010422 Getting back into shape, for the upcoming seasonal change, after a winter of being cooped up does not necessarily mean you have to bust a gut getting there. There is a wealth of information showing that small amounts of movements, over time, can get you started on your way to a healthier you. After all, who in their right mind does not want to be healthier.
Here are just a few of the things you can do to ease the transition to a more active/balanced exercise habit. None of them are difficult and you will not need a skinny, spandex-clad, personal trainer to tell you how to do them either.
Sitting can help burn calories but is not the best of any exercise on the planet. You have to be active, not as in a plant-like blob on the couch, but as someone who fidgets all the time. Some of these are the people we all do not want to be around because they cannot stop moving some part of their body no matter where they are. Do not be that person.
Instead, do some of these. Check with your health care provider before doing any of these. Call them, if necessary, and describe each one to them so they know what you intend to do.
Stand up if you are reading a book or a magazine, you will burn about 50-75 calories per hour. This is certainly not enough to make you look like the emaciated runway models of stick and bone frame. But every calorie burned is a step in the right direction, isn’t it? Yes, that is the correct answer here.
During a TV show, get up whenever a commercial begins to disturb whatever you are watching and walk around the room.
Lower body moving exercises
These lower-body warm-up exercises prepare your lower torso for such exercises as the good mornings, hamstring movements, leg raises, out to the front….
- Standing upright swing your legs full range of motion straight out and then straight back in one continuous motion for ten to fifteen reps each way.
- Next, swing each leg across the front of your body in a wide full range of motion side to side in one continuous motion for ten to fifteen reps in each direction.
Do each movement ten to fifteen reps.
Do a 19-15 calf raises
Back stretches tipping side to side and front to rear IF you have no back issues. If so, do not do them.
On any of the exercises requiring you to stand on one leg make sure you have sturdy, steady, and secure something to hold onto in case you begin to fall,
Stand on one foot when flossing and brushing your teeth.
Try standing on one foot and doing calf raise, use a countertop to help you get up.
Wiggle your feet and toes while seated or reading washing the dishes, not just putting them in the dishwasher.
ActivelyFitSeniors 