You don’t need a home gym to exercise at home. Here are four inexpensive, easy-to-store alternatives that, together, enhance all the elements of fitness: muscle strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular endurance. All are sold in sporting-goods stores.
Getting on the bandwagon
Elastic exercise bands are a perfect option for beginning strength training. They’ve been used by physical therapists for years. Cheap (usually about $3 a band), portable, and versatile, these long, wide bands provide the resistance you need to work your muscles. They often come with illustrated booklets. The bands’ colors reflect the level of resistance. You can strengthen and tone virtually all your major muscles—and work them from a variety of angles, depending on what you use as an anchor for the elastic band.
Rowing. Sitting on the floor with your legs extended, loop band under arches of feet and hold one end in each hand. Start with arms extended forward. Keeping your back straight and shoulders down, pull your elbows back slowly, contracting shoulder blades. Hold for 2 seconds; release slowly. Repeat.
Tips: Start with easy resistance and gradually increase the difficulty. If you’re stretching the band too much, switch to a harder resistance. Keep the band at its normal width so that it doesn’t cut into your hands, feet, or ankles. After stretching the band, release it slowly, but do not let it go slack. Wrap the band securely around your hand or foot so it won’t slip. When an exercise calls for anchoring one end of the band, choose an object that won’t move, such as a pole or heavy piece of furniture.
Having a BIG ball
The big vinyl therapy ball—also called a physio-, Swiss, or gym ball—has been used for 30 years in Switzerland. Now these balls are turning up in gyms and physical-therapy offices across the U.S. Filled with air and relatively soft, unlike medicine balls, they cushion you as you stretch. They come in different sizes, for people of different heights. For instance, a 65-centimeter (about 24-inch) ball is recommended for those between 5′8″ and 6′. Inflated with a simple pump, they start at about $20.
You can do calisthenics (strengtheners) and stretches on the ball, as well as warm-up and cool-down routines. Ball workouts require the use of multiple muscle groups. For instance, by simply sitting and bouncing on the ball, you work your hamstrings, quadriceps, abdominals, and back muscles. Add arm movements, and you also get an upper-body workout. The main benefits are improved coordination, balance, and posture.
Stretch for hip flexor muscles. Kneeling, put your stomach on the ball. Keeping one knee forward and bent at a 90° angle, put forearms on the ball. Extend the other leg backward, with the knee on the floor. Hold and feel the stretch in the front of your hip. Your front knee should be over the foot. Then lift the back knee, straighten the back leg, and stretch again. Switch legs.
Tips: When you sit on the ball, as you would a chair, your thighs should be parallel to the ground. Don’t wear pins or anything that might puncture the ball. Make sure you have enough room so that if you lose your balance you won’t fall onto a piece of furniture. If you are older and/or have poor balance, start off with a “spotter”—someone who will stand alongside you and make sure you don’t fall off the ball.
Taking your medicine ball
For a different kind of ball workout, try medicine balls. Leather versions used to be popular among trainers and athletes in the 1930s. Today these weighted balls, dubbed “plyoballs” or “body balls,” are usually made of polyurethane and/or vinyl.
What you do with a medicine ball is called plyometric exercise. This involves stretching a muscle (as when you squat before you jump to shoot a basket) and then contracting it suddenly or “explosively” as you jump. You can hold the ball above your chest to make your sit-up routine more strenuous. Or substitute it for hand weights while doing aerobic dance. Or play toss or keep-away with one or two partners. Plyometrics can build muscle strength, thus increasing power for specific sports.
Twist. Sitting with your back at a 45° angle to the floor, move the ball from side to side, twisting your upper body.
Tips: Start with a small, lightweight ball—about 18 inches in diameter and weighing 5 to 9 pounds. Balls over 16 pounds should be used only in professional training. Vary your workout to avoid overuse injuries or soreness. For advanced or intense plyometric exercises, consult a trainer.
Learning the ropes
Jumping rope is great exercise for adults as well as kids. All you need is a rope and good shoes—plus a little instruction at first and then some practice.
