Flexibility & Mobility: Non-Negotiable for Aging Well | Shebah Carfagna & Nate Wilkins

Flexibility and mobility underpin healthy aging and longevity.  In this episode Peter Bowes explores practical steps to enhance our ability to move with ease and remain active for as long as possible. Fitness trainers Nate Wilkins and Shebah Carfagna explain that sport-related strains, from pickleball to tennis, occur when warm-ups and range-of-motion work are neglected. We discover why everyday routines, from morning stretches to foam rolling and mindful cooldowns, are accessible habits that sustain independence and resilience. 

This is the latest in our 20-part series, Move for Life. You should consult your healthcare providers before starting or modifying a fitness routine.

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Transcript

Peter Bowes: 0:27

Flexibility and mobility, two things we often take for granted until we can't move like we used to. Hello again. Welcome to the Live Long podcast and our Move for Life series short episodes with Nate Wilkins and Shebah Carfagna, where we focus on the basics, what we can do every day to live longer, healthier lives.

Nate Wilkins: 1:05

So when you talk about flexibility, you're talking about the soft tissue going through a range of motion, almost like, you know, some sort of stretching or touching your toes. I would suggest. And then when you talk about mobility, you're talking about the joints moving through a range of motion like a. So think about it in terms of a deep squat without losing your balance. That's as simple as I can make that.

Shebah Carfagna: 1:34

Full range of motion. Yeah, mobility is about maintaining full range of motion. This is mobility. Full range of motion. Flexibility is the passive movement. So when you run into individuals that do Pilates and yoga they're very flexible because they practice that. Okay. They also have good range of motion. And so all of that is important. That is why it's important to cross train. The great opportunity to talk about cross training here, because you have to do that with all that strength training and and spinning and running and bicycling and push ups. You have to keep that range of motion and the muscles get tight and you want to have that kind of not that tightness. You know how you see bodybuilders and they're really tight. They don't have much range of motion and they're not very flexible either. So I think that is important for better health as well as longevity.

Nate Wilkins: 2:33

This is probably the key to longevity. You know you see people shuffling because they're afraid to move. So these two pieces are main pieces that people need to focus on.

Shebah Carfagna: 2:47

Well it reduces injury. You've got injury prevention and that's what's critical. You know you're not falling. You have a better movement in your joints, less imbalances. You know what side is. No two sides are alike. But you know you know where you need to work and you have that flexibility.

Peter Bowes: 3:06

Well, injury prevention is what I was going to ask you about, because that is a huge part of this, isn't it? Because once you're injured, that's it. I mean, it stops you in your tracks, and that's the point that you don't want to get to and you really have to. And a lot of people just don't think about injury prevention when they're exercising. And then it hits them and they become disillusioned. They become disillusioned and sometimes actually don't even resume exercising after the injury.

Nate Wilkins: 3:34

Well, a good example and I'm glad you brought this up. A good example for this would be this new thing of pickleball or padel. You see people training or not training, playing the sport, and they run into problems because one, they haven't stretched. They don't have the full range of motion, but because they like it, they think that they can do it. And so you find a lot of injuries with padel and pickleball.

Shebah Carfagna: 4:01

And tennis and tennis, there's not been a great focus. So individuals play tennis for a long period of time and haven't stretched. And so they find as they've gotten older these constant movements every which way aren't the easiest to do anymore. You know, you've got to have that flexibility and strength to move into longevity.

Peter Bowes: 4:22

So how do we incorporate flexibility and mobility exercises into our daily lifestyle. In other words, where do we start? What should we be doing? As a matter of routine. As a habit? Every morning, for example, with these issues in mind.

Shebah Carfagna: 4:40

Simple things is when you get out of bed to do a warm up, to move and stretch. You know, if you're talking to a person who's new to all of this, that movement and stretching, you know, bending over, standing up things that they would do in their normal daily living activities. So, you know, you wake up, you think about that if you walk your dogs, if you go to make coffee in the kitchen, you have to reach up in the cabinet. I see clients that have problems screwing things on and screwing things up. That, again, is flexibility of the hands. And I think you've got to get that in a mindset. So it's really about a mindset. Any exercise that you perform, whether you're pro or novice, you begin with the proper warm up, which loosens the body up and actually positions the body for a harder workout. Same with the cool down at the end. You need to do some movement flexibility exercises. Sometimes we recommend our clients do that before they go to bed, you know, and also the recovery and flexibility and mobility also fall into recovery because as you get older, the recovery time has to be greater than the workout time. The 80-20 principle 80% of rest, 20% exercise. There's a lot of 80-20s. 80% is what you eat. 20% is exercise. Most individuals, you can't get to understand that. Same with rest. As you get older, you have to rest more. And that's a mindset issue that I deal with.

