Aging and Strong, Healthy Joints
At the Pozez JCC, helping our community build heathy bodies, minds, and spirits is a pillar of who we are and what we do. In this blog, I’m focusing on our bodies, in particular healthy joints.
Now’s a good time to focus on your body’s health
The human body is made up of many joints, which allow us to move and function the way we are built to. From an early age, it is important to keep your body consistently physically active, flexible, and strong overall. This helps to prevent natural degeneration in our bones, muscles, and joints as we age. Although starting early is important, it is NEVER too late to start taking care of your body!
What do our Joints do for us?
Our joints (in their optimal state) allow us to perform our daily activities with ease. When joints are restricted (not in their optimal state), whether from excessive sitting, repetitive motions, stagnation, etc., the body cannot function properly. When one part of the body does not function properly, the entire body becomes affected. Our bodies are like cars, a system that runs well if all parts are functioning properly. A flat tire for a car is like a restricted joint that cannot go through its full range of motion. Think about that for a second… If you keep driving the car with a flat tire, the other parts of the car must work harder to compensate for the flat tire. The same thing goes for your body and the many joints it has.
Why is Joint Health Important?
Our joint health gets more important as we age. Other than chronic pain and other diseases, falls are one of the highest risk factors of aging. Falling becomes more problematic as the muscles start to lose their elasticity, thus decreasing flexibility, strength, and stability within the body. In the J-Fit Health Club, we encourage you to enhance your movement quality and maintain or gain back control of your body.
For our older population, with the proper guidance, exercise, and nutrition, you can slow down or possibly reverse the degeneration process of your joints. To that end, did you hear!? The J is running several 4-week Fall Prevention sessions running from September through December. For more information, please email the Fitness Director at Jeff.Tauriello@theJ.org
If you have questions about this topic and want to learn more, stop by the J-Fit Health Club. Our professional staff will happily assist you and answer any questions you may have.
