Maintaining Function and Independence
Here's an effective way to use a few of the hours I saved you with my email tips. It takes less than half an hour a week.
The session takes 12 minutes and will help you maintain your ability to:
get out of a chair
recover from a fall
pull yourself up from the floor
cope with your carry on luggage
The above are HIGH on my priority list for maintaining independence and dignity as I age.
Alternate between a lower body exercises and an upper body exercise. Aim for 12 sets total - 6-15 reps per set - I take a minute per set including rest.
Lower
Squat
Leg Press
Upper
Pull up
Dip
Back and forth (upper/lower), rest as you need but if you need more than a minute then reduce weight.
You'll probably need an assist on the pull-ups and the dips - there's a machine (below) in most gyms that will help you get going.
Use a wide range of motion - better to go lighter, and slower, with a full range.
Goblet squat is great way to learn how to do the squat exercise. It's a lot like sitting into, and getting up from, a chair.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIrcxSkwui8]
The routine is simple but takes effort to do twice a week, every week, forever.
This routine is an effective way to reduce the speed that I will become frail. I've been doing some version of it since high school, over 30 years and counting!
When I travel, it can seem silly to pay drop-in fees for 12-20 minutes of exercise.
What gets the wallet out is understanding what I might lose if I take a bad fall late in life.
I also get really sore if I go more than a week without strength training.
So start light and have an expert teach you proper form.
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As an alternative, here is the NY Times' seven-minute workout.