In circumstances where financial investment is involved, size often equates to value.
For example, when shopping for a diamond ring, steak, boat, RV, or house. The more expansive the item is in size, the easier to justify the price.
With your body and good health, there are also factors where bigger really is better!
Change is just a factor of life in the post-retirement body, some for the better, others not so much. Because your health and movement management needs shift with age, so should your daily habits. This means springing for the larger “deluxe model” is, sometimes, the better value!
Below are five examples of things where going big produces the best bang for your good-health buck:
- While taking BIG steps when you walk gets you where you want to go in less time, taking larger steps also increases stability by creating surface area (reducing fall risk), minimizes shock transferred to the joints, and produces functional linearity in your muscles – which naturally maintains flexibility.
- Though your overall calorie needs diminish as you age, your need for a BIGGER protein ratio on the plate becomes more critical. Shifting to a higher percentage of protein to carbohydrates improves blood sugar stability and promotes satiation (helping you feel fuller, faster, and longer) while providing your body with the vital amino acids to keep your muscles strong and healthy.
- Taking in BIGGER breaths when you inhale and prolonging the exhale vastly improves energy levels, enhances mental focus, reduces stress/anxiety, and even helps you fall asleep faster! In addition, virtually all things life within your body are oxygen-driven, so when you provide your body with a sufficient supply, the efficiency in which these systems operate is significantly improved.
- BIG muscles are not just for show! In this context, there is a vast difference between muscle development and muscle over-development. Muscles developed properly through structured strength exercises maintain a healthy density, which is not the same as volume (like for bodybuilders). This density protects you from injury, facilitates movement, provides structural alignment/support, and increases energy metabolism.
- BIG movements produce BIG results! Therefore, it is important to seek out strength exercises involving multiple joints (presses, rows, squats, deadlifts, etc.) and regularly work your body as a whole unit. This approach is more mechanically efficient than single-joint or machine exercises, and the benefits of keeping the brain in sound control of your movement are vastly improved.
For many, seeking moderation or minimizing resource expenditures with age is a natural compulsion. However, just like with picking out that ideal house, RV, or even selecting a cruise ship for that next vacation – sometimes bigger is just better!
Joe Carson B.S. NASM-CPT/FAS/CN
Master Trainer/Functional Aging Specialist/Certified Nutritionist