Ageless Movement: Discover exercises that defy time.
I don't know about you, but I do not want to be uncomfortable and in bad health during my third act. I want to still be enjoying life. I want to still be playing with my grandkids and great grandkids. I want to still be going to concerts and dancing! I want to hike and bike. But in order to make this happen I know I need to be exercising regularly.
There are so many Dr.'s and trainers out there in social media land telling us the best exercises. Their ideas are best etc. It's a lot! I am learning to do a little of many different exercises. I feel this is key. Just as we need to diversify our foods, we also need to change up our exercises. If we just stick to one type of exercise, just like sticking to one type of TRE (time restricted eating) our bodies get used to it and it adjusts, but our bodies need a little push in order to grow. This is a hormetic stress, the only stress that's good, it helps your body be resilient.
That's why people hire trainers so they will push their limits. I have my husband to push me as he really ups his game quite a bit. Keeps me on my toes. So, try to switch up your exercises also. There are some exercises that we need to be doing on a regular basis in order to live longer and healthier. They're called longevity exercises. Here are my go to's:
Walking- this is the best exercise in the world!! It's free! Try to walk outside as much as possible. Being out in nature is good for your soul. I'm not a winter fan so when it's too cold I hit the gym. Or on days I don't want to leave the house, I grab weights (for grip strength, this is huge) and just walk around the house with them for 10 minutes. I do this several times a day. I have stairs so sometimes I just spend 5 minutes going up and down them.
Squats, you can vary them. wide legged squat, legs together, make sure your booty is out, and your knees are not over your toes too much, keep your back straight. I walk around the house doing squats also, A kick ass leg work out.
Wall sits; this is one we have just recently started. It's not easy but I know it's great for me. They say you should do it for 2-3 minutes I'm at about 1:30 now lol, I will get there. Be patients with yourself.
Wall sits are a great way to build strength in your lower body along with your core. This is one of the few exercises that benefit you when you do it over time instead of how many repetitions of it you do. A wall sit is a great way to develop balance and stability. This is not just essential to manage age-related balance problems but also for athletes to improve their sports performance. Wall sits work on your posture also.
First thing my awesome chiropractor had me doing is core exercises. Even though I was going to him for shoulder pain. Our core is very important. We need to be intentional when exercising and moving.
Benefits: Improved muscle endurance, increased core strength, better balance and stability, and improved posture.
legs up the wall
Legs-up-the-wall pose is one of several yoga poses known as inversion poses. “This means that the upper body is inverted from its normal, upright position". I love my yoga!!
Benefits of legs up the wall:
Deep relaxation: promotes a state of calm and helps release anxiety and tension
Stress relief: it helps to reduce your stress levels, I don't know one person who doesn't need that
Improved circulation: this is why I started it; it enhances blood flow and reduces swelling in the lower legs
Knee pain reduction and helps relieve tension in the neck and shoulders.
How easy is it to put your legs up a wall and so beneficial for everyone. Call it your 5 minutes of self-care. If you have kiddos, they will love to do it with you and think what you are teaching them. My childcare kiddos loved working out daily, so involve your kiddos. We want them to see that it's good to exercise and take care of yourself. This is a skill they will take with them throughout their lives.
Bridges: laying on your back and lifting your core. This helps your core muscles, back muscles and the glutes. I really try to squeeze my buns when up at top of bridge.
Walking is my number 1 exercise for longevity and next is core exercises and then I'm going to say balance. We want to be able to be stable as we get older. I do yoga several times a week, yoga supports our overall whole body and mind. It strengthens us, helps with flexibility and balance, it involves breathwork which improves heart health, Stress relief which is also amazing for your heart and mind. My new goal is to start doing Tai Chi. It has the same benefits as yoga. Look it up on U tube there is a ton of videos!
Benefits of Tai Chi and yoga are:
improved balance
mental clarity
relieve anxiety
improved sleep quality
pain management
enhance immunity system
My two favorite gals we do yoga with on U tube is: yoga with Adrienne and Yoga in Melbourne. They are both amazing and different from each other. Our favorite gal we do weights with is Cheryl Coulombe. Her videos are short and sweet. A kick ass workout in 30 minutes.
I feel it is beneficial for us to have certain work out items at home. We use our rebounder daily, usually several times a day. Gets the blood flowing, helps with lymphatic draining, heart health and bladder control. (for us women who need it). Yes, there will be bladder leakage at first so put on a pad, but over time it will lesson. That's the point is to help with this. It's been amazing for me.
We use our vibrate board several times a week. I got this to help with bone density. It is a very easy work out all you have to do is stand on it. I personally have the one that has resistance bands and use them while on it. I also do squats while on it. And after 10 minutes or so I sit on it and let my core be vibrated along with my arms. Always working on these arms! I sit on it and put my arms on it. Vibrates those birdie wings, and my back fat and belly. An easy no sweat workout that's great for your bones. The rebounder and vibrate board both less a hundred on amazon. Your vitality is so worth it. You've got this!!!
We have kettlebells and weights we use. As I mentioned earlier, my husband has learned that walking with weights is good for your grip strength which aids in longevity and your overall vitality. I love that he likes to research exercises, he teaches me. For the kettle bells I also have these cards that give me ideas of exercises to do. I need that so I don't get bored or run out of ideas, as I said earlier, keep diversifying.
Strength training not only improves your physical strength and functional ability but also increases your metabolic rate, helping you burn more calories even at rest. Aim for major muscle groups twice a week.
Aerobic exercise is also amazing. I don't go to any organized dance classes, but I do a lot of dancing around the house. We just recently bought a place in AZ, at a senior park and I look forward to the Zumba and line dancing and water aerobics. If you could do water aerobics or swimming that would be great. I personally not a swimmer but can doggy paddle and swim small distances. lol.
Any type of moderate-intensity exercises like walking, cycling, swimming, dancing, jogging that will elevate your heart rate and improve your cardiovascular health, will reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and other chronic conditions. The new research says that after 50 we shouldn't be jogging/running as much but to concentrate on strength exercises, balancing, and grip strength. I have been wearing my weighted vest when walking. I love this vest as you can take out the weights and adjust it to what you need. It's inexpensive and will help with bone density and overall, wellbeing. I feel powerful and strong when wearing it lol.
Aim for at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercises a week. We try to walk 5 days a week, strength train 3 days a week and yoga a few times, I'm finding that my body is wanting more yoga lately (or maybe it's my mind that needs it) so I'm doing a yoga challenge with myself and aiming for 5 days a week of yoga.
HIIT training (high intensity-interval) a few days a week is also amazing, it only takes 20 minutes and is great for your heart. These trainings make me the sorest so they must be doing something.
There is no single exercise for longevity, but by incorporating many different ones I believe we can live longer healthier lives, who doesn't want that? I love doing different types of exercises. Learning to be well rounded lol. What the heck is it that after I turned 50, I wanted to really start on taking care of myself better? One thing I know kicked me in gear, was my breast cancer diagnosis in 2023. It was caught early, and we did a lumpectomy and I didn't do any treatments or pills they suggested. I just did my own holistic care (that's another blog post). I pray you never have to get that diagnosis. The best way to not get that diagnosis is to eat healthy and eat for your hormones (you can balance your hormones through food), intermittent fasting, detox your home and products, exercise and take care of your mental health! Have a super day and thanks for reading!!
Frostina Renae
www.changeyourlifefrostinarenae.com
