A Time-Conscious Fitness Program for the Boomer

In this article, let’s look at how to get in shape with an exercise program that does not cause undue harm to your body.

Before you begin any exercise program, I strongly recommend that you have your physician evaluate your current condition to rule out any underlying problems which may be further compromised with exercise.

You probably learned that it’s important to warm up before exercise. In the past we were taught to stretch, then exercise. Times have changed.

To warm up properly, first take a 10-minute walk. This activity warms the muscles of your body. A warm muscle is easier to stretch than a cold muscle and thus your chances of muscle injury are decreased. If you want to exercise in the morning, I recommend that you take a hot shower to warm your muscles and that you wait at least an hour after you get up and start moving around before exercising.

Many people skip the warm-up, claiming that they just don’t have the time. The warm-up is essential to experiencing the best benefit from your exercise program, as well as to avoiding injury. If there are time issues, I’d rather you spend time warming up, even if it then means that you have to lessen the time you exercise.

Since time, or more precisely lack thereof, is one of the main excuses that I hear for not performing exercise on a daily basis, I will share with you a short, yet beneficial, routine to begin to get you in shape.

After warming up by walking for 10 minutes, you are ready to stretch. We begin with Neck Arcs, which address the neck and upper back. Let your head fall to the chest, then roll your head to one side (but not past your shoulder) and hold for 3 seconds, then roll to the other side and hold for 3 seconds. Repeat three times. To stretch the muscles in the back and front of the neck, let your head fall forward (chin towards chest) hold for 3 seconds, then straighten head and look up, hold for 3 seconds, then return to normal position. Perform this stretch three times. Please note that you may have been taught to stand upright, let the chin/head fall to the chest, then roll your head in a circle-like fashion. Unfortunately, rolling your head in a full circle can irritate the joints in your cervical spine (neck), so this movement is no longer recommended.
Next, it’s time to turn our attention to the lower half. Lie on your back with both knees bent and feet on the floor. Bring one knee to the chest, hold for 10 seconds, and return the foot to the floor. Repeat the same movement with the other leg. Perform 3 sets of 10 seconds each leg. The next movement is to bring both knees to your chest and hold for 3 sets of 10 seconds. The last stretch for the lower body is to lie on your back with both legs straight on the floor. Raise one leg in the air (try to avoid bending the knee) and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat three times. Do the same with the other leg. The lower half stretches address the lower back, gluteal region (buttocks), and the hamstrings (back of legs).

In one of my previous articles, The Five Essential Components of a Baby Boomer’s Exercise Program as featured in www.Boomer-Living.com, I listed the five components as flexibility, balance, core, strength and aerobic.

I have chosen three powerful exercises/movements that will address all five essential components in a time-conscious manner for busy boomers. The movement patterns are the push-up, the squat, and the lunge.

This is the time I usually hear my patients say, “Push-ups! Are you crazy? I haven’t done push-ups in years.” If it’s been a while since you have performed push-ups, start easy. The wall push-up is beneficial, especially in the beginning. Start performing wall push-ups for one set of ten repetitions. Increase the repetitions and sets by one each week. Once you are able to perform 3 sets of10 repetitions, you can start performing push-ups on the floor with knees bent or off an exercise ball. After you’re able to perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions in this fashion, you can attempt the traditional push-up exercise.

The next movement is the squat. If you have bad knees you may need to skip this movement pattern. The best way to strengthen your legs before performing repetitive squats is the wall sit. For this movement pattern, begin with your back against the wall and slide down into a sit-like position. It’s important to keep your knees over or behind your ankle. If your knees are jutting past your ankle, your position is incorrect and you are placing undue stress on the ligaments and meniscus of your knees. Begin by holding this position for 15 seconds. Perform 3 sets of 15 seconds for the first week, 3 sets of 30 seconds for the second week, 2 sets for 45 seconds for the third week, and one set for 1-2 minutes for the fourth week. Once you accomplish the wall-sit, you can begin by adding squats to your workout. Start with 1 set of 10 repetitions working towards a goal of 3 sets 10 repetitions. If you have difficulties with squatting you can perform half squats, use a chair for balance and assistance, or continue with the wall sit.

The last movement is the lunge. Using a chair for balance, stand upright, tighten your abdominal muscles (don’t hold your breath) and lunge forward with one leg, at the same time raising the opposite arm in the air. For example, if I lunge with my left leg forward, I am raising my right arm above my head to stretch my back. Again, as with the squat, it’s important to keep your knee over or behind your ankle. Begin with 1 set of 10 repetitions with a goal of working towards 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Remember how I stressed the importance of warming the muscles? It’s just as important to cool down. The easiest way to cool down is to perform the same stretches you started with.
The complete workout should look like this: walk, warm-up, push-ups, squats, lunge and cool- down.

This is an effective beginner workout program to help you start getting back into shape while avoiding injury to your body.

To Your Health!