Exercise Made Easy

Exercise

I’m talking about what works for me without going to a gym or using fancy equipment. I have deteriorating knees, which makes walking uncomfortable, yet I can ride an exercise bike. Go figure. Arm exercises are good to get the heart rate up—aerobic exercise. For maximum benefit, we need that and muscle building exercises. For women, light weights three to five pounds or inexpensive resistance bands work fine for toning muscles. They usually include exercises in the package. Of course if you have medical problems, check out any ideas with your doctor.

All Movement Helps

Any activity you do counts and can be done in increments instead of all at once. Ten minutes vacuuming, mopping, cleaning the toilet, etc.; doing yard work, especially cutting down shrubs and raking or hoeing (all using the arms a lot, you’ll notice); lifting objects at the grocery store and into the house; climbing stairs and carrying laundry. See? Exercise isn’t so hard.

How Much 

 

The amount of exercise needed and the intensity to go at it changes depending on the study of the day. I don’t pay attention. Thirty to forty minutes a day, (again, can be in increments) three days—every other day—on strength building, the rest aerobic where you work up a sweat and breathe hard enough to make talking slightly difficult—more is too much—works fine.

Traditional Exercise

Walking, biking (stationary or outside), swimming, hiking, dancing around the house, DVD programs—all good aerobic activities. For strength training, I do squats every day to keep the muscles around my knees strong, which I hope puts off knee replacement surgery a good long time. They’re also supposed to be good for sciatic nerve pain. Have a sturdy chair or other piece of furniture nearby you can hold onto for balance if you’re just beginning.

Keep the knees just behind the toes and don’t bend them more than ninety degrees. I use to think you had to keep your back straight and at ninety degrees from your legs and couldn’t do the squats. Keep the back straight, stick your tush out, and bend at the waist as far as necessary to get the thighs at the correct angle from the feet.

Wednesday—easy but effective strength exercises.