Start in a plank position. Bring index fingers and thumbs to meet, forming a triangle under chest. Bend elbows and lower torso as close to ground as possible. Push through palms to straighten arms. Modify this move by dropping to knees. Do 10 reps.
PLANK UPS
Start in a forearm plank. Keeping abs tight and spine long, pick up right arm and right palm on ground. Repeat on left side, ending up in a high-plank position. Now reverse the movement, replacing right palm with right elbow and left palm with left elbow. That’s 1 rep. Be sure to keep hips still and facing the ground throughout the routine. Do 10 reps, alternating starting arms with each rep.
Forearm Plank Core muscle fibers tend to shrink and become less supple as we age, which can put more strain on your back. Planks are one of the best moves you can do to keep your core muscles strong. How to do it: Place your forearms on the floor with your elbows aligned below your shoulders and your arms parallel to your body about shoulder-width apart. Close your hands into fists. Push your toes into the floor and squeeze your glutes to stabilize the bottom half of your body. Be careful not to lock your knees. Neutralize your neck and spine by looking at the floor about a foot in front of your hands. Your head should be in line with your spine. Try to hold this position for 20 seconds. As you get more comfortable and your core gets stronger, hold the plank for as long as possible without sacrificing form or breath.Downward Dog Split with Knee Drive This is another great move for the core. It is particularly good for strengthening the obliques (the muscles on the sides of your core). How to do it: Start on your hands and knees with your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. Spread your fingers wide apart and press firmly through your knuckles and palms, distributing your weight evenly across your hands. Tuck your toes and lift your butt toward the ceiling as you extend your legs without locking your knees. Bring your body into the shape of an upside-down “V.” Then raise your right leg to move into the downward dog split. Bend your right knee and pull it toward your tummy and then toward your forehead. Then straighten and raise your leg back up toward the ceiling. Bend your knee and this time, bring it in toward your tummy and eventually toward your right elbow. Straighten your leg again, then bring your knee across your tummy and toward your left elbow. Repeat three times. Switch legs and repeat.Chair Dip
You’ll tighten weak and flabby triceps with this exercise. How to do it: Sit on a sturdy chair. Place your palms against the seat of the chair, next to your hips, and scoot your butt forward until it comes off the chair and you are supporting your body weight with your arms and legs. Bend your legs at a 90-degree angle. Bend your elbows back and slowly lower your butt toward the floor. Keep your elbows tucked in. Your body should just clear the seat. Push back up until your arms are extended straight, but don’t use your feet for help. Do 8 to 15 reps.Biceps Curl
Tone and strengthen your biceps, which will help you with independence and mobility as you get older. How to do it: Place a resistance band under your right foot. Hold one end of the band in each hand. Bend your elbows as you curl your hands toward your upper arms. Pull up for 2 seconds, breathing out as you raise the band, then release for 3 seconds. Make sure that you only move your arms, not your upper body. Do six reps, then switch to the left foot and do six more. For an added balance challenge, try standing on one leg while you perform the curls.
Squat
Squats are a fantastic way to tone your legs, glutes, and core muscles all at once. They help with balance and flexibility to prevent age-related falls.
How to do it: Stand with your feet flat on the floor. Push your butt back and bend your knees down into a squat, no farther than 90 degrees. As you lower, raise both arms forward. At your lowest point, your glutes should be back as if you were going to sit down in a chair and your weight should be on your heels. If you are in the proper position, you should be able to raise your toes off the floor and you should be able to see your toes. Return to starting position as you lower your arms to your sides.
If you were worried a floor workout would be too easy, this move will set you straight—and fast. This move starts in a hollow hold position: “Imagine doing a crunch but staying at the top,’ Scharff says. From your back, press a set of dumbbells into the air over your mid-chest. Peel your shoulders off the mat while keeping your lower back glued to the ground. Think about pressing the weights toward the ceiling as you scissor your legs, never letting them touch the ground.
This doesn’t have to be a fast movement, just big, controlled kicks. You can also do this move with one heavier weight as opposed to two dumbbells. Either way, go for 50 reps or 45 seconds!
Lie on your back, holding your dumbbells, and bring the soles of your feet to the floor, knees pointing up. Bend your elbows so your weights stack over your wrists, then bring your elbows to a 45-degree angle—your arms should look like an arrow.
Press your entire back into the mat and exhale as you push the weights up over your chest. (Try not to let them bang together!) Inhale as you release back down to the floor, then reset and repeat. Pro tip: If you’re pressing heavier weights, pick up your dumbbells before lying back, as it’s easier on your shoulder joints. Repeat for 10-15 reps or 45 seconds.
