Hey. Heyhey. Do me a favor real quick.
If you don't already know you have issues doing so, squat down real quick. Bend your knees all the way and touch the floor. Just make sure you can do it. Okay? For me? And then stand up all the way and make sure you can balance on one foot.
Like. You don't need to blow it into some huge thing. Just. Make sure all your bits and peices still work the way you think they do.
Can you turn your head to look behind you without twisting your shoulders? What about standing on your toes? If you sit down on the floor can you get back up without using your hands?
If there was ever a tumblr post worth sending to your mom, it's this one.
Just saying, bodies are a use it or lose it kinda thing.
okay so every time I see this post crop back up in queues and notifications I end up thinking about it. Because I made the post and even I'm still doing the thing where I read the post about maintaining range of motion in my delicate meatsuit and I nod and hmm and think yeah that's a good idea and then dont move from where I'm curled up shrimp style staring at the nightmare rectangle.
So like. Thinking real hard about moving doesn't count as moving. Major bummer. Anyways. Joints.
When people think about this kind of body maintenance, they generally default to 'what if you fall over and can't get back up', which is very valid and important, but also. What if there was a cool bug? A pretty flower you would like to bend over and sniff? A puppy or a kitten at ankle height that needs petting and scritches and cuddles? A toddler who wants to tell you something? What if you want to follow the flight of a bird or a ball or a Frisbee or a plane or a butterfly and you need your neck to twist quickly enough to see it?
You deserve to be able to do all these things without pain or stiffness or lingering consequences. Doing a little bit goes a long way for ensuring that you body maintains the ability to carry you through the world and all it has to offer.
Also, if you are not in the habit of regular strenuous aerobic workouts, and you have had covid recently ever, it's a good idea to check your lung function. Because it's a real nasty surprise to find out that the upper bounds of what your lungs can do has dropped significantly.
Take the deepest breath you can and feel out your limits. It is more than likely not what you expect.
It is possible to get it back and rebuild your capacity, but this is one of those things that unless you had a reason to notice will sit quietly in the background until you get suckerpunched at a bad moment.
