Moving for the Long Haul: How Functional Fitness Keeps You Doing What You Love
Well, hello friend! Grab a hot cup of coffee or cold glass of water, pull up a chair, and let’s slow down for a minute. If you’re anything like me, life over 40 (and especially 50!) feels a whole lot different than it used to. Back in my high school and college running days, training was all about long runs, split times, and looking forward to the next race. But somewhere between being married for the past 25 years, raising and homeschooling two amazing kids, and navigating this ever-changing life, my perspective on fitness shifted.
A big part of that adjustment came from watching my parents grow older.
My dad stayed active his whole life—playing all the sports as a teen and young man, farming his whole life, playing with us when we were kids, then chasing grandkids around, and walking around the neighborhood, always doing something. He lived to be 88 years old – still cognitively sharp as a tack, and physically strong despite heart disease, until the day he passed.
My sweet mom, on the other hand, showed her love in many ways, but especially through cooking and baking—particularly sweet treats!—but, she avoided exercise whenever possible. We started noticing her posture, balance and walking gait getting less effective in her mid to late 70s, and she got a little more forgetful. Still not willing to exercise or change her diet, she attributed it to normal aging. She still walked independently, only using a walker if she had to carry something a long distance, more like it was a cart. When my dad passed away (the day before mom turned 81), mom experienced rapid cognitive decline and loss of physical strength and coordination. In what felt like a blink of an eye, she started falling several times a day, and quickly became wheelchair-bound, dependent on someone else for all activities of daily living other than eating, and living in a memory care facility within 7 months. She continued to decline until she passed away 3 years later.
Seeing those two completely different paths side by side profoundly shaped my life's mission. I no longer train to do well in my age group for the local half marathon. I train for longevity—and I coach others to do the same. I train so I can carry my own groceries, work in the yard, keep up with grandkids (coming soon!!), get off the toilet independently when I’m 95 (can I get an amen?!) and protect both my body and my mind for decades to come.
If you’ve noticed a little extra stiffness in your joints, hesitation to sit on the floor because you’re not sure you can get back up, or wondered if your best, most vibrant years are behind you—there's hope! God designed our bodies and brains to be remarkably resilient when we keep them moving. Let’s talk about how some simple, intentional movement can help you add quality years to your life and abundant life to your years.
What Is "Functional Movement" Anyway?
You might hear the phrase functional fitness and think it's complicated, but it’s actually pretty simple. Functional movement isn't about doing fancy moves on a stability ball or building giant muscles for show. Functional fitness is about effective movement patterns. It is simply training your body to perform real-life movements with ease, safety, and strength so you can continue “doing life” the way you want to.
Think about what my dad did every day on the farm, or what you do in a normal week:
Squatting down to pull weeds or play with a pet.
Bending over to pick up a heavy box off the floor.
Reaching up to put dishes away on the top shelf.
Carrying bags or buckets of feed across the field for the cows, or just laundry baskets up and down a flight of stairs.
When we train those foundational movement patterns—what we call the squat, hinge, push, pull, carry, and rotation—we aren’t just building muscle; we’re strengthening tendons, stabilizing joints, improving balance, and ensuring independence and brain health for the long haul.
What the Science Says: Why Movement is Your Best Prescription
As a personal trainer and corrective exercise specialist, I love digging into the why behind what we do. And let me tell you, the scientific research on movement, cognitive protection, and aging completely backs up what I experienced with my parents! (This could be a much longer list, but I’ll start with the big ones.)
1. Adding Real Years to Your Life
Systematic reviews published in the Journal of Aging Research show that regular, moderate physical activity can lower all-cause mortality by 30% to 35% and add up to 4.2 quality years to your life [1]. That’s more time to spend with your kids, spouse, and community doing what you love!
2. Protecting Against Cognitive Decline and Muscle Loss
Physical activity directly stimulates the production of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)—often called "Miracle-Grow" for your brain cells [2]. BDNF protects neurons, fosters mental clarity, and helps guard against rapid cognitive decline. At the same time, movement combats sarcopenia, which is the loss of muscle mass that naturally accelerates after age 30 (anyone else feel this one??) [3], keeping your body capable and strong so you don't end up stuck in a wheelchair down the road.
3. Reversing Insulin Resistance and Regulating Blood Sugar
When you move your muscles, your body opens up glucose transporters (like GLUT4) that pull glucose out of your bloodstream and into muscle cells without needing as much insulin (Colberg et al., 2016). Research published in Diabetes Care demonstrates that even a single bout of moderate physical activity, or interrupting prolonged sitting with short movement breaks, significantly enhances insulin sensitivity for up to 24 to 48 hours (Colberg et al., 2016; Bird & Hawley, 2017). Over time, regular functional movement acts as a natural biological sponge for blood sugar, reducing systemic inflammation and protecting against midlife metabolic slump.
3 Simple Functional Habits You Can Start RIGHT NOW
You don't need a fancy gym membership or two hours of spare time to start building longevity into your day. You just need to keep your body moving like my dad did:
Practice the "Sit-to-Stand": Before you sit down for dinner or a show on Netflix, practice sitting down in your chair and standing back up five times without using your hands. It’s the ultimate real-world squat! It doesn't have to be fast, in fact its better if it's slllooooowwwwww!
Take a "Farmer's Carry" Walk: Next time you bring in groceries or work around the house, stand tall, roll your shoulders back, pull your belly button slightly in to engage your core, and carry a bag or heavy object in each hand with proud posture. It strengthens your grip, core, shoulders and legs all at once. Bonus points for adding a walk with something heavy in only one hand, and keeping your torso upright. Then switch hands and walk again – off balance weight especially fires up those deeper core muscles to stabilize your spine!
Move Every Single Day: Even if it’s just a 15-minute walk around the neighborhood, working in the garden, or stretching on the floor with your dog—consistency is what keeps the brain and body alive and kicking.
The Bottom Line
You were made to thrive, not just survive! Whether you're 25, 55, or 95, taking care of the body you’ve been given through simple, intentional movement pays compounding dividends for your mental and physical health. Part 2 coming soon, for those of you ready for a next-level challenge! Your future self (and your family!) will thank you. Just take it one step, one walk, one squat, and one movement at a time.
REFERENCES
Bird, S. R., & Hawley, J. A. (2017). Update on the effects of physical activity on insulin sensitivity in humans. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 2(1), e000143. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2016-000143 Cited by: 954
Colberg, S. R., Sigal, R. J., Yardley, J. E., Riddell, M. C., Dunstan, D. W., Dempsey, P. C., Horton, E. S., Castorino, K., & Tate, D. F. (2016). Physical activity/exercise and diabetes: A position statement of the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care, 39(11), 2065–2079. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc16-1728 Cited by: 4552
Reimers, C. D., Knapp, G., & Reimers, A. K. (2012). Does physical activity increase life expectancy? A review of the literature. Journal of Aging Research, 2012, 243958. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/243958
Sleiman, S. F., Henry, J., Al-Haddad, R., El Hayek, L., Abou Haidar, E., Stringer, T., Ulja, D., Karuppagounder, S. S., Holson, E. B., Ratan, R. R., Ninan, I., & Chao, M. V. (2016). Exercise promotes the expression of BDNF through the action of the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate. eLife, 5, e15092. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.15092
Volpi, E., Nazemi, R., & Fujita, S. (2004). Muscle tissue changes with aging. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care, 7(4), 405–410. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.mco.0000134362.76653.b2
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