t know how not to move!
What do you do to focus on healthy functional exercises in aging healthy until you die?
Hello Everyone!
“Hand grip strength is negatively associated with physical frailty.
Research suggests that the factor related to frailty and disability
in later life is the manner in which muscles are used”
What does
hip fractures,1
weak hearts,
osteoporosis,
cognitive deficits,
strokes,
impaired pulmonary function,
functional mobility and
increased all cause mortality
have to do with grip strength?
I have movement in my everyday whether it is on a bike, in a pool, in a gym or on the living room floor. I move my body and am careful to not be in anyone posture for toooo long.
I will not buy into sarcopenia ( loss of muscle) and 1% annual losses in VO2 max, though my max heart rate has been declining annually and what had always been a 48-50 resting heart rate is beginning to creep up… Uh-oh! More Zone 10 über intervals as anti aging antidote?? (no)
…hmm the Connective tissue smooth muscle stiffness quandry!!
I kid to make light of aging in a fun and gallant manner….and it is more imperative as I move into the last half of this beautiful human experience, yes, I have notions of 115 to 120 years before exiting stage left with my alien families in the astral plane…
I have too much to do yet,
and in the blink of an eye, it will all be done. So what to do now in present form?
I want everyone I work with to know decline is not negative, it is a sirens call to step in, slow down and investigate what of your 50 trillion cells bodied lego’d selves and the 600 Billion or so that slough off and out of your body daily, is needing for optimal health and function.
Here is One such small though important one for independent healthy movement.
Gettin a Grip a little at a time
“By exercise. I'll tell you one thing, you don't always have to be on the go. I sit around a lot, I read a lot, and I do watch television. But I also work out for two hours every day of my life, even when I'm on the road.”
-J.LaLanne
Ok, back on grip.
I woke this morning after a few hours of writing and decided to functionally and dynamically stretch my lower body and play with this 6.8kg (15lb) kettle bell…before a family zoom meeting.
The question that arose and what ensued has turned into a bodily experience-experiment of sorts.
Closed Grip (Carry) vs Wide (Power) Grip
My right hand can hold the 15lb kettle “bell” more than a minute in the power grip mode.
My left manages barely half that!!
My left arm is non dominant and also had a rotator cuff repair (RTC) in 2021 with post op complications that went from adhesive capsulitis into Ouch-”Frozen Shoulder” to which I am living with structural and mostly painless limitations. It does not stop me, in fact it only harnesses my propensity to figure it out for better functional living.
It is a kinetic chain issue.
From the center of my body outward from spine to intrinsic muscles in my hand, (lumbricals and interossei, forearm, upper arm to scapular muscles)
need to be working in conjunction to create a bio-mechanical advantage to overcome mass. (f=ma)
Think Chain and physics.
Global drivers of movement and stability to support the work disadvantage of the smaller more refined-fine motor muscle groups. Gross to fine, balance and accuracy for weight transfer and stability.
Conclusion:
The research shows that loss of grip strength is one factor for the elderly in relation to physical mobility and cognitive decline.
What to do? work on your grip physically and not mentally in life… Let the latter go.. Just let go and grab something with your hands and have fun.. A plethora of devices can be found on grip strength and also look around your house that can accommodate a safe and strong grip. How about a stone on a walk you may find… carry it for a bit and play with it…. You know in Shamans world a rock may be a space of divination if one looks long enough at the contours the stone may speak to you..
Give it a try!!
Have fun, keep moving with impeccable attention and listen to your body and ask what it needs in this moment now.
sit on the floor,
walk barefooted
and
“tout nue“
every now and again.
Stay Supples and Stable
Blessings and Namaste,
t
