My grandma’s name is Morvarid which in the Persian language means Pearl. She is now 92 and those who have done my courses know how often I reference her. She had a relatively tough life raising 4 children under the age of 12 as a single mother in a small village in central Iran called Yazd. Her husband (my grandfather whom I never met) died at age 35 after a traumatic work accident.
The reason I frequently reference my grandma is to give PTs perspective on what factors determine our well-being. In the past 30 years, being her private therapist, I have heard her complain to me a handful of times about her aches and pains. For instance, she had some wrist pain after a fall 15 years ago and hip pain after an un-displaced fracture 5 years ago following another fall. In all incidences she recovered within a few weeks.
She continues to walk unassisted everyday around the house and uses stairs on her own. She can even go into a deep squat at 92! She currently reports of zero pain or discomfort.
She obviously has severe DDD and stenosis in her entire spine as she has lost at least 20cm in height. She must have severe degenerative changes in all her joints as it is clearly visible in her fingers, yet she has full pain-free mobility in all her joints when I test them.
Let’s answer the following questions.
How much aerobic exercise did my grandma do in her life (e.g. spinning, running, elliptical)? Never
How often did she go to Pilates or to a gym to work out? Never
How often did she go to Yoga classes or stretch? Never
How often did she go on a diet and counted her calories? Never
How often did she consciously practice mindfulness meditation? Never
Did she have a stress-free life? Are you kidding me? She raised 4 kids on her own with poverty and food scarcity. So what is her secret? Read on…
Look in the Clinical Library for “My Grandma”