Easy-to-access activities that help to reduce blood pressure, cholesterol and the risk of heart diseaseGregory RobinsonSun 10 Nov 2019 00.30 EST
Running
Last week, research published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that running can reduce the risk of early death regardless of how long or at what speed you run. The research focused on 14 previous studies based on six different groups of participants, totalling more than 230,000 people over a period of between 5.5 and 35 years. The authors reported that any amount of running, even just once a week, is better than no running at all.
Swimming
Swimmers were found to have a 28% lower risk of early death and a 41% lower risk of death as a result of stroke or heart disease, according to a 2017 study by Swim England. Over 80,000 people took part. The report also said swimming is a cost-effective, safe and viable exercise for people of all ages, it helps older people stay mentally and physically fit and can help children develop physical, cognitive and social skills through swimming lessons.
Tennis
Scientists attempting to find the health benefits of different sports found that regular tennis and badminton sessions reduce the risk of death at any given age by 47%. The study, published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, gathered responses from over 80,000 adults aged 30 and over, through surveys taken between 1994 and 2008.
Yoga
In addition to improving strength, breathing and flexibility, yoga has been found to reduce risk factors for heart disease, such as high body mass index, cholesterol and blood pressure. A study by the American College of Cardiology found that people combining yoga practice and aerobic exercise, such as running or swimming, saw double the reduction in high BMI, cholesterol levels and blood pressure in comparison with people who were taking part in just one or the other exercise.
Brisk walking
Numerous studies have suggested that sitting for too long can be a risk factor for early death. A study published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that low-level activities, such as going for a walk for just 10 to 59 minutes per week, can lower the risk of death from any cause by 18%.Topics
The best tricks to stop the clock By Amy Rushlow Aug 12, 2013
It’s no secret that working out keeps you younger—both in terms of the energy you have and your physical ability to keep doing the things you love. “Fitness is a youth serum,” says physical therapist and fitness expert Maureen Hagan. “Fitness affects how youthful you look, the way you move, and your ability to do whatever you want, whenever.”
Hagan has been training clients for more than 20 years with a focus on active aging, and is also a regularly published research reviewer on the same topic. This past weekend at the IDEA World Fitness Convention, Hagan presented the healthy aging secrets she’s learned from both practice and clinical research. Don’t worry, we’re not about to overhaul your favorite workout. No matter how old you are or what you like to do for exercise, you can use Hagan’s secrets to move better, protect yourself from injury, and feel younger.
1. Squat right
“People say to me, ‘Oh I can’t squat, it hurts my knees,’” and then they go and pick up their bag of groceries from the floor,” Hagan says. The point: You squat all the time, so it’s essential that you learn to do it properly. For women, that means turning your toes out slightly. This simple fix allows your femur to line up properly in the hip joint, causing your knees to track over your ankles instead of caving in. The result: a stronger knee joint and less chance of knee pain. (Men have a different hip structure, so they should squat with toes forward.) Also, “women really do need to step their feet slightly wider than their hips,” Hagan adds. “Without the wider stance than hip-width, that knee tracking and movement at the hip cannot happen.”
2. Hack your genetics
Ever hear that you can’t change your genes? That’s only partially true. While you can’t change your genetic makeup, you can change how certain genes are expressed—that is, how much they do whatever they do. And strength training is one of the best ways to do that. Only 26 weeks of resistance training reverses the aging process at the genetic level, research shows. “You can actually train your tissues to behave the way they did when you were younger,” Hagan says. Furthermore, resistance training preserves muscle mass that we typically lose as we age—5 pounds per decade, on average. (We also gain an average of 10 pounds of fat per decade. “That’s certainly not fair! It should at least be even!” Hagan says. Agreed!)
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3. Play on the brain gym
Exercise is a physical crossword puzzle, Hagan likes to say. The more activity you can do that also engages your brain, the better. These can involve reaction training (such as playing tennis or racquetball), memorizing choreography (like you would in step class or Zumba), and changing direction (common in step, kickboxing, and dance classes).
4. Do more cardio than you think you need
While U.S. guidelines call for 150 minutes of cardio per week, Hagan’s examination of research found that 240 minutes per week is optimal for heart health. Aerobic activity improves mitochondrial function (the work of energy-producing organelles in cells), which typically decreases with age. Four hours of cardio a week sound like too much? “If you don’t have much time, interval training is one of the most efficient ways to exercise at high enough levels to improve aerobic fitness,” Hagan says. Click here for tips on how to add intervals to your workout.
5. Make your two brains talk to each other
Include some moves where you cross your legs and arms over the midline of your body. Why? The connection between the right and left hemispheres of your brain deteriorates as you age, which causes “brain farts” (technical name: brain delays) as the hemispheres have trouble communicating with one another, Hagan explains. Crossing limbs forces the two sides of your brain to talk to one another, strengthening the connection between hemispheres. (How cool is that?)
