Best Approaches for Exercise

You get it that strengthening, stretching, and balance are crucial in being able to do what you want to do.

You get it that strengthening, stretching, and balance can be improved regardless of age.

You get it that your level of strength, range of motion and sense of balance needs to match life’s activities.

And you get it that strengthening, stretching, and balance play a large role in decreasing the aging process.

All this insight must be put into action. Don’t let it overwhelm you though. Too often we think in terms of all or nothing when it comes to change. This all or nothing approach, or what I call immersion, needs to be tempered with gradual progressive habit change otherwise we risk reverting back to old habits. Conditioning our mind to do exercise begins with small baby steps. And it should begin with baby steps since injury risk increases with age.

When it comes to exercise we need to acknowledge where we are at physically and where we want to be physically. Then, it’s just a matter of bridging the gap through what is called progressive overload of the body. Progressive overload simply means that we increase our training load ( example: increasing weights in a gym more progressively as it gets easy. Practicing holding a balance position longer as it gets easier. And increasing the range of motion in a joint progressively as it gets easier.)

1. Can I do the things I need to do throughout the day without getting too tired in the muscles?

If your answer is no, then you need to up your strength in the weight department. That usually means going to the gym.

Everyone has a different daily routine- some are vigorous and some are not so much. Your level of strength needs to match what you want to do. But remember, you must be wise and increase your strength progressively!

2. Can I move in various positions without feeling strain? If the answer is no, then you gotta increase your flex, called range of motion or ROM for short.

3. Do I feel balanced in various activities throughout the day? For example, I notice that some people have difficulty moving up stairs swiftly. Their ability to balance on one leg as when ascending stairs is a little wobbly. If you are feeling even a little wobbly, then it’s time to work on balance as stairs are for most people a daily living activity. * Often the wobbles while ascending stairs is a condition of leg strength too. You would be smart to practice both strength and balance.

Do these exercises several times before we meet again.

 

 Strength