Feeling a little rusty?
Well, an experienced physical therapist has revealed four things you should always be able to do with your body to stay fit and functioning if this is one of your concerns.
Sammy Spiegel, who is from Missouri and has worked in outpatient orthopedics for 13 years, gives her top tips for “aging gracefully in terms of physical movement” in a TikTok video.
Cartwheel down to see what four things Spiegel recommends to keep rust at bay.
Stand on one leg and balance for up to 10 seconds
Sammy Spiegel has spent 13 years in outpatient orthopedics. She offers her top tips for “aging gracefully in terms of physical movement,” including being able to stand on one leg
Spiegel says the things she recommends are things that she’s “consistently seen over the last decade creeping up on people and they don’t realize they’re less and less capable of it.”
She says it’s only when she asks patients to do something that they realize they can’t and they’re “so surprised.”
Leading up in her TikTok clip — which has been viewed more than 660,000 times — she says people should be able to stand on one leg for up to 10 seconds and keep their balance.
To explain why it’s important to stand on one leg longer, she says, “It improves your ability to take a nice long stride so you don’t end up shuffling and significantly reduce the chance of falling.”
One person asked Spiegel for a tip to improve balance, as they commented that they “can’t stand on one leg for more than a second.”
For people with poor balance, Spiegel recommends starting with marching and increasing lift times from there.
Get up from a chair without using your hands
Number two on Spiegel’s checklist is the ability to get up from a chair without using your hands
Number two on Spiegel’s checklist is the ability to get up from a chair without using your hands.
The physiotherapist, who has more than 20,000 followers on TikTok, says this is basically the same as squatting and there’s no need to go to the gym anymore.
She advises, “Every time you get up from a chair, think, ‘I’m not going to use my hands.’
“See if you can do it, if not, we have some work to do. If you can, do it for the rest of your life and don’t stop!’
Being able to get up from the floor
For people who are younger, Spiegel says this pointer “sounds ridiculous,” but for older people, getting up from the floor can be a “massive fear.”
The movement expert recommends that you practice going up and down every day from an age when you can still do it
For people who are younger, Spiegel says this clue might “sound ridiculous,” but for older people, getting up from the floor can be a “massive fear” because they could fall and injure themselves.
The movement expert, who graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2010, recommends practicing going up and down every day from an age when you can still do it.
She concludes: ‘That way you have the muscles to do that for the rest of your life.’
One person commented in the comments section that “getting up from the floor is really hard for me.”
She added, “In the end, I’m doing it like a baby, just learning to walk with hands and feet on the floor and. . [my backside] in the air.’
Spiegel said in response: ‘They say the way babies move is how we should. Back to basic.’
The ability to lie on your stomach
For her final point, Spiegel says not everyone will agree with her, but she thinks you should “always be able to lie on your stomach”
For her final comment, Spiegel says not everyone will agree with her, but she thinks you should “always be able to lie on your stomach unless you have a medical disability.”
She continues, “There’s no reason why you can’t lie on your stomach [or] sleep on your stomach, it helps to ensure that you can keep your back nice and straight.
“If you can’t lie on your stomach without your back hurting, we need to stretch, okay?”
Spiegel says many people cannot lie on their stomach to sleep because they cannot turn their head to the side.
She emphasizes that this is an indication that you’ve lost range of motion in your neck, so it’s a good position to try.
The Missourian notes, “Otherwise you’re just going through life driving your car and thinking you’ve got a good range of motion, looking in your rear view mirror, but you’re [actually] twist your whole body, not just your neck.’
One TikTok user says she follows all of Spiegel’s directions except sleeping on her stomach. She notes: ‘[It’s] not very comfortable for busty girls.’