As you get older you start to do less physically and fear more of what could happen if you tried to be physically active and challenge your body, but this is exactly what you need to avoid, getting sedentary! Yes, you are likely going to have some limitations and your body isn’t as strong as it once was, but there are still many opportunities to stay active and strong if you are looking for them. The more you use your abilities and your body the stronger and more functional you will remain. So, let’s discuss some of the ways to stay active and healthy and the benefits of regular exercise and healthy habits.
Bones and Muscles Get Stronger Together
You can improve your chances of avoiding falls, bone breaks and injuries by performing resistance and power training of some form. This could be done with machines, free weights or body weight exercises like push up’s or TRX back rows. When you begin a resistance training program to challenge your muscles and build them up with proper rest, recovery and adequate nutrition they will grow bigger and stronger. In turn your body will build bigger and stronger bones to carry this added muscle. This is why Dr’s prescribe weight training for women with osteopenia or osteoporosis. With stronger bones and muscles, you can get back out on the ski slopes or pick up that running routine you’ve been missing!
Strong Foundations Start in the Feet
There are many different factors at work when your body is trying to balance itself out and to improve these through exercise you need to work on all of these factors, but we will discuss a few of the key components that you can easily address when working to improve balance. How well do you control your center of gravity? Do you feel strong and stable when you are standing still? How are your feet positioned? Are they providing a wide enough and strong enough foundation for the rest of your body? Work on maintaining a wide, but comfortable foot position when you are standing and walking. If you have problems with a lack of feeling in your feet or weakness you can improve this. Strengthening the feet can be done with exercises called short foot training.
Short Foot to Strengthen the Feet and Increase Blood Flow
-Take off your shoes and put your foot flat on the ground.
-Flex your foot raising the arch while keeping the toes flat on the ground
-Hold for 3 seconds and repeat. Check out the following link for a video. https://youtu.be/BaeYzFdI51c
Proper Posture Let’s You See Where you are Going
How is your posture? Are you leaning forward, back or to the side when you stand up? This can be pulling you off of your center of gravity? Work to improve posture by finding a blank wall and backing up against it. Have your heels 6 inches away and your back and butt against the wall. Test behind your neck and lower back to ensure there is less than 2 inches of space between the wall and your neck or back. If there is a 2+ inch gap in either location you need to improve your posture.
Improving Posture Exercise for Forward head lean and Upper Cross Syndrome
-Stand with heels 6 inch away from wall
-Have your shoulders, head and butt against the wall
-Ensure your chin is tucked with your eyes looking straight ahead, keep your ribs down avoiding tilting the chest up. Hold this position for 3 minutes to stretch and strengthen the muscles of the upper back and neck.
We have only discussed two factors that can contribute to poor balance, but these two are easily fixed with consistent awareness and practicing these exercises to improve them. At Triaffect our training involves every physical factor that plays a role in balance and coordination to ensure we improve our client’s ability to do anything they desire without limitations.
Breathing Free and Easy
How well do you breathe? Are you constantly breathing shallow, congested or dealing with sinus problems? This can play a role in your ability to perform every day tasks and exercises. You should work to find remedies for this congestion and improve the quality of your breathing. On average we breathe 19-30,000 times a day and when done incorrectly it can affect all of your physical abilities. One breathing exercise I like to encourage my clients to add into their lives is the WIM HOF method.
WIM HOF Breathing
-Find a comfortable place and lie down. Start breathing and counting out 20 or 30 breathes deeply in and out from the stomach.
-Once you get to the 20th or 30th breathe just exhale and relax holding your breathe as long as possible until you have to breathe again.
-When you inhale after holding your breath hold that 1 deep breathe for 10 seconds and use your diaphragm to push air into your head. Repeat the process 2 more times.
There are many benefits to this and it can help you breathe more efficiently and therapeutically if practiced regularly.
Your home air environment and the cleanliness of your home can also have a major impact on your respiratory system. Having your home deep cleaned can make a big difference in helping you breathe better over time. What about going outside and getting some fresh air? Go for a walk, drive to the park and sit on a bench, or walk around your yard to help with clearing your sinuses and helping you breathe better. Just by breathing and getting more oxygenated blood into your body your systems will run more efficiently and smoothly.
Run to The Water!
We all know our bodies are at least 70% water, but are we getting enough this crucial element to keep us hydrated and healthy? One thing I see with many of my aging clients is their lack of fluid intake and especially water. This happens for many reasons, but as you stop drinking water your body stops signaling you to drink water as an adaptation. You probably enjoy a morning cup of coffee or tea, a soda with lunch, tea with dinner and maybe a glass of milk somewhere. This can be a major problem for your kidneys, liver and muscles as they need water to operate properly. Tea and coffee are also diuretics which can dehydrate you even more. A 5%-8% decrease in total body water can cause fatigue and dizziness which obviously exacerbates any problems you may already have. I suggest purchasing a water bottle that can keep your water cool and close by for an easy reminder. This may seem like a small thing, but it really can make a big difference in your abilities.
Start right where you are Sitting!
Even if you are chair bound or have major physical limitations a little movement can improve your physical abilities, relieve pain, and help you to do more if practiced and progressed consistently. One of the easiest ways to get started is just going through some basic chair exercises and stretches.
Basic Chair Stretch and Mobility Exercise Program
-Leg Kicks- Focus on using the thigh muscles to kick the foot out in front of you and hold for a 1 count return to the stratring position and repeat 8-10 times.
-Knee Raises- Sit up straight and focus on flexing your hips to lift your knee and foot off the ground for a 1 count. return to the strating position and repeat for 8-10 times.
-Front shoulder stretch- With your thumbs up lift your arms until they’re even with your ears and lower to the starting position and repeat 8-10 times.
-Rolling your shoulders- Pull your shoulders back toward the chair and down and then lift them up and push them forward and down, return to starting position and repeat 8-10 times.
-Foot and Ankle stretches- Write out 5-10 letters of the alphabet with your feet. Do this with each foot 3 times.
-Hand stretches- Make a fist with your hand and squeeze, then spread your fingers as wide as possible and hold. Repeat 8-10 times.
These exercises may seem basic and easy, but they can be a great starting point to get you going!
No matter what don’t let a number, limitation or ailment stop you from seeking out opportunities to keep moving at any age. Your body and mind are machines that need to be maintained and used to stay functional and healthy. You are the only one who can keep them going so, use this knowledge and these simple techniques to keep you moving healthily and happily for many years to come!