As aerobic exercise became a byword in the 1980s, rope jumping gained new popularity—for good reason. As a way to build cardiovascular endurance, jumping rope can be as strenuous as jogging, but is lower in impact, since you should jump only a little off the ground. It helps improve coordination, speed, and agility. If you engage in a sport (such as tennis, basketball, or skiing) that requires bursts of speed and power, jumping rope can be particularly beneficial. It works muscles in the legs, shoulders, chest, and forearms. And it burns lots of calories.
Check the rope length. Stand on the center and pull the handles up your sides: the ends of the handles should come just up to your armpits.
Tips: Wear shoes with good support; aerobics shoes or cross-trainers (not running shoes) are best. Make sure the rope handles fit comfortably in your hands. It’s best to jump on the kind of springy wood floor found at a gym or health club, but a lawn or a mat works well, too. Carpets are fine, but a thick one may throw off your timing. Concrete is too hard and increases the risk of injury, but if your shoes are good enough you should be able to jump anywhere.
If you are just beginning to jump, start at about 70 turns a minute, which allows you to double-hop each jump. Keeping your elbows near the sides of your hips, turn the rope with your wrists and forearms—don’t turn from the shoulders. To minimize stress on your legs, jump just high enough for the rope to pass under your feet—only an inch or two off the ground. Land softly on the balls of your feet and let your heels help absorb the impact. Land with your knees slightly bent. Keep your posture erect, shoulders back, and abdomen tucked in. Slow down if you get winded or too tired. Jumping rope can elevate your heart rate very quickly.
Legs That Won’t Quit
If you have restless leg syndrome (RLS), these symptoms will be all too familiar: When you’re lying in bed, or sometimes just sitting for long periods, your legs take on a life of their own, itching, pulling, aching, and burning; you can’t resist the urge to move them. Walking around may help (RLS is triggered by rest). Generally this happens in the evening or at night, and can put an end to sleep. It can also disturb the person who shares your bed or bedroom—secondhand RLS, as it were. Involuntary leg jerking (”periodic limb movement disorder”) may accompany RLS, but RLS is unrelated to the calf cramps that most of us experience at one time or another.
Is low iron the culprit?
Though RLS has been much studied, no one knows what causes it. It may occur at any age, even in children, but people over 45, especially women, are most likely to be affected. Pregnant women, in particular, may have RLS in the last three months before giving birth.
The most recent theory is that iron deficiency is a factor—the clue is that pregnant women often have low iron stores, and RLS sometimes accompanies iron-deficiency anemia. Or it could be that the body somehow fails to process iron properly. Thus iron supplements are sometimes prescribed for RLS, but you should get medical advice first. Don’t take an iron supplement on your own, beyond what’s in a multivitamin/mineral pill.
If your RLS is frequent or severe, see your doctor. There may not be much a doctor can do, but checking for iron deficiency might be a good idea, you can contact me to set that up if you need. There’s no standard medication, though I have had a lot of luck with certain supplement protocols which I prefer over the tranquilizer prescriptions anecdotally used.
What you can do on your own
• Avoid caffeinated beverages and alcohol in the evening. Smoking, too, will worsen RLS—so here’s another reason to quit if you smoke.
• Massage your legs before going to bed. Stretch your leg muscles and rotate your ankles.
• A hot water bottle or, conversely, cold compresses applied to your legs at bedtime may help. Try both and see which works. It may be simpler just to take a warm (or cool) bath before bed.
• Sleep on your side with a pillow between your legs.
• If RLS keeps you awake, get up and try to distract yourself. Do a few exercises. Walk around. Stand at a counter and read or watch TV. Mental distractions are helpful.
• RLS tends to become less severe, or even vanish, after age 60. You may simply get better on your own.
The Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation promotes research and offers support. You can get more information on its website. Or you can phone 507-287-6465, or send an e-mail to rlsfoundation@rls.org.
Don’t Back Away From Exercise
If you have chronic back pain, it’s tempting to think that it’s best to rest, and even stay in bed as much as possible. Wrong. Study after study has shown that exercise helps reduce low-back pain when you have it, as well as helping to protect against future back pain.
Back pain is often mysterious. Injury to muscles, ligaments, nerves, or the spine may be responsible, but most people with back pain cannot recall a specific incident that caused the pain. The pain can have other causes, such as chronic overuse of muscles, a muscle imbalance that throws the back off kilter, a herniated disk, or other structural problems. Often MRIs and other imaging tools reveal no significant abnormalities in very painful backs, while scans of painless backs may show herniated disks and other abnormalities. But whatever the source of your low-back pain, exercise is likely to be a part of the solution. If the pain is minor, a simple exercise routine may be enough. But generally you’re best off with a program tailored to your particular problem, and that usually calls for advice and guidance from a physical therapist.
