The Medicine of Mobility

If there was a pill proven to treat and reverse 33 chronic diseases, would you take it?

Originally published in Medium on March 10th, 2025

Photo by Matthew Costello on Unsplash

Last year, my 96-year-old aunt lay in the hospital almost entirely immobile from battling influenza.

She had been placed on “comfort measures,” orders put in place to keep her as comfortable as possible because she was dying. Only she didn’t.

Three weeks later, I watched her transfer herself from her bed to her wheelchair and maneuver across the room to her closet to pick out matching jewellery for her outfit.

Incredible? Definitely.

Anomaly or miracle with no explanation? Not necessarily.

The medicine of mobility

Dr. Vonda Wright, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and expert in aging and longevity, believes that how we age is within our control and is on a mission to share what she calls the “medicine of mobility.”

This concept builds on the premise that regular movement optimizes body function and prevents disease — more than we ever knew.

Dr. Wright shares recent science showing that by regularly moving your body, you can maintain bone density, cognitive function, muscle mass, and longevity in old age as well as prevent or reverse 33 chronic diseases, including diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

This article summarizes the fascinating science as well as shares simple ways to incorporate daily movement for maximum effect.

How it works

We all know that exercising is good for health.

However, most people don’t realize that even minimal movement makes a difference.

I didn’t until I listened to Dr. Wright on a podcast last week and learned that bone and muscle do more than provide structure and strength — they actively drive health and prevent disease.

The master communicator, bone

When bones move, they create and send out the hormone, osteocalcin, which:

• creates neurons to add memory space

• increases dopamine and serotonin to enhance your mood

• metabolizes extra sugar in the body, and reduces fat around the waist

• produces GLP-1 to control your appetite

• grows muscle to get stronger

Who knew?

On the other hand, when they don’t move, such as when people sit all day, bones become unhealthy, which is commonly found in patients with dementia, obesity, low muscle mass, poor grip strength, and diabetes.

The goddess of muscle

The purpose of a muscle is to move, right?

Yes, but in moving, muscle also creates a powerful hormone called Klotho, named after the goddess of the “thread of life.”

This “longevity protein,” goes to every organ in the body and slows aging by:

• activating antioxidant pathways

• inhibiting pathways related to aging

As a result, it protects the body against diseases including cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s.

If this doesn’t make you want to move, I don’t know what will.

Scary when you learn that most people sit on average 9.4 hours per day.

A lifetime of movement

Thinking back to my aunt, this makes sense. At 96 years old, she was no stranger to movement. She grew up on a farm and lived in her own home, which included one steep flight of stairs used daily until she was 95.

During our regular Sunday morning visits, she bustled around — setting the table, making tea, searching for various things around the house, or crossing the 50-foot backyard to take the garbage out.

I vividly remember her demonstrating various exercises she did regularly to keep her strength.

When she was sick and immobilized in the hospital, she focused on small movements during short periods of lucidity. Initially, she could wiggle her toes and lift her hands. Then she would hold a cup and flex her knees and hips in bed. Eventually, she could sit up and bear weight.

Her body continued to gain strength, the comfort measure orders were discontinued and she officially recovered and was discharged from the hospital.

Movement for optimal health

The exciting part is that bodies are designed to move at every age and regular, sustained effort will lead to increasing strength and ability no matter what your starting point.

The key message is that any time spent moving vs sitting is helping your body.

For those looking to optimize the effects of movement, Dr. Wright’s FACE acronym highlights this “movement recipe”:

Flexibility and mobility Flexibility and mobility are critical to prevent joints from becoming stiff and immobile. To build flexibility and mobility, regularly move each joint through its full range of motion (ROM).

Aerobic capacity The best way to strengthen the heart, the body’s “cardiac engine,” is by doing regular low-intensity exercise, like walking, combined with occasional high-intensity exercise like sprinting.

For example, you could walk at a comfortable pace five days per week for 45 minutes, and also sprint or ride a bike as fast as possible for 30 seconds, four times in a row, two times per week.

Carry a load Lifting heavy weights is the best way to strengthen muscle and enhance Klotho production. Women after midlife, who no longer have estrogen supporting muscle growth, especially need to prioritize lifting weights twice per week.

If this is too hard, start by lifting your body weight and build up to 11 full push-ups (from your toes and not your knees). Progress until you can lift heavy weights (bench press, pull-up, squat, deadlift) 4–6 times to fatigue.

Equilibrium and foot speed To maximize the ability to recover from tripping and avoid falling, you need the ability to balance and quickly move your feet.

To practice, stand on one foot while brushing your teeth and alternate feet daily. Also, practice “quick feet” by standing in one spot and moving from foot to foot as fast as possible.

Going forward, using movement as medicine

Science proves that movement is medicine. Armed with this information, we can decide to age in a healthy, active, vital, and joyful way instead of viewing it as a decline into inevitable frailty.

You can feel better at any age by starting simply. If your routine is sitting all day, simply standing and walking around the kitchen table will help.

Even better is that everyone can access movement for free. It isn’t exclusive, expensive, or complicated and you can tailor it to any level.

Keep it simple: move daily to improve bone and muscle performance, optimize health into old age, and prevent or even reverse chronic disease.

Disclaimer: Please note that this article is the author’s own experience and is not meant to guide or influence health-related decision-making or replace the advice of a physician. It is also advisable to work with a trainer to learn proper weight-lifting techniques to prevent injury