Peter Bowes: 6:15

I think that's very significant what you've just said. And I think it's also true that, as you say, that most people don't think about that. And I think it's probably worth repeating that you spend more time recovering than you do doing the exercise.

Shebah Carfagna: 6:28

More time recovering so you could come up with an exercise plan is three for three. Three exercises. Three sets each. So we've talked about push ups walking. We've talked about cycling of some sort. From that you would need to recover. If you're just starting out with some stretches after drinking plenty of water. It's a whole kind of multidisciplinary thought process. Otherwise, you will not be as mindful and engaged because it's really about a mindset. What do you need to do to get to the finish line? And the way I coach is everyone is an Olympian. Whether you're in the Olympics or not, it is the Olympics of your life.

Nate Wilkins: 7:14

I teach a foam rolling class as an example. I suggest that people incorporate foam rolling. Now, some people don't like it. I mean, there's different levels of foam rollers. I'm quick to run into the gym, to jump on a foam roller and roll out my back. Roll out my shoulders. Roll out my hips. Long before I'm doing any running, walking or lifting weights for sure. I mean, because that just gets my range of motion, but also it allows me to stretch out the muscles so that I'm ready and not run into the aches and pains or an injury along the way.

Shebah Carfagna: 7:54

So there's many different aspects. You would just need to consult with a professional of some sort. Maybe your physical therapist. That's where you need to think about recovery. Sleep number one. Number one is sleep time resting the body. Because you can't do that impact that you did when you were 20. And just get up and go the next day. You know, you could go out all night when you were 20 and get up and go to work the next day. Even you, Peter.

Peter Bowes: 8:21

I mentioned even me. Yes, absolutely. I mentioned my dogs quite a lot when we're having these conversations. And with this issue in mind, we could learn a lot from our animals, from our dogs. Look at the way that a dog stretches when it gets up. Having been asleep on the couch, the first thing it does instinctively is to stretch and look at the importance that a dog puts on sleep and recovery. They don't think about it in the well, maybe they do, but they're different to us. They do it automatically. It is a mindset for those animals to be able to run through the hills with the agility that they have, right?

Nate Wilkins: 8:57

Second nature almost.

Shebah Carfagna: 8:59

It's all a mindset. It's all a mindset of you understanding yourself. And I think that's where, you know, people are finding their way on Instagram and following this. And there was a Beachbody workout and everybody thinks they have to look like a lifeguard. It's not that anymore. And that's where the priority of our scope of work focuses on is what is good for you. You have to say what is good for me, as opposed to look at what the examples are out there of what fitness represents. And I think that is the most largest misconception in the fitness industry is there is this goal that everyone has to look like this? Well, no.

Nate Wilkins: 9:40

I think it's at the top of the list that you got to get it done. I spent about 10 or 15 minutes with my classes of just mobility, flexibility, agility, moving fast because they they now want to do it. And so you got to practice it, in order to be able to do those things. That's what I would suggest.

Shebah Carfagna: 10:00

And the individuals we see with already who have diseases, cancer, Parkinson's, you know, the flexibility is so important, especially with someone with Parkinson's, because the body gets very rigid, the body gets rigid anyway as you age. But once you have a specific disease, it's important to release the mind, because the only thing you can think about and it's a it's a terrible thing. I've not been in that position of any serious disease, but I did have hip replacement. I'm having some hip issues is that you have to come to grips with what you need to do the work that area and release the mind from the thing that's in your face.

Nate Wilkins: 10:38

Peter, Shebah makes a good point that really what it gets down to is that the mind and the body has to agree.

Peter Bowes: 10:45

So good mobility keeps you strong and able to do those every day activities, from getting up from the floor to reaching for that top shelf. It reduces the risk of injury, improves posture, supports independence, and enhances our performance in whatever we want to do. The Livelong Podcast is a Healthspan Media production. I'm Peter Bowes, you can contact me through our website, LiveLongPodcast.com, where you'll also find show notes for this episode.

DISCLAIMER: 11:15

This podcast is for informational, educational and entertainment purposes only. We do not offer medical advice. If you have health concerns of any kind or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should first consult your doctor.