Finding your 'why': movement motivation for lifelong health

Embracing natural movement for healthy ageing: your path to a better healthspan

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years"

Ageing is ‘a journey, not a destination’ - bit of a cliche, I know, but it is a reality. After all, we’re ageing from the minute we’re born. It’s not exclusive to the second half of our lives. 

However I do believe the way we move our bodies in that second half, can greatly influence how we experience the later decades of our lives. Since realising just how important the way we move ALL day long is to healthy ageing, I’ve dedicated myself to promoting the importance of natural movement as a key component to our healthspan. 

Most of us know about the ‘importance of exercising’ for our health, after all it’s been well reported now for decades. That knowledge isn’t always the only key we need to take action day to day. To actually make a change in the way we move, we have to look a little deeper than purely physical goals. Tapping into what movement actually means to us, and how we view it, can help to give us both the motivation and direction that may be lacking. 

Ageing and acceptance

I always talk about the importance of comparing ourselves not to others, nor to our younger selves, but to who we are right now. Many of us, especially as we age, grapple with the frustration of diminished physical capabilities. This can often lead to a sense of loss and longing for the past. However, this mindset can still be transformed into one of gratitude and acceptance.

At 40, I faced a personal challenge that forced me to rethink my approach to movement. As you may already know, an injury led to 4 years of chronic pain, making me feel as though I’d aged decades overnight. This painful period, however, became a pivotal moment in my life. It taught me to nourish rather than punish my body, to listen to its needs, and to celebrate the movements I could still perform. When I found that place of acceptance, I started to be able to move forward and incredibly fortunately, get out of chronic pain. 

It was a crucial lesson: I realised that ageing well isn't about maintaining the physical prowess of our youth, but instead about embracing our current abilities and working with them. That’s not to say that decline is inevitable and that we shouldn’t strive to counteract the very real loss of muscle mass, bone density and so on. Instead, by shifting our mindset to being more appreciative, we foster a more positive relationship with our changing bodies and pave the way for continued independence and joy in our later years. We don’t need to underestimate what we’re capable of, but we also need to be careful not to tip into negativity, when we unexpectedly find our expectations too high. 

Finding your personal 'why' to move

Motivating ourselves to move more can often be challenging, especially without a compelling reason. Many of us don’t realise we’re almost lying in wait for a significant event, such as an injury or health scare, to shake us into action. 

My own wake-up call at 40 left me with  reduced mobility literally overnight. This forced me to confront the reality that I’d been taking my body's capabilities for granted.  There was a lot of anger that I hadn’t listened to my body’s warnings and huge amounts of frustration that I was stuck in a situation I felt powerless about. I now look back and see that I was almost fortunate to have an early wake up call. 

However, you don't need a dramatic event to find your motivation. If you are starting to notice that your movement isn’t as reliable as it once was and your view of your future is changing as a result, then listen to these signs you’re being given to act now. 

Start by considering the simple, everyday movements you enjoy and want to preserve. Perhaps it's the ability to have picnics on the grass, play with your dog or with children at ground level, ride a bike, walk in challenging terrain, or even seemingly more mundane tasks, such as putting on trousers standing up, or tie shoelaces with ease. Any of these reasons can become powerful motivators when viewed as essential to our quality of life and movements we choose not to lose.

By identifying your personal 'why' for staying active and particularly being both mobile and strong, you can create your own foundation for incorporating more movement into your daily routine. This proactive approach not only enhances your current well-being but also protects your future mobility. And if you don’t know where to start, this is where I love to help you. My 5 Day Course, ‘Move more naturally to live well’ is a brilliant place to get going. Register your interest by clicking here to be notified when the next course is being held. 

Planting the tree of movement

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now" - this proverb beautifully describes the idea that it's never too late to make positive changes. I firmly believe we can plant the seeds of better movement habits at any age and see improvement and progress. It’s critical that the yardstick you’re measuring your progress with is right for you and comes from a place of kindness. 

By making small, consistent changes to our movement patterns now, we can reap significant benefits in the long term. This could mean anything from starting a daily walk to incorporating more natural movements like ground time, squatting, reaching, and balancing into our routine. 

‘Training for your 90s’ begins today 

By embracing natural movement, we can strengthen our bodies, enhance our mobility, and ensure that we remain active participants in our own lives for as long as possible. It's about taking a good look at ourselves, setting realistic goals, and gradually building up our movement repertoire - but you’ve got to be in it, to win it! 

Ageing well with natural movement is about far more than just physical fitness; it's about fostering a positive mindset, finding personal motivation, and making incremental daily changes to our movement habits that leads to long-term benefits. 

At Reclaim Movement, we're here to support you on this journey. Let's embrace our bodies with kindness, celebrate our progress, and plant the seeds of movement that will sustain us for decades to come.

So, what's your 'why' for moving more? How can you start planting the tree of better movement habits today? 

Join us on this path to healthy ageing, and let's make our shared aim to have ‘the life in our years’!