A sad reality hit me personally last summer. I was in a pool and as the staircase to the pool was on the other side, I intended to hoist myself up on the side of the pool and then proceed to walk to the lounge chair. This process used to be a breeze for me but I found this to be more challenging. I was able to get out of the pool but then the process of standing up and walking took much more time and effort. This was not due to any orthopedic issues on my part. Simply put, my advanced age (68) made the “getting up” process much more difficult. Two previous back surgeries and probably some age-related muscle loss probably contributed to this.
We all “Get Up” multiple times daily. This starts with “getting up” from our beds after our overnight sleep (probably including “getting up” one/several times to use the bathroom at night) and then includes “getting up” from our kitchen tables, work seats, family room couches, etc etc.
Clearly, simple physics will produce the following point: The more weight we carry, the more difficult/challenging will be the “getting up” process. Attempting to hoist more pounds against gravity produces a higher difficulty factor. Perhaps you may have even witnessed a morbidly obese person falling down and the person requires several other people to help him/her “get up”.
There are many benefits of shedding excessive weight that perhaps are more life-saving than “getting up” in an easier fashion. However, as we all age, “getting up” becomes more difficult and it can only help us to be at a more optimal weight.
And here is the song that Bill Murray “Got Up” to every morning in the lovie “Groundhog Day” Enjoy Sonny and Cher.
