The 4 most important types of exercise

 

Aerobic exercise

1. Aerobic exercise

Engaging in aerobic exercise is crucial for various bodily functions. It involves increasing your heart rate and breathing, providing a workout for your heart and lungs while boosting endurance. Insufficient aerobic exercise is evident when you struggle to climb stairs without becoming excessively winded. To condition your heart and lungs, as well as improve blood circulation to your muscles for efficient functioning, incorporating more aerobic exercise is recommended. Additionally, aerobic exercise promotes relaxation of blood vessels, reduces blood pressure, burns body fat, lowers blood sugar levels, alleviates inflammation, enhances mood, and increases "good" HDL cholesterol. When combined with weight loss, it can also lower levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol. Over time, aerobic exercise reduces the risk of conditions like heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, breast and colon cancer, depression, and falls. Aim to engage in 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activities such as brisk walking, swimming, jogging, cycling, dancing, or taking step aerobics classes.

Marching in place

Starting position: Stand upright with your feet together and arms resting at your sides.

Movement: Bend your elbows and swing your arms as you lift your knees, simulating a marching motion.

Variations of marching:

- March in place.
- March forward for four steps, then march backward for four steps.
- March in place with your feet positioned wider apart.
- Alternate marching with your feet wide apart and then bringing them together (out, out, in, in).

Tips and techniques:

- Maintain a straight gaze and engage your abdominal muscles.
- Breathe naturally and avoid clenching your fists.

To make it easier: March at a slower pace and avoid lifting your knees too high.

To make it harder: Lift your knees higher, increase your marching speed, and vigorously swing your arms.

2. Strength training

As we age, muscle mass tends to diminish. However, engaging in strength training can help rebuild and strengthen muscles. Regular strength training improves your confidence and ability to perform daily tasks like carrying groceries, gardening, and lifting heavier objects. It also enhances essential abilities such as standing up from a chair, getting up from the floor, and climbing stairs. Strength training not only increases strength but also promotes bone growth, lowers blood sugar levels, aids in weight control, improves balance and posture, and reduces stress and lower back and joint pain.

To incorporate strength training into your routine, consult with a physical therapist who can design a program tailored to your needs. This program can be performed two to three times per week at a gym, home, or workplace. It may involve bodyweight exercises like squats, push-ups, and lunges, as well as exercises utilizing resistance from weights, bands, or weight machines. It's essential to ensure you feel some muscle fatigue at the end of each exercise to ensure effective training of the muscle group.

Squat

Starting position: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides.

Movement: Slowly bend your hips and knees, lowering your buttocks approximately eight inches, as if you were sitting back into a chair. Allow your arms to swing forward to aid in balancing. Maintain a straight back. Gradually return to the starting position. Repeat this movement 8-12 times.

Tips and techniques:

- Shift your weight onto your heels.
- Squeeze your buttocks as you stand to improve balance.

To make it easier: Sit on the edge of a chair with your feet hip-width apart and your arms crossed over your chest. Activate your abdominal muscles and stand up. Slowly sit down with control.

To make it harder: Increase the depth of your squat, but avoid going lower than thighs parallel to the floor.

3. Stretching

Stretching plays a crucial role in maintaining

 flexibility, a quality often overlooked in youth when our muscles are naturally more supple. However, as we age, flexibility decreases, leading to muscle and tendon tightness and reduced functionality. This can result in muscle cramps, pain, strains, joint discomfort, and an increased risk of falls. Limited flexibility also hampers daily activities like tying shoelaces.

Regular stretching helps lengthen and improve the flexibility of muscles, which in turn increases your range of motion, reduces pain, and lowers the risk of injuries. Aim to incorporate a stretching routine daily or at least three to four times per week.

Before starting your stretching routine, warm up your muscles with a few minutes of dynamic stretches, which involve repetitive movements like marching in place or arm circles. This helps improve blood circulation and oxygen delivery to the muscles, making them more receptive to change.

Following the warm-up, perform static stretches, holding each stretch for up to 60 seconds. Focus on stretching the calves, hamstrings, hip flexors, quadriceps, as well as the muscles in the shoulders, neck, and lower back.

It is important not to push the stretch into the painful range as it can tighten the muscle and be counterproductive.

Single knee rotation

Starting position: Lie on your back with your legs extended on the floor.

Movement: Relax your shoulders against the floor. Bend your left knee and place your left foot on your right thigh just above the knee. Tighten your abdominal muscles, then grasp your left knee with your right hand and gently pull it across your body toward your right side. Hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.

Tips and techniques:

- Stretch until you feel mild tension, avoiding pain.
- Try to keep both shoulders flat on the floor.
- To increase the stretch, look in the direction opposite to your knee.

4. Balance exercises

Enhancing your balance provides a sense of stability while reducing the risk of falls. It becomes particularly important as we age since the systems responsible for maintaining balance, such as vision, inner ear function, and leg muscles and joints, tend to weaken. The good news is that practicing balance exercises can help prevent and reverse these losses.

Many senior centers and gyms offer exercise classes that specifically focus on balance, including tai chi and yoga. It is beneficial to start engaging in these exercises early, even if you currently perceive no issues with balance.

Consulting with a physical therapist is also a valuable option. They can assess your current balance abilities and create a customized exercise program targeting your specific areas of weakness. This is especially crucial if you have experienced a fall or near-fall or if you possess a fear of falling.

Typical balance exercises include standing on one foot, walking heel to toe (with eyes open or closed), improving joint flexibility, walking on uneven surfaces, and strengthening leg muscles through exercises like squats and leg lifts. It is important to receive proper training before attempting these exercises at home.

Standing knee lift

Starting position: Stand up straight with your feet together and your hands on your hips.

Movement: Lift your left knee toward the ceiling as high as is comfortable or until your thigh is parallel to the floor. Hold this position, then slowly lower your knee back to the starting position. Repeat this exercise 3-5 times.

Afterward, perform the exercise 3-5 times with your right leg.

Tips and techniques:

- Keep your chest lifted, shoulders down and back.
- If necessary, lift your arms out to the sides to aid in balance.
- Maintain tension in your abdominal muscles throughout.
- Stabilize yourself by tightening the buttock of your standing leg.
- Breathe comfortably.

To make it easier: Hold onto the back of a chair or a counter with one hand