The past ten days have been miserable. I’ve been dealing with minor back pain for the past month, and it finally got the best of me last Saturday. It started with some tight muscles, which I neglected to address right away by stretching. Then it progressed to an annoying pinch and then last week an innocuous sneeze or hiccup or whatever it was, drove me to my knees, literally, in waves of muscle spasms and unrelenting pain.
I know better. I needed to do three simple things.
Number one is stretching. When I take my time and do it right I do a slow warmup and mild stretching before every workout. Then at the end of the workout when my body is warm and my muscles are limber, I spend at least 15-20 minutes relaxing and stretching. When I do that my muscles stay flexible, I am less sore from my workouts, and I rarely if ever get injuries.
Number two for me is hydrating. When I work it can be challenging to drink enough water and use the restroom throughout the day. I do my best to hydrate when I am working but as soon as I am off duty I start consuming water as well as my other favorite hydration formula, coconut water. Florida summers are hot and I need to make sure I am drinking at least a gallon of clear water per day and a bottle or two of coconut water. When I don’t do this, my muscles will start cramping which can and often does lead to an injury.
Being dehydrated is very dangerous, especially for older men. When you are dehydrated your blood is thick and your heart has to work overtime to circulate. Staying hydrated is vital for top performance but also to avoid serious cardiac issues such as heart attack and stroke due to dehydration.
Number three is all about footwear. At 225lbs of body weight and carrying over 30lbs of equipment while I work, even the most sturdy work boots, insoles, and socks break down fast. I have to change my work and workout footwear, socks, and insoles about every 6 to 8 months or the support starts to fail which reduces stability putting stress on the lower body including the lower back. Shoes are always the hard ones to deal with as they may look perfectly fine but if they are not supporting your foot and ankle they need to be replaced regardless of how they look.
If you have old injuries like most guys do, you will probably experience far less discomfort if you exercise consistently, especially with resistance exercises like weight training. A staple of any exercise routine should be stretching to keep you agile, and flexible, and reduce or eliminate muscle and joint pain.
No matter your age, as long as you are alive, your body can grow, get stronger, more agile, more flexible, and less uncomfortable as long as you exercise regularly.
