
More Life Health Blog - Discussing Seniors' Exercise, Health, Fitness, & More!
EFFECTIVE LOWER BACK EXERCISES FOR OLDER ADULTS: SAFE AND SIMPLE ROUTINES
This week we will be working the lower back.
These exercise videos helps stretch and strengthen muscles surrounding the lumbar spine, and will also help decrease lower back pain.
This week we will be working the lower back.
Understanding Lower Back Pain in Seniors
These exercise videos helps stretch and strengthen muscles surrounding the lumbar spine, and will also help decrease lower back pain.
In the first video, the exercises are performed in a lying position, we also do some seated stretches, and a standing stretch.
If you have difficulty getting on and off the floor, the lying exercises can be performed on a firm bed or you can follow the second video, which is a completely seated exercise video.
Keep in mind, to overcome lower back pain, doing specific lower back exercises are only 1 part of the equation.
We also want to be improving our overall fitness, improving our strength in our core and also our whole body, improving our posture and eating healthy and decreasing stress. (You can find more in the pain articles).
Benefits of Lower Back Exercises for Older Adults
Let's chat about something super important – the benefits of lower back exercises for our beloved seniors. As we age, our bodies go through changes, and sometimes, our lower back whispers (or shouts) for a bit of extra care.
1. Wave Goodbye to Back Pain: Regular lower back exercises can be a game-changer in reducing pain. It’s like telling those annoying aches, “Nope, not today!”
2. Flexibility is the New Superpower: Remember when bending down felt like a Herculean task? These exercises help in regaining that superhero flexibility, making daily activities a breeze.
3. Strength for Days: Strengthening the lower back muscles is like building a solid foundation for your body. It’s all about being strong and sturdy, making you feel like you can take on the world (or at least lift that grocery bag without a wince).
4. Balance and Stability - Your New Best Friends: With great strength comes great stability. These exercises help improve balance, reducing the risk of falls, and keeping you as steady as a rock.
5. Boosting Your Overall Mojo: Exercise isn’t just about the physical benefits. It’s a mood lifter too! Engaging in regular exercise can keep you feeling positive, energetic, and ready to conquer the day.
Pre-Exercise Safety Tips
Before we jump into these fantastic exercises, let’s put on our safety hats. It’s crucial to ensure that you’re exercising in a way that’s safe and healthy for your body.
1. Chat with Your Doc: Always, always check with your healthcare provider before starting any new exercise routine. They know your health history and can give you the green light to go ahead or suggest modifications.
2. Warm-Up is a Warm Hug for Your Muscles: Don’t dive into exercises cold turkey! A gentle warm-up is like telling your muscles, “Hey, we’re about to get moving, so let’s ease into it.”
3. Listen to Your Body – It’s Smarter Than You Think: If something hurts or feels off, stop and take a breather. Your body knows best, and pushing through pain is a big no-no.
4. Hydration Station: Water is your best friend before, during, and after exercising. Keep sipping and stay hydrated – it’s like giving your body a refreshing little spa.
5. Dress for Success: Wear comfortable clothing and supportive shoes. It’s all about feeling good and moving with ease.
6. Take it Slow: Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is fitness. Start slow and gradually increase the intensity of your exercises. It’s a marathon, not a sprint!
LYING/SEATED LOWER BACK EXERCISE ROUTINE:
Exercise: 1: Prone Lumbar Extension (Bent Elbows) - 30 seconds
Exercise 2: Prone Lumbar Extension (Straight Elbows) - 30 seconds
Exercise 3: Cat Stretch - 20 seconds each position
Exercise 4: Glute to Floor Push - 30 seconds
Exercise 5: Glute Bridges x 10
Exercise 6: Glute Medius stretch - 30 seconds each side
Exercise 7: Hamstring stretch - 30 seconds each side
Exercise 8: Standing Lumbar extension - 30 seconds
SEATED BACK EXERCISE ROUTINE:
Exercise: 1: Shoulder rolls x 10
Exercise 2: Spine Extension/Flexion Stretch x 2
Exercise 3: Side Bends x 2 each side
Exercise 4: Hamstring stretch - 30 seconds each sid
Exercise 5: Glute Medius stretch - 30 seconds each side
Exercise 6: Spinal Rotations x 5 each side
Exercise 7: Cat Stretch x 2 - 5 second holds
Exercise 8: Seated Lumbar extension - 30 seconds
Do your best with them, let me know how you go and ask any questions, any time! You can shoot me an email, or alternatively… Join the Facebook Community.
Stay Active! Stay Happy!
- Mike
How to Exercise Your Feet!
When it comes to exercising our feet, unless we have pain in our feet or undertake in a hobby or sport which requires we do exercises, they’re not usually a part of the body we think about exercising.
When we exercise our feet we can keep them healthy, keep them strong, keep ourselves moving much better AND also decrease pain.
Feet exercises for seniors - keep your feet functioning well
How often do you exercise your feet?
If you're anything like me, or the other 99% of us, you probably don't exercise them.
The fact is, it's actually a body part we should take some time to do specific exercises for.
Our little old feet, the majority of the time, are housed in shoes meaning we don't work our feet muscles as much as they could be worked. This leads to weakness, which can then lead to further issues.
Also, after decades of wearing shoes the sensory maps on our feet aren't as effective sending information from the ground to our brains, which can increase our falls risk. When the shoes worn each day are narrow, this usually leads to the toes becoming cramped up, leading to further issues.
