If we can potentially need to do it, then we need to train for it.
This is true for all humans regardless of age.
There is value in moving quickly. Too often, as age advances, we retreat from moving faster. In an effort to be careful, we overcorrect and can potentially diminish vitality and lifespan.
The concept of “powerpenia” is the loss of the ability to produce power. Loss of power is the leading predictor of falls. Maintain power and you can react quickly to a stumble. Further, you get better bone density and cognitive function as additional “side effects.”
But faster is also more scary. A little fear makes us pay attention to details and get stuff right. Too much paralyzes us and prevents action. Move quickly in appropriate ways and in multiple directions with both the upper and lower body.
For my entire career, I’ve had instincts that have served me well when delivering fitness guidance. I have always recommended people to train for whatever life can possibly make you do – climb stairs, get up and down from the floor, and yes, move rapidly.
It makes a kind of self-evident common sense that is independent of the need to be backed by research, but there is now research that is just beginning to illuminate our understanding of this phenomenon. Reviewing recent studies led to the proposed term “powerpenia” by sports medicine researchers.
Power = Work / Time (and Work = Force x Distance). Hoping I didn’t just lose you by sharing physics equations, Power has an inverse relationship to time. Meaning, that you generate more power when acting over less time. The application for fall prevention is obvious.
Noticing that a stumble just happened, processing that input, and then producing an appropriate physical response can be the difference between life and death, or perhaps a life-changing injury.
Whether it’s nearly dropping your cell phone or a preventing a fall, life makes us move quickly sometimes. Don’t fear it, make it appropriate and fun for where you are now. And keep at it.
Shout out to Dr. Cobb of Z-Health for talking about this in a recent video blog.