… exercises for seniors, active adults and everyone else.
As a fitness teacher and coach, I help people develop (or restore) “everyday strength.” This includes improving the strength to perform everyday tasks such as pushing, pulling, stepping, squatting, kneeling and more. Along the way, we learn physical maintenance exercises to help reduce the chance of chronic aches, pains and injuries.
I have done several #everydaystrength Exercise videos with the Signature Medical Group. Here are a few samples:
Relieve Tired and Tense Muscles with a Tennis Ball – using just a tennis ball, learn to reduce stress and release knotted up and tight muscles through simple self-massage techniques for your shoulders, back and feet.
Walking Exercises to Improve Balance and Agility – these can be done anywhere. Add these to your outdoors walk or practice them in your basement 5 minutes per day.
Sit-to-Stand Strengthening Exercises – one of the most fundamental and important moves is to stand up from a chair, particularly a lower chair, couch or toilet. Work on these without using your hands and during your day, think about how often you use your arms or other assist to get up and down.
Exercises to Improve Your Posture – practice these if you feel no pain in your shoulders, as they will strengthen the smaller posture muscles up and down your back.
Stair Stepping Exercises to Improve Strength and Balance for Mature, Active Adults – you cannot practice this move enough, whether at the community center gym or in your basement, step up and down off your steps different ways.
Stair Modified Push Ups for Active Adults – increase your upper body strength with this “pressing strength” move – it can be performed on your pool table, stair case or counter top.
More videos are always being posted. If you would like to us to answer your question by video, please click on the Contact Page and tell us what you would like to see. Thanks!
Hi Dave,
I was researching information and saw your videos last night after my 93 y.o. father had a fall. He did not break anything, just got a small cut on his eyebrow from his glasses. He has seen a decline in his posture, more weakness in his hips and legs. My father has always been active and he continues to mow his lawn and tend to his garden. He’s cognitively with it, handles his finances on line, enjoys going out a lot with my mom who is 87 y.o. but his main concern is staying in his home and doing his daily tasks without fear of falling.
I (his daughter) showed him your videos this morning and he is excited and ready to begin. He is hopeful knowing there is something he can do about increasing his strength and balance in his own home. Your videos gave him a lot of hope.
My question is how often would you recommend we do these exercises and for what amount of time?
(Ex. weekly, 3x week? half hour each session?)
Thank you,
Letitia
Letitia, I apologize I am just seeing your comment now and I thank you so much for reaching out. Your dad is a rock star, I love it. Daily movement is key, so he can practice a move or two every day, and then do a little bit more per “session” 3x/week, when he is not doing other manual chores such as cutting the grass. This is really important as the winter nears, assuming you have a winter season. I am in St. Louis and activity, especially among seniors plummets dramatically when the winter hits. I also have many clients and patients doing micro-workouts, to get away from the hour long workout session mentality. This means that 1-2 x/day, when he passes the kitchen counter, he can knock out 10 shoulder rolls to loosen up his chest and shoulders, and then do 10 push ups on the counter top. Each time he walks down the hallway, he can pick one of the different modes for doing so – high knee march, side shuffle, walk on toes, walk on heels, etc. Was there a particular video that spoke to him the most, or one that he has been following? I can also create a video for him that can run through a few “everyday strength” moves. Let me know … thanks!