Here are some strategies to help strengthen your core and
lower-body muscles. Just a note, do not start or change your exercise routine
without consultation with your health care provider. Some of us may find the
following easy, but some may find them hard.
Kneeling Extension
Start this move by kneeling on
all fours with your hands beneath your shoulders and your knees directly below
your hips. Tighten your core muscles and slowly lift your right arm and extend
it straight forward. Slowly lift your left leg and extend it straight back,
with your toes pointed down. Hold for 10 seconds and slowly lower to starting
position. Repeat three times on each side. If this movement is too advanced,
try the easy modifications of this movement, lifting just an arm or just a leg.
Hold for 10 seconds and slowly return to the starting position. Repeat three
times on each side.
Hip Lifts
To strengthen your core muscles,
lower back and buttocks, try this simple exercise. Lie on your back with your
knees bent and with your arms flat on the floor on either side of you. Rotating
your pelvis and tailbone down, tighten your core muscles and push your lower
back into the floor. Holding this position, slowly lift your midsection off the
ground, using your legs, arms and shoulders to balance. Hold in an elevated
position for 10 seconds, and slowly lower to starting position, relaxing the
core muscles. Repeat five times.
Plank Hold
Plank holds are an excellent way
to strengthen your core muscles and lower back muscles. Lying face down on the
floor, tuck your toes into the ground and place your elbows on the ground on
either side of your body. Keep your stomach muscles tight and slowly raise your
body up off the ground and hold in an elevated position. You must keep your
core muscles tight and your bottom lifted as high as your shoulders to avoid
strain on the lower back. Hold for 10 seconds and slowly lower to starting
position. Repeat five times. As you become stronger, hold the position for longer
periods of time.
Stand on one leg
Try to do this while you are
washing the dishes. When you can hold the pose for 30 seconds on each side, to
increase the challenge, even more, do it with your eyes closed.
Take a tai chi class
A study of tai chi practitioners
in their mid-60s found that on measures of stability, most scored around the
90th percentile of the American Fitness Standards.
Try this yoga pose for better
balance: Walk heel to toe
The same sobriety field test cops
give drunk drivers also improves balance. Take 20 steps forward, heel to toe.
Then walk backward, with toe to heel, in a straight line.
Do squats
To build quads, start with a
simple squat: With feet hip-width apart, bend knees and hips and slowly lower
yourself as if sitting in a chair behind you. Keep arms straight out, abs
tight, back straight, and knees above shoelaces. Stop when thighs are parallel
to the floor (or as close as you can get), then contract glutes as you stand
back up. Aim for 3 sets of 10, with a 1-minute break after each set.
Practice the force
It takes muscle strength to get
out of a chair, but it takes muscle force to do it quickly. Try this move:
Instead of gingerly rising from a chair, once in a while leap out of it so
forcefully that you need to take a few running steps after you do so. (You can
use your arms to gain momentum.)
Get a good night's rest
Sleep more than 7 hours a night.
Sleep deprivation (here are 5 signs you're sleep deprived) slows reaction time
and a study at California Pacific Medical Center shows that it's also directly
related to falls. Researchers tracked nearly 3,000 older women and found that
those who typically slept between 5 and 7 hours each night were 40% more likely
to fall than those who slept longer.
No comments:
Post a Comment