The other day I was watching my husband put water into the freezer to make ice. The way our ice tray fits into the freezer is a bit like a drawer. The tray itself is filled up to the edge with water, so it could spill over easily. But it according to him it was always difficult to put this tray in without spillage.
Days later I reflected on this phenomenon. It came to me that perhaps it could be a case of lacking mobility and therefore missing motor control.
This then makes me think how many seemingly insignificant actions that don’t work out how they are expected to are actually due to deficiency in movement. Movement and mobility we once had but since lost. I find it challenging to look at my own inefficiencies and really start to analyse them. ‘Could I ever do….[something you have attempted] or is it because I can’t reach there at the required particular angle or have I lost strength in that range’? Even worse, is there pain at the end range? And why would there be pain? This is, I guess, one of the issues with getting older…. . But am I prepared to just dismiss my deficiencies into that fact? For myself, no. But it saddens me that so many people just do.
The third question would be: Do I even know that this could be different, that I could move better? And perhaps not many people are happy to just accept not knowing. But for me that would irk me. Especially when there are many great professionals out there pointing out that things don’t have to remain the way they currently are.
To overcome that I focus on the end of comfortable range of motion and my proficiency there in a variety of activities every day. I just think that subscribing to the idea of old age is too limiting to enjoy life rich in movement and energy.
The best quote I have heard recently by my Kinesiologist : I won’t let an old person creep into my body. A great thing to live by.