You Care About Your Longevity, But You're Doing This...
If physical longevity is a goal of yours (and I'm willing to guarantee that it is),
You need to know that potentially the most critical part of longevity is
preserving as many movement options as possible for as long as possible.
This is a broad principle, but I see it all the time.
If you've cut out options from your life, you're compromising your longevity.
If you say things like, "I don't do that anymore", you're compromising your longevity.
Take a second to reflect: is there anything that you used to do that you don't do anymore? Big or small.
Why did you choose to leave behind that activity?
Did someone take away your autonomy and tell you to no longer perform that activity?
"Oh, I don't run anymore"
"Oh, I don't lift heavy anymore"
"Oh, I don't boulder anymore, I only sport climb"
"Oh, I don't do squats. That's too much stress on my knees"
"Oh, I don't jump anymore"
"I don't do X anymore"
Not that any of these examples aren't valid choices that anyone could make. But they should be intentional decisions.
The more options you cut out, the more movement freedom you lose. The less life there is to be lived.
It's a slippery slope. The subtle mindset shift of allowing in self-limitation can change your entire perception of your life. If left unchecked, this mindset creeps more and more as time goes on.
Partially to blame are doctors, physical therapists, or trainers who cut out movement options ("it hurts to do that? Just do this instead") ("it hurts to do that? Just don't do that") ("don't do that - it's dangerous") without intentionally reintroducing what was taken away. I have too many anecdotes about this to count, and the internet is filled with examples like this.
What options have you given up? Have you noticed this in people you care about? I would love to hear your reflections if this feels personally applicable for you.
