If getting up from scrubbing the travel dirt off the RV floor requires grasping for ledges, copious amounts of grunting, or a helpful hand from your honey, beware. The gloomy message from a recent study is that you may not live as long as your fellow fit RVers. Those who can get down to the floor and back up easier tend to live longer, according to Dr. Claudio Gil Araújo, who was the leading author on the study at the Clinimex-Exercise Medicine Clinic in Rio de Janeiro.
This doesn’t surprise me a bit, and shouldn’t surprise you either. The ability to rise from the floor requires a high level of functional strength and coordination. The inability to get up is a clear indicator that sarcopenia (muscle wasting that occurs with age) is well under way, and it’s time to do something about it.
But what can you do? I’LL TELL YOU WHAT! Turkish Get-Ups.
(EDIT: Oh for crying out loud. This is ABSOLUTELY the LAST TIME I trust James to upload images for me. That’s it honey – if you ever thought you were getting a hookah, forget it now. I mean THIS kind of Turkish Get Up)
Don’t be fooled, friends, by the simplicity of this exercise. These little beasts will kick your cabooses. Turkish Get-Ups (TGU) are a highly functional activity that require all your muscles to work together. I wholeheartedly believe that learning and practicing the TGU every day for the rest of your life will be one of the best investments you make towards keeping yourself on the road longer.
To perform: Keeping one arm extended to the ceiling, start by lying down on your back. Use your free hand to push you up to sitting. Move to a kneeling position. From there, stand up. Repeat the steps backwards until you are lying down again. That’s one rep. Do 5 and then repeat the movements on your other side 5 times.
Even better, check out our Turkish Get-Up workout video. We take the TGU and break it into phases to make things interesting!
I LOVE the humor of your Turkish get-up graphic! LOL. I’m showing my wife this so we can add it to our RV exercise repertoire when we hit the road later this year. As we age, we realize it is CRITICAL to focus on fitness and the Turkish Get-Up is an ideal way to keep your mobility and agility. The goal I’m setting for us (late 50’s) is to get at least 1/2 hr, but shooting for 1 hour of significant workout every day no matter where we are. I LOVE your approach to exercise on the go, Stephanie. So much of what you say makes such good sense, with a practical and humorous approach. Keep up the good work!
Gordon
That was actually an outfit from James’ closet, LOL! I love hearing from like-minded RVers, Gordon, thanks for your kind words! You are totally right about the importance of fitness as we age. It’s so simple. You want to age well? You have to exercise. Non-negotiable. Keep in touch when you and your wife start traveling, and let us know how those 1/2 to one hour workouts go!