There are many ways to get your 30 – 60 minutes of daily exercise around the home without having to travel to a gym or health club. Weather permitting, you can walk for your aerobic segment. Try to include some hills on your route and consider using a pedometer to record your distance, and a heart rate monitor for your intensity level and target heart rate (THR). Remember, you are trying to work out for at least 20 minutes in your THR which is found by subtracting your age from 220 and multiplying the answer by 65% for the lower end and 80% for the upper end. For example, a 50-year old would subtract: 220 – 50 = 170, and multiply: 170 x .65 and 170 x .80, for a THR of 110 – 136 beats per minute. Other aerobic exercise could include climbing the stairs in the house, dancing to fast music, performing an aerobic routine by following a video, or jumping rope. Check with your doctor prior to doing aerobic exercise and ask for her recommendations.
Strength or resistance training can be done at home by traditional exercises such as push-ups, sit-ups, squats, stretch and reach, and lunges. If you have a pair of 5 or 8 pound dumbbells, use them for arm curls, chest press, shoulder press and 1-arm rows. If you don’t have dumbbells, use soup or bean cans or plastic detergent containers. There are numerous books in the library and many magazines in the supermarket that show pictures of the proper form for all these exercises. You may want to buy an exercise band for stretching and strengthening moves. They are sold at many department stores. Some have handles and some are simply the band itself. The band can be placed around a stable object such as a pole in the basement and you can pull the ends towards you in a rowing motion.
For better flexibility and decreased risk of injury, perform some stretches for the legs and back. They can be done by lying on your back and bringing your knees to your chest. Also, you can raise 1 leg at a time straight to the ceiling and stretch the back of the leg. Almost all the books on yoga include a section on stretching. Often the package in which an exercise band is wrapped includes instructions and sample exercises. A broom or mop handle can be held at the ends with both hands and used for stretching. Calf stretches can be done on the stairs by placing the front half of the foot on the first step and raising and lowering the heel in the air.
Use your imagination to think of other exercises and stretches. Make it fun but most of all, be safety conscious. Have proper balance and body alignment and wear loose clothing and no jewelry. Protect your joints such as the knee by keeping the knee over the ankle when lunging or squatting. See what you have in your house or apartment that could be used for exercise. Do you have a sturdy table, counter top, or a chair without wheels? If so, you can gently lean on them to perform a push-up or an upper back stretch. You may want to use and exercise ball or a medicine ball for resistance and lifting.
Find something that you can do regularly and make it a positive, healthy habit. Could you try a few sit-ups while watching television? Involve the family or a friend in your program and keep a record of your accomplishments. Set short and long range goals and reward yourself on a job well done. You deserve the benefits a strong body and a healthy lifestyle provides!
Article by Bob McDowell, Certified Personal Trainer.