You need to do not only exercises that stretch and strengthen weak back muscles, but also those that strengthen your abdominal muscles, such as sit-ups (also called curl-ups or crunches), since abdominals help support the back and tone those glut/butt muscles too. You should also do exercises that keep your hamstring muscles (at the back of the thighs) flexible; tight hamstrings often play a key role in low-back pain. So can tight hip flexors. That’s a large menu of muscles you may need to strengthen and/or stretch. The exercises described here are only a start.
Easy does it
Begin any exercise program slowly. If your back hurts, talk to your doctor or a physical therapist before starting to exercise. Stop if the pain gets worse or if you experience leg pain or numbness. Avoid exercises that increase stress on the spine, such as straight-leg toe touches or backward bends. Before working out, always warm up and then gently stretch. Do the exercises at least three or four times a week.
Press up. Lying on stomach, push upper body off the floor by straightening your elbows. Hold for 5 seconds, then let your back relax as you lower your torso. Repeat 10 times.
Pelvic tilt (to strengthen abdominals). Lie on back with knees bent, feet flat on floor, and arms at sides. Tighten abdominal muscles so that small of back presses against floor. Hold for 5 seconds, then relax. Repeat 10 times.
Bridge (to strengthen lower back). Lie on back with knees bent, feet flat on floor, and arms at sides. Tighten abdominal and buttock muscles and slowly raise hips, so body forms a bridge. Hold for 5-10 seconds, then slowly lower body. Repeat 10 times.
Straight leg raises (to strengthen abdominals). Lie on back with one leg straight and one knee bent (foot flat on floor). Tighten abdominal muscles to stabilize lower back. Slowly lift straight leg 6 to 12 inches and hold for 5 seconds. Lower slowly, repeat 10-20 times, then switch legs.
Lumbar stretch. Lying on back, clasp one hand under each knee. Gently pull both knees toward chest, pressing lower back into floor. Hold for 10-20 seconds, relax, then repeat. Alternatives: Pull only one knee to your chest, then switch legs. You can also do this on a bed: lie with buttocks near edge of bed; hold both knees to chest; release one leg and slowly lower that foot towards floor; hold stretch and repeat.
Hamstring stretch. Lie on back with legs bent. Grab one thigh behind the knee and slowly straighten knee until you feel the stretch behind the thigh. Hold for 20 seconds, relax, repeat 8-10 times; then switch legs. You can also use a rope or towel to gently pull your leg upright, as shown here.
Wall squat (to strengthen back, hip, and thigh muscles). Flatten back against a wall and squat until upper legs are at a 45° angle to the wall. Hold for 1 minute while tightening abdominal and buttock muscles and keeping knees aligned over feet. Slowly return to standing; repeat several times.
And keep in mind: Walking, swimming (but not the butterfly or breast stroke, which can put excessive strain on the lower back), and cycling are also good for the back. Sports that involve lifting, twisting, excessive arching of the spine, jumping, sudden starts and stops, and/or collisions with other players (including racket sports, golf, bowling, football, and basket-ball) are usually not recommended for people with chronic back problems.
Last words: Don’t think that you can stop exercising when your back pain goes away. Continuing to exercise will help keep your back healthy.
The Best combo is doing your exercises and releasing those chronically tight muscles with therapies such as acupuncture — call me or email for more information.
<!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:”Times New Roman”; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Times-Roman; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-alt:Times; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:auto; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”;} table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-parent:”"; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –>
If you have osteoarthritis of the knee, do strength training, especially for your quadriceps, the muscles in front of the thighs, which help stabilize the knee cap and protect against cartilage loss under it. Such exercises can reduce pain and improve mobility in people with arthritis of the knee, according to a new review of 18 studies, which used free weights, resistance machines, and/or elastic bands. People with knee arthritis typically have weak quadriceps. The muscles may weaken because arthritis pain discourages people from exercising, but research suggests that weak muscles around the knees may actually contribute to arthritis.
