If you want to enjoy a healthy, active lifestyle as you age, you’ll require strength, endurance and mobility – a good range of usable motion in your joints – to do so.

Mobility goes beyond flexibility, and is one of the most important factors to focus on as we age. That’s true whether you want to ski all winter long, golf on your snowbird getaway or just put your bag in the overhead compartment as you board your plane.

So what’s the difference between mobility and flexibility? Flexibility is what someone can do to you – it’s passive. Like when a physical therapist bends your leg into a certain position. But mobility is in another camp – mobility is DOING the work yourself.

A simple comparison: When we bend at the waist to touch our toes, with gravity pushing us down, that’s flexibility; we see mobility when, for example, we stand on one foot and raise the other as high as possible in front of us.

Regardless of whether you ski or just want to remain pain-free and avoid falling, mobility is essential. It is just as important for everyday tasks like putting on a coat or getting out of bed without stiffness.

Mobility exercises usually involve bodyweight and other strength training moves, like squats and rows. They give us long-lasting ability to move joints properly and avoid pain, more than mere stretching, which can bring temporary relief.

We need the strength training for a simple reason: Muscles move bones.

Why Mobility Matters

Can you squat down and then get back up? How high can you raise your foot in front of you – or behind you? Moving with stability and control (another phrase for “mobility”) can become more challenging as we age. With poor mobility, we can lose the ability to do things we enjoy; have a higher risk of falling; and experience social isolation.

Studies suggest that the more we exercise, the better off we’ll be. Mobility limitations in older adults are commonly caused by low physical activity, strength or balance impairment, obesity, and chronic illness like diabetes.

In addition to strength training, mobility work often includes foam rolling, mobility drills, and stretching. By working out to increase our mobility, we help avoid injury; protect and support joints; and maintain a fuller range of motion.

Move It Or Lose It 

Joint pain and limited movement are often made worse by our sedentary lifestyles. We sit a lot. We don’t move a lot for work. We look at screens too much.

If you sit at a desk all day in a rounded, slouched position, your body will migrate to that position of familiarity over time. If you regularly do bench presses and other chest exercises without giving your back equal attention, that, too, will lead to an unflattering rounded back. Constantly texting and looking down at your phone? Poor posture, pain and dysfunction could result.

For maturing adults, mobility work is essential for a safe, healthy lifestyle – whether you’re picking up grocery bags or kettlebells; cleaning house or completing a workout.

-Shelley Turk (Functional Aging Specialist/owner at ProActive Fitness)