HEALTHY LIVING Build Mobility With BY LYNN ALLISON W


hile getting an hour of exercise daily is commendable, it is what you do during


the rest of your day that is most important to your fi tness and mobility, according to Kelly Starrett, co-author of the new book Built to Move. Our bodies were born


to move. We are meant to bend, stretch, reach, and squat, not just during a daily hour of exercise, but from dawn to dusk. “Contrary to popular belief, it’s


what you do those other 23 hours outside the gym that make or break us,” says Starrett, who is a doctor of physical therapy as well as a high- performance coach and consultant for professional athletes, U.S. Olympic teams, and military forces. Movement is medicine, he says. “The good news is that there are


little things we can all do to start clearing out the proverbial cobwebs and get our bodies literally moving in the right direction to get back on track,” Starrett tells Newsmax.


Focusing on movement


throughout the day helps both elite athletes to perform at the top of their game and nonathletes to become more agile, vital, and pain-free. While formal exercise


is important, it is not as important as practices that engage the muscles, tissues, bones, and joints in acts of simple yet vital movements. According to the


Mayo Clinic, sitting for prolonged periods of


time is linked to obesity, increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and unhealthy cholesterol levels. Sitting for more than eight hours


a day with no physical exercise increases the risk of dying, similar to obesity and smoking. In Built to Move, Starrett and his


co-author and wife, Juliet Starrett, off er assessments and ways to measure and improve your mobility score. One of the most famous evaluations is the sitting-rising test (SRT) for predicting longevity. A study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology


SITTING-RISING TEST (SRT)


These Simple Changes The more in control you are of your body, the less likely you are to fall and wind up in a nursing home. ::


JULIET AND KELLY STARRETT


found that the lower the score on the SRT, the more likely you were to die in the next six years. How to do the SRT: Stand next to


a wall or steady piece of furniture in case you need support. Cross one leg in front of the other and lower yourself to the fl oor in a cross-legged position without holding on to anything, unless you feel very unsteady. From this position, rise off the


fl oor. If you can rise without support, you achieve the perfect score of 10, the gold standard of range of motion in hips and other mobility factors. Points are deducted for using your


hands, forearm, or other body part to brace or support you, touching your knee to the fl oor, or any loss of balance. Do this assessment daily to note improvements.


TRY THESE SIMPLE MOBILITY BUILDERS


Simple changes, such as sitting on a stool instead of a chair, using a standing workstation, and walking around while on the phone will increase your strength and mobility. “Things like sitting on the fl oor for


10 minutes a day while watching TV, walking around barefoot, standing instead of sitting when you can reasonably do so, practicing getting up and down off the fl oor unassisted, balancing on one foot when you put on your shoes or brushing your teeth are simple steps to improve your mobility,” Starrett says. “The more in control you are of


your body now, the less likely you are going to fall and wind up in a nursing home or worse later. And it’s all cumulative, so sprinkling in 10 minutes here and there will help you feel less pain, prevent injury, live longer and more fully starting right here, right now.”


84 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | AUGUST 2023


ILLUSTRATION BY REMIE GEOFFROI / JULIET AND KELLY/TOMMY SULLIVAN


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