These 5 very simple exercises to help you feel good every day are designed for people with busy lifestyles. Whether you’re stuck at a desk all day, a stay-at-home mom, or spend much of your day driving to appointments, finding time to take care of your body can be a challenge. Also, with such an overwhelming number of exercises out there, finding the best exercises that are appropriate for your skill level is tough as well. These are some VERY simple exercises that ANYONE can do, no matter of age or fitness level. No excuses! These exercises all play a crucial role in posture and have carryover into one’s daily routine.
- Chin tucks: sit or stand upright and gently tuck your chin like your trying to make a double chin. Hold this position for about 5 sec and repeat 10 times. These can be done anywhere. Do these when you’re driving and you come to a red light (great reminder!). Chin tucks stretch the muscles at the back of the skull. They also strengthen the muscles located deep on the front of the neck that help keep the head back in its proper position, rather than slumped forward. Chin tucks can also be helpful in preventing or treating headaches.
- Shoulder blade retraction/depression: in a sitting or standing position, pull your shoulder blades back and down. Draw them together, as if you’re trying to do a ‘rowing’ motion. This can be repeated 10-15 times. This exercise works the muscles that attach onto the shoulder blades and functions to get you out of the slumped forward posture by pulling your shoulders and upper torso back to keep you more upright.
- Glute Squeezes: in a standing or lying down position, squeeze your buttocks together. Hold for 5 sec and repeat 10-15 times. When doing this, you can tighten the quadricep muscles (the muscles on the front of your thighs) at the same time as well. The glute muscles are the largest muscles in the body. The glutes function as a primary ‘antigravity muscle,’ meaning it keeps the body upright. The glutes assist in standing up, climbing stairs, and maintaining a standing position.
- Sit to Stands: from a seated position toward the edge of a chair, place your legs at hip or shoulder width. Bring your upper body forward and push up through your heels as you bring your upper body vertical to a standing upright position. When lowering back down into the chair, bring your hips/buttocks back toward the chair as you do the opposite motion. Focus on not ‘plopping’ into the chair as you sit. Repeat this 10x. Also, focus on proper technique everytime you transfer from sit to stand. Sit to stands are a great exercise because of its functional carryover into something we do many, many times a day. Whether you’re getting off of your desk chair, kitchen chair, car seat, or toilet, you are still doing a sit to stand transfer.
- Walking: go for a walk. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a lap around your office, around the block, around your living room, or around the park where your son or daughter has a sporting event. Just walk. Walking has numerous benefits. It is very functional as we use it to get places. Also, it’s very easy to do anywhere as no equipment is needed. Walking has numerous benefits including: burning calories, weight loss, improving cardiovascular health, decreasing pain and stiffness, improving bone strength, etc.
The focus of these 5 exercises is to improve the strength needed for daily function. Spending as little a 5-7 minutes a day can be beneficial to your body. These exercises can boost metabolism and improve energy levels. Over time, these 5 simple exercises can be further modified to include a greater number of repetitions or time on each exercise, to allow for further gains. Completing these exercises everyday will allow you to stay healthy and fit for an improved quality of life.
Eric Ullman, PT, DPT
Physical Therapist
Owner of ReThrive Wellness, PLLC
ericullman@rethrivewellness.com
www.rethrivewellness.com