ADVICE ABOUT WALKING
The best exercise for a pandemic
During the NOVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, staying active has been challenging. Gyms are closed, classes suspended, senior residents stuck in their rooms. Many are resorting to walking as America rediscovers its neighborhoods while others are stuck inside unable to. Here are three custom exercise programs to make us all healthier as we isolate at home.
- For people who are now walking a lot.
- For those who cannot walk at all.
- For those who need assistance walking (using a walker or cane).
Advice for those who walk a lot:
There are two types of exercise that you should be including when you walk frequently:
- Stretch the back of the legs to prevent leg cramps.
- Keep the leg joints agile through gentle range of motion exercises.
1) The muscles on the back of the legs tighten when you walk often: The most important exercise to add to your walking routine is to stretch the back of the legs after you walk, preferably before you sit down.
- Standing Runner’s stretch: Hold onto something like a tree or post. Place one foot behind the other, back heel on the floor. Bend your front knee. Make sure the back foot is not turning out; the toes should be going straight forward. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds on each leg. This is a very effective exercise for stopping leg cramps.
2) The leg joints stiffen: The knee, ankle and hip joints stiffen up if you walk a lot. That makes it more likely that you fall if startled suddenly. Gentle circling alleviates the stiffness and lowers your fall risk.
- Standing knee circles: Stand with both feet planted on the ground, knees bent, one hand on one knee, the other hand on a sturdy object. Circle your knees 8 times in each direction. Make the circles small. The closer your feet are the harder the exercise.
- Standing hip circles: Place your hands on your hips, feet somewhat apart and circle your hips 4 times in each direction.
- Seated ankle circles: This should be part of your morning routine along with flexing and pointing your feet as you sit on the edge of your bed.
There is one thing walking doesn't help: upper body strengthening. From time to time, walk with your arms overhead, do shoulder presses or do biceps curls as you keep your steady pace. This is particularly good to do when you start getting tired and your posture begins to slump.
Another wonderful idea is to sing while you walk.
Seated exercises for those who cannot walk at all:
There are some specific ways you can exercise which will give you some of the physical benefits of that walk outside.
1) Stretch the back of your legs often: The muscles on the back of the legs tighten when you sit a lot. The most important exercise to add to your exercise routine is to stretch the back of the legs every day. These are the stretches which stop leg cramps.
2) Strengthen the leg muscles:
3) Improve the agility of your leg joints: The ankle, knee and hip joints stiffen with inactivity. Gentle circling of them alleviates the stiffness while also lowering your fall associated risk.
4) Improve breathing capacity:
5) Increase Vitamin D: Supplements are readily available as are foods high in Vitamin D including: salmon, canned tuna, shrimp, egg yolks, mushrooms, milk, yogurt, almond milk, orange juice, breakfast cereals, oatmeal, cheese.
- Stretch the back of your legs often.
- Make your leg muscles stronger, especially the quadriceps and the calf muscles.
- Improve the agility of your leg joints.
- Improve your breathing capacity through chest exercises.
- Make sure you have Vitamin D in your diet, through food or supplement use to replace being out in the sun.
1) Stretch the back of your legs often: The muscles on the back of the legs tighten when you sit a lot. The most important exercise to add to your exercise routine is to stretch the back of the legs every day. These are the stretches which stop leg cramps.
- Seated calf stretch: Straighten your leg, flex your foot, push your heel away. Flex and point your foot 4 times, keeping your knee straight. Stretch through the knee. Keep pulling your toes back toward you as you flex your foot.
- Seated Achilles stretch: Sit forward in your chair with both feet flat on the floor, toes pointed ahead. Straighten your posture. Take your right foot and place it directly back a foot behind the other, keep your heel on the floor. To increase the stretch, gently push down on the knee.
2) Strengthen the leg muscles:
- Strengthen the quadriceps while sitting: Straighten your right leg and hold it there, feeling the muscle on top of the thigh tighten. Hold for a count of 8. Pull the knee in after to stretch that same muscle. Change sides.
