How I Saved My Body From Being a Worn Out, Middle Aged Sack of Crap

I'm younger now than I was 10 years ago

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How is your body doing? Is everything in tip top shape? Or are you creaky and sore and “getting old?” I know from personal experience that there might be something you could do about it.

Don’t buy into the commonly held ideas about life after 35. Everyone will tell you that you have no choice but to be old and worn out.

But you do have the power to make things better.

People walk around saying useless things like:

“Wow, I sure am feeling sore today. That’s just the way it goes.”

“We aren’t getting any younger. It’s all downhill from here.”

“I just can’t drink on the weekend like I used to. Better face it, we aren’t kids anymore.”

“My knees are just worn out. Walking hurts.”

“Let’s curl up and die. I’m so pitiful.”

Ok, I made up the last two sentences, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t implying it.

Listen, I’ve been there. But we don’t have to roll over and accept feeling like this.

What causes all of those aches and pains? A lot of it comes down to lack of maintenance. Poor diet and chronic inflamation also factor in, but without doing proper body maintenance, things are gonna tighten up, tendons and ligaments get inflexible, and toxins build up.

Your fascia is the thin connective tissue that wraps around every structure in your body. It’s full of nerve endings and is as sensitive as your skin is. Repetitive motions can clump it up, or stretch it thin.

Think about sitting, the most repetitive “motion” know to modern society. All of that sitting forces your fascia into a locked, stagnant position. Low blood flow. Hardly any oxygen getting in there. Streched tight in some spots, in a big clump in others.

Fascia gets sticky, clumps together, and will never unclump on its own. You massage therapist can unclump it to a degree, sometimes by causing you massive amounts of pain and discomfort. But there’s no therapist that can replace natural activity.

Do you repetitively lift weights or do some other exercise, like running? Then you are clumping up fascia. It isn’t just inactivity that causes the problem.

Lack of motion and repetitive tasks cause all kinds of little damages to build up in the fascia and other connective tissues. And since we never actively do anything about it, our body gets farther and farther behind on the maintenance.

Lack of stretching and movement causes pain. That isn’t “getting old.” That’s neglect.

Chiropractors and Massage Therapists Were My Only Relief

A bunch of years ago, I was going downhill fast. My lower back was always sore. My legs ached. I couldn’t crouch down for more than a few seconds without excruciating pain.

My neck needed a new neck— real bad.

How did I get in such rough shape? Well, I’ve done a lot of manual labor over the years. I ran hand tools like drills, wrenches and grinders. I lifted heavy pipes, valves and industrial stuff into position. I climbed ladders, stood on concrete floors for hours, and knelt on floor grating.

After I moved up the corporate ladder, I spent hours each day pounding out the paperwork as a keyboard jockey. I wasn’t working ergonomically correctly in any way. We didn’t have fancy desks, it was the cheapest corporate junk on sale.

My back was always on the verge of seizing up.

My elbows, shoulders and knees ached 24–7. Without my weekly appointments to take the edge off the pain, life was really tough. I needed the chiropractor and massage therapist.

They did their best. They worked me over and gave me exercises to do at home. It was never enough. Everything just got out of whack with my body only days after my visits. I was getting desperate.

My massage therapist suggested yoga. At first, I didn’t listen, because I wasn’t interested in doing the work.

I wanted to be a victim.

Poor me. My body hurts. Fix me.

But eventually, I warmed up to the idea of yoga, and taking control of my healing. The only problem was that I was too intimidated by the idea of going to a yoga class and having people see me struggle like a loser.

So, I watched videos on YouTube and followed along. I found everything about the poses and the classes challenging, but I persisted.

I started feeling better right away.

I found a 90 day yoga challenge with Lesley Fightmaster. It was called called Yoga Fix 90, and it promised to build a daily yoga practice for life. I didn’t think I was ready, but I decided to try it anyway.

Yoga every morning before work, for 90 days, was a real stretch.

I found that if I spread my yoga mat out on the floor on the way to the bathroom the night before, I had the best luck. Bleary eyed and headed to the john, I would step on it and realize that I was supposed to be doing yoga. For me, this worked. It was that little nudge that I needed to get me on that mat. I laid out everything I would need— a pillow, my workout gear, wireless earbuds so I could hear the YouTube video, a yoga block. I tried to make it dead simple so there would be no excuses.

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90 Days of Yoga Later

The difference in my body was like night and day. I went from worn out to full of energy. From tight and crampy to free and confident. From slumped and sad to eager and ready. My posture improved, my core got stronger, and my back stopped hurting. It was like a new lease on life. I knew I would never go back to my old self. I would keep doing yoga. There wasn’t any other option.

Since then, I have kept up my yoga practice. I go to the occasional in-person class, but mostly I use videos and video. Yoga happens almost every day in one form or another. I have several routines memorized that take from 15 to 30 minutes.

My daughter was inspired by my experience and also does yoga. Sometimes we practice together, which is really cool. She isn’t as hardcore as I am about it — yet.

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It Doesn’t Have to Be Yoga

You could take up Barre, Pilates, or another routine that stretches you out. You could foam-roll your body too, although this won’t get as much bloodflow and oxygen in there.

The main thing is to get in more movement and stretching. Yoga just happens to hit all the bases.

Increased oxygen and blood flow to the tissues, alleviation of pain and stress, increased core strength, improved posture, and improved balance are all results from practicing yoga daily. Inner peace, well being and happiness also might result.

But once a week isn’t going to cut it.

Going to a yoga class once a week and expecting any real results is like sleeping once a week and expecting to stay alive. Every other day is the minimum I personally need before my whole body tightens up.

My morning routine only takes 15 to 20 minutes. I’ve got it memorized and it flows by fast and easy every day. And I have come to enjoy it as much as coffee ( which is saying a lot!)

You don’t have to live with pain and a back so sore that it ruins every day. You can get out of bed able to walk upright.

These days, I can stand on hard surfaces for hours without it leaving me crippled. I give yoga credit for how young I look and constantly get mistaken for someone 10 years my junior. It’s a good problem to have.

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Now: I’m talking specifically to anyone under 50 who limps around moaning in pain and whining about getting old, but has done nothing to prevent their muscles from tightening up with stress and damage, and has the core strength of a noodle.

Are you going to lie down and accept feeling like a worn-out old piece of garbage, or are you gonna take charge and help your body out? This is one of those moments where you could make a choice and decide to feel better.

Or you can just let it happen.