Stay Healthy, Stay Fit, Be You

This is a topic that I am almost hesitant to even try to tackle in a blog post because as a physical therapist I see all the nuance behind trying to stay healthy and fit as a parent (or as anyone!) I marvel at the way my kids move around, the level of activity they undertake in a day, and the speed at which they can start and stop movements. They aren’t waking up each day wondering how much movement to do, what to do to optimize their mobility, or how to not get injured. (Sometimes I wish they would think a little more about not getting injured.) Simultaneously, I laugh at the ways my body gets tighter and stiffer as I get older, the amount of inertia I can have after sitting on the couch, and the slowness with which my muscles start to move after I start to jog sometimes. That explosive power I had back as a kid is definitely harder to summon in middle age! But I absolutely know- both from the way I feel and the way I see a variety of my patients of all ages move- that staying fit and healthy in the capacity with which you have been given* is essential to being a good parent, and I may even argue, to truly being present to this miraculous life we’ve each been given. 

And this being fit is more about having good energy than it is about winning any races. It’s about saying yes to your kids when they want to explore because your body has the capacity to enjoy the exploration- the walking, bending, squatting, etc. It’s about going out for a jog with your kids when they have energy to burn because connection and movement together can settle the most hyperactive of kids but they wouldn’t feel inspired to do it themselves. It’s about the patience that is self-generated when your body feels good and does not feel drained by the relentless demands of parenting. It’s about the readiness of your body to attend to an injury or prevent a fall on a playground without having to be a helicopter parent. And it’s about the feeling that even amidst all the things there are to do as a parent, you can and do find time to take care of your body. What a gift that modeling is to your kids, too! 

Being fit comes in so many varieties and my ultimate message to you in this general post about the importance of exercise is that essentially all movement is good movement. Start there. Of course there are ways to optimize function and specific considerations that can be helpful for individual planning. But if you aren’t sure what to do and haven’t started out of fear of doing the wrong thing, you can rest assured that as long as your movement isn’t painful (sore is okay, actual pain generally is not) or you have complex and ongoing medical conditions that require oversight and monitoring, any movement you choose is likely to build or at least maintain strength, aerobic endurance, or general capacity in some way. And as we age, we are fighting time to prevent the loss of strength, flexibility, and endurance. So putting in any reps to counteract the effects of aging is a good use of time! 

It is a hobby that many people find they really enjoy once they find some type of exercise they enjoy. So start there. It shows your kids that you care about yourself, that you are interesting, and that you care about being able to keep up with them. Then maybe one day our generation of aging parents can look back and say that we tried our best and kept up with our kids as long as we possibly could. 

*It is important to me to note that not being able to move is absolutely okay. I work with patients with neurologic diagnoses which can include stroke, multiple sclerosis, ALS, degenerative diseases, brain tumors, etc. Sometimes these patients have virtually no active muscle control. When working with these patients, my role is to work with them to improve their ability to do what is meaningful to them. As a result, we often look at movement creatively. Instead of thinking about getting back to “walking the way I used to,” we reframe walking as being able to exercise for 30 minutes at a time or being able to enjoy time with my family or explore a national park. There is abundant creativity in our technological world with figuring out ways to get around or experience life even with limitations in mobility. 

So I always try to balance these two things: the knowledge that exercise affords amazing health benefits to you, protects you from many common diseases, and builds your capacity instead of watching it decline as you age as well as the fact that we are all limited and will continue to get more limited in various capacities as we age. This is not through any fault of our own but is the natural evolution of life. I have seen the most beautiful lives of individuals and families with absolutely limited mobility, and I don’t for one second believe that you have to move to have a good life. But I also know what so many of my patients would give to be able to use their bodies again in the ways they once could. So let’s take advantage of what our body is giving us, let’s take care of it, and let’s show our kids how strong we really are.