- Strengthen your ankles: If you can stand while holding onto something, a wonderful ankle strengthener is to go up on your toes and down on your heels. In dancing they call it releve. There are many other exercises you can do for your feet that strengthen them. See Foot Help For Those Older.
3) Improve the agility of your leg joints: The ankle, knee and hip joints stiffen with inactivity. Gentle circling of them alleviates the stiffness while also lowering your fall associated risk.
- Seated ankle circles: Circle each ankle 4 times in each direction. Hold onto your leg to keep it from moving. Only the foot should move.
- Seated knee circles: Clasp your hands together under one knee and lift your leg. Let your lower leg completely relax, letting it swing like a rag doll leg. Allow the lower leg to circle gently 4 times in each direction. Reverse sides.
- Seated hip circles: Sit toward the front of the chair with the legs separated, knees over your ankles, feet pointed outward, hands on your knees. think of the torso as a plank and circle it gently in both directions. Keep your eye focus fixed on one spot. Rest with your elbows on your knees, your spine straight and your head in line with your spine - a wonderful resting position for the lower back.
4) Improve breathing capacity:
- Learn how to breathe and put breathing exercise into your daily routine. Use the 5-5-7 breath to reduce anxiety. See more by clicking on How To Breathe.
- Use alternate methods to reduce stress if breathing is difficult. Click on When Breathing is Difficult to find out how.
- Stretch the muscles at the front of the chest to dissolve tension. The prior article contains a great exercise to stretch the front of the upper chest that really helps.
- Strengthen the muscles of the upper back by bringing your shoulders back and down, drawing the shoulder blades down and together toward your spine.
5) Increase Vitamin D: Supplements are readily available as are foods high in Vitamin D including: salmon, canned tuna, shrimp, egg yolks, mushrooms, milk, yogurt, almond milk, orange juice, breakfast cereals, oatmeal, cheese.
Being stuck at home is a time to not only be safe regarding this coronavirus, it is a fantastic time to also concentrate on reducing your fall risk. Taking the Building Better Balance DVD classes are a perfect way to do it. Much explanation is included in each of the DVD classes that helps you lower your fall risk and stop having falls.
But the DVD classes are not just about improving your balance and preventing falls. They are also designed to improve fitness for those restricted to a wheel chair or who use walkers or canes. The second Building Better Balance DVD on Legs & Feet is highly recommended for those who want to improve their leg fitness while seated. The fourth DVD on Arthritis contains a thorough and fantastic seated routine for improving knee health.
For those who walk using walkers or canes:
During this time of isolation try to get outside even if it is just to sit. Instead of going for long walks, practice walking indoors with your walker or cane using the best methods:
- Warm your legs up before getting up by gentle circling of the ankle, knee and hip joints while seated. (See above section on leg joint agility.)
- Use your walker or cane while you exercise or hold onto something substantial like the kitchen counter top.
- Practice rolling through your feet as you walk, with the heel touching the ground first.
- Practice where to look while you walk. Look where you are going instead of down at the ground. Link below for more information.
- Practice holding your abdomen in as you walk.
- During these exercises, stop from time to time and circle your hips while still holding onto something sturdy.
- Do some foot agility exercises by lifting the heel of one foot up and down while standing on the other foot. Hold on to your walker or a solid chair while you exercise your feet.
- The seated exercises from the above section are excellent to do after your practice. It is particularly important to stretch the back of your legs after exercising.
- Never wear slippers or slip ons. No backless or sloppy shoes.
- Clear all clutter on the floor before practicing.
When you walk, look where you are going while also being aware of what's on the ground in front of you, but do not look down. Walking properly takes practice. It is much like how we drive: we look way down the road to see what's coming up and at the same time are aware of what is immediately ahead of the car to make sure it is safe. See the link below for more information about this.
Helpful links:
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Look where you are going.
Drug and supplement use. Guidelines for what is needed. Benefits of gentle circling. |
Published April 24, 2020