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Lucas Rockwood to the Rescue
Lucas Rockwood to the Rescue
When I was 17 years old, I was in a bad car accident in a snowstorm on an icy road. I'm lucky to be alive. I double fractured my hip, broke my wrist and arm, and dislocated my elbow. I couldn't walk for 4 weeks and used a cane for several months. I recovered fully. Or so I thought. Physical therapy in the late 70's was not very sophisticated.
Decades later, my back kept flaring up. When I got serious about exercise, it became clear I had never completely rehabilitated from the trauma. The stress of my new active lifestyle on a forty-year-old injury laid bare the imbalances and workarounds my system had employed to keep me moving.
My back is still my weak link. Through strength training and a focus on mobility I’ve learned how to take care of it. I’ve addressed the muscular and postural issues that originated with the crash. I’m much better off now than I was ten years ago, even twenty years ago! No comparison. But it’s a constant irritant. If you have back or neck pain, you likely suffer from restricted mobility and weakness in places you don’t even associate with your back or neck.
Two years ago, I appeared to have pulled a muscle in my shoulder. My left side, from under my arm around to my shoulder blade was weak and sore. I couldn't do a push-up. Soon, my neck hurt. Shaving hurt. Down my forearm hurt. I couldn't sleep. Couldn't turn my head. Turns out a disc in my cervical spine was irritated and pressing on the nerve that goes down my left arm. Not a muscle issue at all!
How did it happen? What caused this? The physical therapist was unsure. I was told it was likely just a degenerative spinal condition and there was not much to be done. It probably wasn't any one thing that caused it. Just an aging body. Time to accept the inevitable and slow down...
Bullshit! I hate that ageist crap. That might be where we end up after trying everything else, but it’s sure as hell not where we start! Give me the physical therapy regimen you would prescribe to a forty-year-old and let’s see where we go.
Six weeks later. Much improved. Six months later. Gone. So much so that I had to look up my notes just now to remember which side hurt! I was diligent in my therapy, which addressed imbalances in my upper body and strengthened the affected area.
True, I was in good shape to begin with, and maybe I was a little lucky. The point is, I got better. I wasn’t too old. I had agency over my condition.
But how do I keep it from happening again?!?
I'm always on the lookout for ways to improve my mobility. It's all connected, but it's not intuitive. It's hard to know where to start. Tight ankles, hips or shoulders put stress on the lower back and neck area (the lumbar and cervical spine) which is where most of us feel the daily pressure of modern life and, yes, the undeniable process of aging.
Weak muscles in the core and back can't protect. Ligaments and tendons need attention. Nerves get pinched or "sticky." Movement is key to nourishing the joints and tissues. Without it they starve and lose elasticity. But when we hurt, we don't move. The less we move, the less we can move.
You don’t want that.
Here’s how to reverse it and avoid it.
Lucas Rockwood is an American yoga teacher who lives in
Barcelona, Spain.
Lucas Rockwood
He and his team provide training to yoga professionals. He also runs online courses to help regular folks like us improve our basic range of motion. Lucas is a calm and knowledgeable voice of reason in a chorus of noise from unqualified "experts" who pitch miracle cures and hacks on social media. He's upbeat and accessible. His methods are gentle but effective. No matter where you’re starting, Lucas’ 21-day programs will help you learn how to increase your strength, balance and flexibility, which will set you on a path to reversing and avoiding aches and pains while improving your mobility and functional fitness. If you are super fit now, a runner or weight lifter, tennis or golf player, you want to preserve your agility and range of motion to avoid injury. You're tight. This will help. If you are creaky and out of shape, this program is an excellent place to start. Lucas provides progressions and regressions of every exercise for all levels. Lucas asks for 15 minutes every day. That's it! Entirely doable for anyone. No excuses!
I recently completed the healthy back challenge. I learned several new stretches that I’ve incorporated into my own routine and found the course very valuable. Worth every penny of the $69 I paid. Each daily live video is professional and succinct. You connect through Zoom, and the technology really works. After each 15 minute session Lucas leads a live Q&A where he answers questions and adds more detail. It's not a required part of the course, but it sure is informative! All the sessions are archived, so if you miss the live class you can watch it later. You can rewatch them as much as you wish and the technology allows for comments and interaction with fellow classmates if you so desire. My class had about 185 participants.His next class begins on November 8th. I'm signed up for the healthy hips challenge. You should too. Fifteen minutes...All levels...Starts in five days!Here's a link to the website and an introductory video.
I’ve watched and listened to dozens of programs in my quest to learn more about health and fitness. Very few are worth a damn. Those that are get featured on SecondFifty. I’ve never met or spoken with Lucas. I get zero remuneration for this recommendation. I endorse him because he’s good. If you don’t own your basic range of motion you will suffer. If you don’t hurt now, congratulations. Do this program to keep it that way. If you do hurt or have lost mobility, this will help. Check it out. Thank me later😉 For my guide to mobility over fifty, which describes a simple daily stretching routine, see this section of the SecondFifty Blog.George
Stay Strong. Age Well.
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Who sent this letter:
I'm George Harrop, founder of
—an online resource for people who want to prioritize their health and wellbeing by taking a common-sense approach to nutrition and fitness. Many modern middle-aged people have spent the previous decades building careers and raising families.
Now we're committed to getting and staying fit during the second half of our lives. We're on a mission to age with more agility and ease! Join us →
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