Basic Fitness Program

BASIC FITNESS PROGRAM

These recommendations are general and based upon my own opinions and experiences. They can be helpful in determining which elements are the most important for you to include in your fitness program. Start simple and include only a few of these things as you get used to your fitness routine. Time of the day may vary. For instance, breath exercise is wonderful to practice upon waking. You feel wonderful all day. But it is also fantastic before bed. You will sleep more soundly.

Basic Program Layout:

Physical therapy exercises:
Morning foot and knee warmup:
Breathing exercise:
Stretching:
Strength training:
Balance training:
Movement systems (Yoga, etc.):
Walking:

Daily and when needed.
Daily.
Daily.
Daily.
2-3 days/week.
2-3 days/week.
Daily, 2-3 days/wk, once/wk.
Often.

Physical therapy exercises: After finishing a course of physical therapy, choose which exercises would be particularly good to do on an ongoing basis to avoid having a repeat of your injury or chronic condition. Do those exercises every day if possible.

Morning foot and knee warmup: Do these 3 exercises in the morning before you get out of bed or sitting on the side of your bed: Upon Rising has a detailed description of each.

Flex and point your feet 4 times.
Circle your ankles 4 times in each direction.
Circle your knees.

Breathing exercise: Take 5 minutes each day to practice one or more breathing exercises. 5/5/7 and 4/7/8 are both excellent choices. Directions are included in How to Breathe. This 5 minutes will make a huge difference in how you feel.

Stretching:

Make sure to stretch the back of your legs every day. Before bedtime and after walks are excellent times to stretch. Legs cramps are a sign that you need to stretch more.
Stretch your lower back anytime you feel stress, stiffness or pain there. Exercises are provided in Lower Back Insight.

Strength training:

Core strengthening helps us in myriad ways. It makes everything easier, including walking. In my opinion, it provides the most bang for your buck of any exercise. See The Mighty Core for more.
We lose 1% of our muscle mass after the age of 50. Places where be become especially weak include the feet, thighs, hands, upper arms, chest.

Balance training: Research has shown that a consistent exercise regimen reduces falls exponentially. Balance exercise is particularly appropriate for those older because falls have such potential consequences for us. There are many balance classes available, in person, on the Internet and on DVD. The Building Better Balance series of DVDs are especially helpful because balance training is included along with well thought out exercises that counteract many of the problems we face from the aging process. See About Building Better Balance for more information.

Other Movement Systems: There are so many different approaches to movement that are wonderful for our fitness and health. Yoga, Tai Chi, Chi Gong, Structured Meditation, therapeutic massage, passive adjustments like chiropractic, dance, weight lifting are all excellent for those older. Many have seated versions available.

Walking: This is one of the most wonderful ways to increase your activity level. Taking a walk every day does so much for your body and your mental well being. Just make sure to stretch the back of your legs afterwards.

Secrets to Successful Fitness