Bend before you Break

Flexibility and Mobility

To gauge mobility, try repeatedly picking up an item from the floor and placing it on a high shelf. For a tougher test, sit on the floor, pick up a tennis ball, then stand on one leg to place it on a high shelf, assessing balance, strength, and mobility.

Many believe aging alone causes loss of movement, but it is often due to disuse. Our joints require their full range of motion; without use, our bodies stop sending necessary signals for these actions.

Evolution has shaped us to move, as Ido Portal notes: “we are humans first, movers second and then only specialists.”

Essential movements—like standing up from the ground or reaching overhead—reflect our hunter-gatherer origins, not just athletic skill. Maintaining these abilities preserves core human function, since movement is fundamental to our design even if modern life no longer demands survival-based activity.

Loss of Movement and Its Consequences

For many individuals, not just older people – tasks that were once simple—such as rising from the floor, climbing stairs, or reaching up to a shelf to retrieve food—have become significant challenges.

These lost movements are not just minor inconveniences; they carry considerable consequences.

The decline in our ability to perform such basic actions results in a greater dependence on healthcare systems, costing millions through increased reliance on medications, hip replacements, and shoulder surgeries. Ultimately, this represents a generation losing its independence in movement.

While we may not face the threat of starvation due to an inability to hunt or gather food, our very survival is still at risk, beginning with the gradual loss of our physical autonomy.

Mobility, from the root “MOV-ER,” is our active ability to move freely, distinct from flexibility, which is passive. For example, mobility is lifting your arm yourself, while flexibility is having someone else do it for you. Many yoga practitioners may be flexible but lack human required motion within their joints.

Neglecting natural movement increases injury risk and diminishes vitality, much like draining water from a river. It’s not age but reduced movement that accelerates aging; keeping mobile is essential for independence and well-being.

The Interplay of Flexibility and Strength in Mobility

Mobility represents a unique quality, distinct from flexibility alone. It is the harmonious combination of flexibility and strength that allows us to move freely and efficiently in our daily lives.

Consider, for example, the act of holding the leg aloft on one side—this seemingly simple movement underpins our ability to walk unaided, ascend stairs, climb over obstacles, and get in and out of vehicles. For such actions, the muscles surrounding the hip must be long enough to permit the required bend, yet strong enough to move the leg through the air without support.

Similarly, reaching overhead involves more than just having length in the muscles of the arm; it demands sufficient strength in the shoulder muscles to lift the arm upwards.

The same principle applies to movements such as lowering oneself to the floor and standing up again, which require both adequate flexibility and strength in the hips and knees. It is this continual balance between muscle length and strength that underpins our freedom of movement—our mobility. In essence, our tissues must be both supple and robust to serve us well in daily life.

Merely possessing joints that move freely, but lack integrity and function, serves little practical purpose. For instance, being able to touch one’s toes offers limited benefit if it does not translate into the ability to bend down and stand up comfortably. Likewise, there is little point in being able to chest press a heavy weight if the shoulder is unable to perform simple tasks, such as reaching for a can of beans on a high shelf, without pain.

The Influence of Daily Habits on Tissue Length

The length and quality of our tissues are directly shaped by the movement patterns we engage in each day. For instance, spending extended periods—such as eight hours a day—seated causes the muscles at the back of the hip to adapt to that habitual position. Over time, these muscles gradually lengthen, while the muscles in the chest begin to shorten in response to the lack of variation in movement. This adaptation reflects the body’s tendency to respond to the positions it is most frequently placed in.

On the other hand, when certain movements are rarely performed—such as fully reaching the arm overhead—the muscles and tissues within the shoulder adapt in a different way. They become accustomed to the limited range of movement that is commonly used, which ultimately restricts flexibility and functional capacity over time. Put simply, the principle applies: what is not used is progressively lost, as the body continually remodels itself to suit the demands, or lack thereof, placed upon it.

The Brain–Body System and Movement Efficiency

This phenomenon does not occur because the brain or body “forgets” how to perform a movement—nothing in the system simply shuts down. Rather, the brain and body work with remarkable efficiency. When a movement is not used, the brain reallocates the energy required elsewhere. Every aspect of motion in the body draws on a range of resources—energetic, chemical, neurological, and psychological. Thus, every movement emerges as a complex strategy coordinated by the brain–body system.

The Necessity of Effort and Strength for Lasting Change

The body does not grant new movement freely or without reason—there must be effort. Achieving greater muscle length is not as straightforward as stretching an elastic band. While there may be some immediate, short-term change in tissue length due to the “viscoelastic” properties of muscle, lasting improvements require the brain and body to be convinced that the new range is controllable and safe.

The Role of Strength in Achieving Lasting Flexibility

This is where strength plays a crucial role. To gain lasting flexibility, it is essential not only to reach a new range of motion but also to demonstrate control and strength within that range. Without this foundation of strength and control, improvements in flexibility may be fleeting.

The body, much like a strict teacher insisting on a resubmission, will not accept or maintain the new level of movement unless it is supported by adequate strength. True, enduring flexibility comes from the combination of increased range and the muscular ability to manage that range safely and effectively.

Remember – the body adapts its muscles and tissues based on the movements we regularly perform, causing a loss of flexibility when certain movements are neglected. This change is not due to the body forgetting how to move, but rather the brain prioritising efficiency and reallocating resources when movements are unused.

Keeping Movement at the Centre of Health

Keeping up with fundamental movements daily is key for a healthy, mobile body. Regular mobilisation and proper stretching boost flexibility and help maintain safe motion.

Movement should remain at the heart of any approach to health, as it encourages the body to adapt positively and maintain its capacity for effective being human motion.

In short, consistent movement is key to ensuring that our muscles and tissues remain supple, responsive, and prepared for the demands of life.

Keep Moving.