View from our 3rd floor apartment
Lori and I spent last week on a ski holiday in a small village in Switzerland. We rented a sweet little apartment for the week. It was just right - sunny, clean and affordable. It was on the third floor of an apartment building with a lovely balcony and a view of the mountains.
We arrived after an overnight flight to Zurich and a three-hour train ride involving two train changes. We were tired. hungry and ready to get settled.
We found the key and entered the building through the garage as instructed, and then through a second door to the small lobby. The listing assured us there was an elevator. Unfortunately, the listing did not mention that in order to get to the elevator from the garage we had to first walk up 35 steep steps with our luggage!
So, after a couple of deep breathes and muttered expletives, that’s what we did.
We were greeted by an unexpected flight of stairs!
I knew the weight of our luggage because I had confirmed we would be under the airline weight limit.
I wore my 35-pound backpack and hoisted our large suitcase which weighed 68 pounds. Lori carried our two smaller suitcases of about 25 and 30 pounds each - up all the stairs to the elevator.
If we hadn’t been functionally fit, we would have been in trouble. Perhaps we could together have carried the heavier suitcase. But that would have been awkward since there is no easy way for two people to grip a large suitcase on narrow stairs. Maybe we could have figured out the handicap chair lift contraption on a rail by the stairs, but I don’t think so.
What might have been a disaster was only a minor nuisance. In fact, it was kind of gratifying to put our Farmer’s Carry and strength training to use in the real world!
Our reward was a lovely sunny morning in our bright apartment!
Ten days later we repeated the task, only this time we had to go down 35 steep steps! This actually proved more difficult than ascending and required careful balance to avoid tumbling down the stairs.
Going down was even more scary.
Balance and grip strength. The Farmer’s Carry put to real life use.
Here’s the thing…Our physical ability will diminish as we get older, but the physical demands of engaging with the world as we do now will not. Luggage wheels will break, escalators won’t work, obstacles and staircases will present themselves!
Our challenge is to build up our functional fitness reserves now to slow the decline, because loads and exertions that seem straightforward today will become difficult as the decades pass. We want to have a nice big strength reserve in the bank to draw from for years to come!
We’ve covered grip strength previously, and how it’s an overall measure of endurance and fitness. Click here for that more detailed discussion which includes a way to assess your current level of grip strength using the Hang Test.
If you aren’t familiar with the Farmer’s Carry, let me introduce you…
The Farmer’s Carry is excellent preparation for what many of us are doing this weekend…Hauling heavy bags of snowmelt and salt, and then shoveling snow!
Many consider the Farmer’s Carry exercise to be the epitome of training for functional strength.
It’s accessible, easily modified to your ability and a terrific way to strengthen your grip, core, back and shoulders, all while building balance and endurance.
Here’s a simple demonstration of the Farmer’s Carry…
Details:
Aim for a carrying time of 60 seconds.
Start light and add weight as you progress. Don’t worry about how much weight you can carry. Focus on increasing the load slowly over time.
Your ultimate goal should be to carry 50% to 75% of your bodyweight for the full 60 seconds.
Aim for 3-5 rounds of 60 second walks each week. You can add them to the end of an exercise session or do them on their own.
You don’t need fancy equipment. I typically use dumbells or kettlebells, but use whatever you have on hand. Grab a couple heavy cans of paint or fill two canvas bags with cans of food or bricks from the garden. In the video below I used two 42 pound water canisters last summer when I didn’t have dumbbells or kettlebells available. Note that I was shuffling along as part of a larger exercise…Walking is fine to start!
Be mindful of how you pick up the weight. Placing weight on a bench or table will make it easier to lift without straining your back. If you lift from the ground, do so with care, using legs and squatting down - not bending over from the waist! This becomes more important as you progress to heavier weight.
Our physiologic capacity will decline as we age, but the physical requirements of the activities we want to perform will not. The higher our Functional Fitness Reserve, the longer our capacity will last.
Mobility Reboot Series
As a newsletter subscriber you have access to my six part Mobility Reboot Series, which is comprised entirely of static, long hold stretches to get your body aligned and moving well. The password is: “mobility!”
Please email me with comments, questions, challenges you are experiencing or suggestions about what you would like to see covered here and on the website as you prepare for a vibrant second fifty years.
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Who Sent this Newsletter:
I’m George Harrop, founder of SecondFifty — an online resource for people who want to prioritize their health and fitness by taking a common-sense approach to living a vital and fulfilling second fifty years.
Many middle-aged men and women 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!
George is not a medical professional. This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice.
