Have you ever heard of a Blue Zone?
These are areas where on average the citizens live longer and healthier lives than those of the rest of the world. Many people in these areas live well into their nineties and even become centenarians (living to 100 and beyond).
There are quite a few things that the citizens of these areas do that increase their lifespan, but one of them is that they all value moving naturally – meaning not moving specifically for the sake of “working out”, but using the body in everyday activities like walking to and from destinations instead of driving, working in the garden, doing manual housework, and stretching, among other things.
So what do you do when your overall healthy eighty year old grandmother, who normally walks two miles and does yoga daily, is currently dealing with back pain and tells you that they think doctors just don’t care about the mobility of their older patients? It is frustrating that as we age we experience changes in our mobility.
Even in my mid-thirties I already notice changes in mobility from just a few years ago. I do my best to counteract them by stretching and moving my body daily, but over the years our aging bodies sometimes just do what they want. Knowing what we do about Blue Zones, it is safe to say that making sure to incorporate more natural movement into our daily lives is very important, but what if you are suffering from a back injury or age-related injury that limits your mobility?
We are very fortunate that local organizations like The Florida Institute of Human and Machine Cognition host excellent lectures on a variety of topics.
Researchers at IHMC pioneer technologies aimed at leveraging and extending human capabilities. As part of their community outreach, they offer free lectures featuring specialists in many fields and covering many topics. They are soon to host Dr. Stuart McGill, Professor Emeritus at The University of Waterloo who will be offering a free lecture delving into the clinical research completed throughout his career that looks into the mechanisms of back pain, how to rehabilitate back-pained people, and how to improve injury resilience and performance – even into our senior years.
Dr. McGill has spent 45 years studying mobility and how the spine works, and focuses on how the key is to create the most appropriate adaptations for each stage of life.
If you are currently dealing with back pain, are looking to prevent it in the future, or have a family member you would like to help, I highly recommend reserving a seat at this free lecture. It will be Thursday, March 30th from 5:30-7:00 pm at IHMC located at 40 South Alcaniz Street in Downtown Pensacola.
For additional information or to reserve a seat, check out www.ihmc.us/lectures/20230330/
Danielle Mullet
Owner, The Daily Squeeze
www.thedailysqueezepcola.com
danielle@thedailysqueezepcola.com
*Note from Local Pulse Editor: Danielle Mullet is a part of our Community Voices series. Community Voices is a group of Pensacola dwellers that are making a difference in our city by sharing best practices, experiences, their perspective on impactful subjects, and contributing expertise that leads to movement forward for a stronger community.
