To wrap up this section on daily health habits, I’ve got a few more suggestions to give you. And before I do, let me do it whilst answering this common question about being stiff.
The answer and “tips” I’ll provide soon after are done so to help you clear up the confusion that being “stiff” in your 50’s and 60’s doesn’t have to be so disabling. There are thing that you can do:
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“Paul… do you have anything (advice) for someone like me who ISN’T in a lot of pain. I’m just incredibly stiff everyday and suffering in a way that means I can’t do things as easily as I would like?”…
Anne – 52, Durham.
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Hey, good question.
And the answer: Absolutely. Take this client of mine Dave (Mid 40’s from Darlington).
He once came to me with a lower back so “stiff” that he could hardly get on and off his road bike.
He was struggling to play squash too. But he had very little pain. And well, I’ll let you see what Physio did for him in his own words, and why in the end, he opted for Physio:
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“For me, the real reason I choose Physio was because I never feel as though the GP takes stuff like this seriously. It seems that because I’m not in loads of pain, they really don’t want to know.
And when I have been in pain with my back, the GP just usually gives me painkillers. And what’s the point in that? Stops the pain for a bit but doesn’t do much to SOLVE the problems in the long run though, does it?
And to be honest, I’m beginning to think the real reason I am so stiff now, is because in the past, when I’ve gone to the GP with my bad back, nothing was done to sort it properly. So for me, Physio was the only option I wanted to actually get my lower back put right… and not just masked for a few weeks by a box of paracetamol.”
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So Physio Works if you’re just “stiff”, too.
But Physio isn’t the only answer if you’ve tipped 50 and your day just now takes just that little bit longer to get going on a morning because you’re as “stiff as a board”. Sure, Physio will help you fast, but there other options.
And with that in mind, here are 4 quick and easy “tips” to plug into your daily routine that will help you find a life with less stiffness:
1.) Swim – daily if possible but at least twice per week. Problems like arthritis are multiplied when you stop or slow down. Swimming offers a very simple and safe way of keeping joints moving and a regular dose of moving in the water is way better than any medication or “magic” pills that promise joint lubrication.
2.) Stretch – daily. There isn’t a comprise here. You need to be stretching daily. My tip, 7 minutes on a morning when you first get up, 7 minutes on a night before bed (doing Yoga just before bed can even help you find a much better nights sleep.)
3.) Avoid long periods of sitting. You’re better off stretching full out on the couch than you are sitting in a chair for long periods.
4.) Walk – for at least twenty minutes per day. Next time you need to make a long phone call, do it on your mobile and take a walk at the same time (And because you release so much more adrenaline doing it this way, this is a really great way to boost confidence. Ideal if it’s an important sales type call…)
The crazy thing is that most people accept stiffness in their life as though it’s normal. It really isn’t. Stiffness in joints such as back, neck, knee or ankle is a warning sign that something needs to be done – by you. Accept stiffness into your life and it will remain and get worse quick.
You might know Paul as an expert Columnist who writes weekly health articles for TWO of the North East's biggest daily Newspapers, The Northern Echo And The Hartlepool Mail, he is a regular Speaker at Industry Seminars around the globe and a Radio Personality, often heard on the BBC. Paul has been an expert guest on dozens of Radio shows and regularly interviewed in newspapers, magazines and trade journals all over the world, including the Guardian.
Paul’s background included working extensively in the Premier League with a Top Professional Football Team, and since quitting his job in Professional Football in 2007, his Physio Practice has become the fastest growing in the UK and biggest in the North East. So successful, that companies like BUPA, ASDA, The Vela Group And Coast & Country, repeatedly retain his Physio company's services to keep healthy their own staff and workforce. Paul Gough Physio Rooms is now a large multi-physio, multi clinic speciality practice in Darlington, Durham, Guisborough and Hartlepool.
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