By Phillip Tomlinson
New York City Personal Trainer & Martial Arts Instructor

Many years have passed, but I still remember her as if it were yesterday.

An old, silver-haired woman, perhaps in her late 80s, hunched over on a cane as she ambled up the incline of a Brooklyn street.

With determined purpose, she disappeared up the hill and I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of a little something that there wasn’t someone with younger legs to accomplish the errand on which she had so dutifully set out
But that wasn’t exactly that.

That’s because a half-an-hour later, as I happened outside, there she was again climbing that hill, a satisfied smile on her lined face. Then it hit me. This was no errand. No, Charlie. Not in the least.

Nothing — not age, not slow steps, not any old excuse would keep this determined soul from her early morning exercise.
So, just how determined are you to keep your muscles firing for as long as possible?

And if your image of “as long as possible” is a rocking chair, think again because you’ll need to lose that image if you want to be functional for the long haul.

In fact, it would benefit you to entertain an entirely different picture — say a picture of your entire body.
That’s because researchers would like you know that fascia, a thick connective tissue covering all your muscles, takes it cue from what you do and can be the difference between incapacity and vitality.

The trouble is that fascia tends to set in the position your muscles are in most often. And guess what? Fascia influences your muscles to adapt to what you do most.

So, if you are a couch potato, and trots out the usual lame excuse about not having enough time to exercise, know this: If you are planted all day, you will eventually become less adept at things like standing, walking, running and jumping. And well-adapted to sitting. Not much of a consolation.

According to researchers, this unfortunate circumstance, while not noticeable right away, will eventually manifest itself and you will be a perfect example of what happens to older people who primarily suffer locomotion problems, not because they are old but because of what they consistently did from day-to-day over time.
“Motion is lotion” has never meant more.