Why Everyone Needs These 3 Essential Exercises
Do these., but only if you want to stay strong and functional. They're crucial for everyday life, not just fitness.
A fact of life: As we age, our bodies change, and along with those changes, so does our ability to excel at the things we used to take for granted. Like what? Oh, just some small things we need to function and get through every day, like our:
Strength
Balance
Posture
Speed
Agility
Think about it: We don’t want to be that helpless person who can’t lift her luggage into the overhead bin on a plane, nor the one who is trying to run to make a flight but can’t get there fast enough (or worse, trips and falls while trying).
That’s why, aside from staying fit, there are exercises you should be doing to support your everyday life. Some call this “functional fitness;'“ a type of strength training that preps your body for things we do every single day, like:
Bend
Squat
Push
Pull
Lift
Load
Twist
I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. Maybe it’s because now that I have twin grand-babies, I see how demanding it is to keep up with them (and dammit, I’m determined to try to outrun them…or at the very least, keep up with them!)
Or maybe it’s because I know too much - being a health writer forces me to delve into things I wouldn’t normally research with such thoroughness.
And of course, it’s the obvious: We’re all getting older, and we’re all facing these challenges. As exercise becomes more and more valuable, we realize it’s not just about the obvious health reasons, but for its functional aspects as well.
“Instead of focusing on the inconvenience or discomfort of doing your workout, think of the health and lifestyle benefits that you are gaining for the future, enhancing your function and independence into your later years” -thePause’s fitness guru, Joan Pagano
Being proactive is one of the best things you can do for yourself when it comes to aging.
If I were forced to pick just three things to help maintain my strength and stability, I’d pick these:
Planks
Squats
Push-ups
Because doing each one every day (or even a few times a week) will keep your body functioning for moves you make throughout the day.
If you’re wondering what the best time is to do these, you might want to read what I wrote in the last issue of thePause, and heed this sage advice from Joan about the best time to work out:
Consistency is more important than intensity. When developing an exercise habit, it doesn’t matter how hard you work, or how far you go, but that you set up a regular routine as a foundation. Habits persist even when we are at low energy and weak self-control.
Studies show that we tend to default to a habit when we lack the mental capability to make a choice, for example, if we are deliberating about whether or not to exercise.
For a Pause…
Want to learn more? Take a look at these for more functional fitness tips. #stayfit
https://www.aarpethel.com/health/6-simple-exercises-that-i-could-never-do-without
https://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/functional-fitness-workout
https://diet.mayoclinic.org/us/blog/2021/functional-fitness-is-it-right-for-you/
Don’t forget that February is a good time to think about matters of the heart. And, of course we are all unique, but so are our heart attack symptoms. #loveyourheart
Want to see some cool fitness products? #Love these.
And while you’re at it, take a look at these hand weights to use at home. A great starter set. #nomoreexcuses
One More Thing:
What happens when you do 100 squats for 30 days?
Got a question or suggestion for thePause? Interested in contributing to, being featured or supporting thePause? Let us know by leaving a comment.
The medical information in our newsletter is provided “as is” without any representations or warranties, express or implied. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for qualified and direct medical advice from your physician or other qualified clinician.
We are Amazon Affiliates, meaning we get a small amount from qualifying purchases. (But we never recommend products we don’t personally believe in.)