6. Embrace high-impact activity
A lot of older people are afraid to jump because it’ll hurt the knees or hips. “But that’s bogus, because you need to jump in everyday life, and you need impact to build bone density,” Hagan says. That doesn’t mean you need to take up Insanity (the DVD series known for crazy-intense jumping moves). A “forceful step” like you’re squishing a bug is enough impact to make a difference. Think of forceful stepping any time you lunge, squat, or march.
7. Get the BAM
The average American walks only 2,000 steps per day, but experts recommend 10,000. “7,500 steps a day is what we Canadians call the BAM, or bare you-know-what minimum, for health,”
Most people head into a workout focusing on the areas we consider the most noticeable—butt, stomach, legs, etc. But here’s a secret: Strong upper-body muscles (and back muscles, specifically) are not only key for an overall defined look, but they’re your best defense against pain, injury, and poor posture for years to come.
Try these eight back exercises at home or at the gym to sculpt a strong, sexy back, and shoulders all at once and reduce the appearance of back fat.
How it works: Three or four days a week, do 1 set of each of these back exercises, with little or no rest in between moves. After the last exercise, rest 1 to 2 minutes and repeat the full circuit 2 more times (3 times total). You’ll need: A pair of light-weight dumbbells and a pair of medium-weight dumbbells
T Raises
This at-home back exercise proves that you don’t need huge weights to make some huge strength gains.
Grab a pair of light-weight dumbbells and stand with feet hip-width apart.
Take a slight bend in knees as you shift hips back and lower torso until it’s parallel to the floor.
Bring weights together and turn palms to face forward.
Keeping arms straight, lift weights up to shoulder height then lower back down. (Make sure to keep core and glutes engaged the entire time.)
Do 15 reps.
Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows
Aim to keep shoulder blades down and together and core engaged through this entire exercise.
Holding a medium-weight dumbbell in one hand, stand with feet hip-width apart, bend knees, and shift hips back, lowering torso until nearly parallel with the ground. Place right hand on a wall in front of you for balance.
Draw the weight up toward chest by bending left elbow straight up toward the ceiling.
Do 10 reps per side.
Delt Raise
This at-home back exercise is all about control. To get the most out of the move, focus on eliminating momentum and utilizing your back rather than arm muscles.
Holding a pair of light-weight dumbbells, stand with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent.
Shift hips back as you lower torso until nearly parallel with the ground.
Turn palms to face each other, bend elbows, and lift weights up to shoulder height.
Gently lower back down, keeping core and glutes engaged during the entire movement.
Do 10 reps.
Plank with Lateral Arm Raise
Moving your limbs away from your core makes this back exercise an abs workout and balance challenge, too.
Start in a straight-arm plank with hands below and in line with shoulders, feet slightly wider than hip-width apart.
Keeping hips as still as possible, lift one arm up to shoulder height.
Return to center, then lift the other arm to shoulder height. (Draw belly button up and in and keep your body centered.)
Do 10 reps per side.
Push-Up Hold
Rather than cranking out hundreds of reps, incorporate more isometric back exercises in your at-home workout to help build muscle.
Start in pushup position with hands slightly wider than shoulder width, feet hip-width apart. Your body should form a straight line from heels to head.
Bend elbows and lower body until hovering a few inches above the ground. Hold for 1 deep breath, and then press half-way up and hold for 1 deep breath.
Lower back down to your lowest point, holding for 1 deep breath.
Return to your half-way point for one more hold.
Do 5 reps.
Back and Booty Blasters
While this move focuses on your glutes, hamstrings, and inner thighs, it’s also a great at-home back exercise too. (P.S. the muscles along the entire back of your body are called the posterior chain.)
Lay flat on your stomach. Lift your chest up, arching your back and interlacing your hands behind your back.
Lift your hands and legs up, touching your heels together.
Slowly move your legs apart and bring them back together.
Do 20 reps.
Twister
Time for a round of twister—but in the form of an at-home back exercise. This chair pose will stretch and strengthen your back while the rotations will hit your obliques.
Squat into chair position with hands in prayer pose in front of chest.
Twist your torso to the right while remaining in chair pose, and place the left elbow on the outside of the right knee. The other elbow should be pointing to the ceiling.
Hold for three breaths, then return to center. Repeat on the other side.
Do 4 reps.
Pilates Press
You’ll seriously sculpt your chest, too, while doing this back exercise—as long as you don’t let your hips drop when you lower to the ground.
Start in push-up position and bend one leg behind you so the bottom of the foot is facing toward the ceiling.
Lower your body to the ground by bending your elbows, keeping your back straight.