In this week's video I give you two tips to help keep your feet healthy and go through some great feet exercises which will help strengthen the feet, keep you moving well and decrease your falls risk.
Here's the video:
To skip to the exercise go to 2:35.
FOOT EXERCISE ROUTINE:
Exercise: 1: Self Massage to Foot with Tennis Ball - 30 seconds each foot
Exercise 2: Toe, Foot and Ankle Stretch - 30 seconds each side
Exercise 3: Ankle Circles - 8 circles clockwise, 8 circles anti clockwise -each foot
Exercise 4: Toe Raises - x 10 each foot.
Exercise 5: Toe Raise + Spread x 10 each foot
Exercise 6: Seated Calf Raise x 10
Exercise 7: Seated Toe Raise x 10
Exercise 8: Toe Flexions x 10
ENJOY these exercises!
Do your best with it, let me know how you go and ask any questions, any time!
Stay Active! Stay Happy!
- Mike
An Introduction to Resistance Bands For Seniors
There comes a point when exercising consistently that it's a good idea to add some for of resistance to your exercise program to continue to make progress.
Progress in the form of increased strength and other aspects of fitness which makes the activities of your daily life much easier.
In this video I cover resistance bands AND we go through 6 exercises to help strengthen both the upper and lower body.
Resistance bands for seniors - seniors resistance band exercises
As said last week, there comes a point when exercising consistently that it's a good idea to add some form of resistance to your exercise program to continue to make progress.
Progress in the form of increased strength and other aspects of fitness which makes the activities of your daily life much easier!
In this video, I cover resistance bands, AND we go through 6 exercises to help strengthen both the upper and lower body.
WORKOUT:
Warm-Up: Seated Marching On the Spot
Exercise 1: Bicep Curls x 10 each arm
Exercise 2: Lateral Shoulder Raises x 10 each arm
Exercise 3: Knee Extensions x 10 each leg
Exercise 4: Ankle Plantar Flexions x 10 each ankle
Exercise 5: Hip Abductions x 10
Exercise 6: Standing Core Stability x 10 each arm
Go grab yourself some resistance bands and ENJOY this workout!
These are just an example of the many exercises you can do with resistance bands.
Do your best with it, let me know how you go and ask any questions, any time!
Stay Active! Stay Happy!
- Mike
An Introduction to Weights For Seniors
There comes a point when exercising consistently that it's a good idea to add some for of resistance to your exercise program to continue to make progress.
Progress in the form of increased strength and other aspects of fitness which makes the activities of your daily life much easier.
Weights are not something to be feared!
In this video I clear up some questions around the use of weights AND we go through a simple seated workout with weights.
[Working Out With Weights - An Introduction For Seniors - (10 Minutes)]
There comes a point when exercising consistently that it's a good idea to add some form of resistance to your exercise program to continue to make progress.
Progress in the form of increased strength and other aspects of fitness which makes the activities of your daily life much easier.
Weights are not something to be feared!
In this video, I clear up some questions around the use of weights, AND we go through a simple seated workout with weights.
WORKOUT: Warm-Up: Seated Marching On the Spot
Exercise 1: Weighted Bicep Curls x 10
Exercise 2: Weighted Calf Raises x 10
Exercise 3: Weighted Sit To Stand x 3 (Work Up to 10)
Exercise 4: Weighted Triceps Extension x 10
Exercise 5: Weighted Upright Row x 10
Go grab yourself some weights and ENJOY this workout!
Do your best with it, let me know how you go, and ask any questions - any time!
Stay Active! Stay Happy!
- Mike
Posture Exercises For Seniors & Quick Tips To Improve Posture
Maintaining good posture is important for many reasons.
Not only will it help you decrease pain, it will also decrease your chances of falling and improve how you look.
Every day we spend much of our time doing tasks that are at the front of us, predominantly using the muscles at the front of our body.
Here are ways to improve your posture.
Maintaining good posture is important for many reasons.
Not only will it help you decrease pain, but it will also decrease your chances of falling and improve how you look.
Every day we spend much of our time doing tasks that are at the front of us, predominantly using the muscles at the front of our body.
These tasks could be sitting on the computer, doing work at our desks, ironing, gardening, cooking, even reading a book on the couch gets us in a slouched forward position. As you can see, there are many tasks we do, causing us to get into awkward positions.
We are in more of a slouched position.
Our head is forward, and our shoulders are rounded, we are bent at the thoracic spine (the upper part of our back).
These positions are usually positions which aggravate pain also.
They are positions that aren't good for our posture and over time, certain muscles start to become tight whilst the muscles used to hold an upright posture become weaker.
Our posture starts becoming out of shape.
This is why it's important to add some exercises into your daily routine which stretch the front of our body and strengthen the back. This will improve our posture and prevent any worsening.
It's also a great idea to continually have awareness of your posture throughout your day
Here is how to sit with good posture.
Check Your Posture - Simple Posture Correction
Sitting up in a chair or standing.
Up nice and tall with stomach held tight.
Bring your shoulders up, back and down.
Keep your head up and tuck your chin in.
Correct Posture
Do the same when standing up. Nice and tall.
Here is an exercise video which will help work your muscles and make you stronger. Click the exercise video to begin working out.