6 Simple But Tough Isometric Exercises And Other Longevity Moves

Plus My Morning Stretching Routine, Walking Trends & Rebounding Without A Trampoline

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6 Simple But Tough Isometric Exercises

If, like me, you are interested in learning new ways to move to keep yourself fit, regardless of where you are on the second half of life spectrum, then this newsletter is for you. It’s all about ways to keep moving. Don’t forget, exercise is good for the brain as well as the body.

Science has established that to keep active is the most important thing we can do to go into our older years fully functioning. We see many ways to accomplish this on social media. Dr Peter Attia says in one of his videos:

“Weak legs are one of the earliest and most dangerous signs of ageing..They lead to falls, fatigue, loss of balance, even blood sugar problems. And here’s the truth no one talks about. Falls are the number one cause of injury related death in seniors over 65.”

He goes on to recommend weight training for leg strength, and exercises for balance to avoid falls. Standing on one leg for a minute each leg is one suggestion he makes for balance, start by holding onto a chair back if necessary. Also, see Tree Pose in the list below. Jumping is another. Start from an air squat, swing the arms up and jump. Doing this several times every day will help maintain balance. Isometric exercises build muscle strength to help prevent falls.

What Are Isometric Exercises?

These exercises are important for longevity. They involve holding a static position, which affects muscle endurance and builds strength. Also, they promote stability, which is good for balance, and are gentle on the joints. So, to do them, you get into the position and hold for a period of time to allow the muscles used, to strengthen. They are particularly good for lowering blood pressure, especially wall-sit and plank.

6 Isometric Exercises

(each should be held for 30 secs to 2 minutes, maintaining good body form throughout)

• Plank (forearm or full plank, keep body aligned)

  • Start with your forearms and toes on the floor and your body in a straight line from head to heels. Engage your core and gluteus muscles in your buttocks. Hold

• Wall-sit

  • Stand with your back against a wall, with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Hold

• Squat holds

  • Stand with your feet hip-width apart and toes slightly turned out. As you start bending your knees, push your hips back and down. Go as low as you can without lifting your heels off the ground. Arms straight out in front or hands clasped in front of chest. Avoid arching your back and letting your knees fall to the side. Hold.

• Side plank (extend top arm upward)

  • Lie on your side, rest your arm on your elbow or hand, extending your arm. Either stack your feet one on top of the other, or rest the foot of the upper leg in front of the lower leg on the ground. Now lift your hips off the ground until your body is in a straight line. Hold.

• Tree pose

  • Stand on one leg, place the foot of the other on the calf or thigh of the standing leg, hold your hands in prayer pose in front of your chest or raise them up overhead. Hold. Good for both balance and building muscle strength.

• Shoulder Bridge

  • Start in basic yoga shoulder bridge. Lie on your back with your feet shoulder-width apart, heels close to your buttocks, then press through your heels to raise your hips up in the air, arms flat along the floor down by your sides, and hold the position.

How it went when I tried them

• The wall-sit: I couldn’t hold it for long as my knees hurt too much.

• Tree pose: I did a very wobbly minute on each leg.

• Squat hold: one minute but it was agony.

• Plank: I collapsed just as the one minute was up.

• Side plank: I couldn’t lift my hip up off the ground, I was so exhausted after doing the other exercises.

• Bridge: this was my best effort, I held it fairly easily for one minute, but it was pulling on my thigh muscles.

I need to practice them more to strengthen those muscles!

Note: The day after I attempted them I ached all day, which shows I tried, even if I did them badly!

My Morning Stretching Routine

Not only do I write about how important it is to keep moving and exercise regularly, it’s something I do every day. I start the day with a stretching sequence that changes over time. There are 11 exercises in the current sequence. The first one is to get the back flexible. It’s from qigong.

1. Stand with legs hip-width apart and swing round from the waist side to side, with a little bobbing movement in between, swing the arms loosely, 20 times.

Then move on to concentrating on arms and shoulders:

2. First, lift both arms and heels then lower them. Repeat 20 times.

3. Then single arm and heel lifts 20 times.

4. 20 rotations of the arms backwards in their shoulder joints, like a windmill.

5. Swing the arms out wide then in front and across the chest and back to the sides, repeat 20 times.

6. Hands in namaste (or prayer) position, head down. Move the arms backwards and slowly bring the head up and back (good for the neck). The arms should be stretching back, bent at the elbow, hands up. Bring them forward and together as you slowly bring the head back down to your chest. Repeat several times.

Then on to the lower body, starting with knees.

7. Lift both arms and at the same time, a knee, lower it and

   then raise the other knee, along with arms, repeat for 20.

Next is this one, which is good for knees, ankle and balance.

8. Stand on one leg, hands on hips, raise the knee of the other and rotate it 5 times, then the other way. Do the same with the ankle, 5 turns one way and five the other. Then swap legs.

9. 5 lunge squats (single leg squats) on each side.

10. 10 full squats. I’ve lately been ending with

11. 5 jumps: lower the knees into a squat position, then swing the arms up and jump. (I was doing this before I heard Dr Attia recommending jumping for balance. I used to do it as an HIIT aerobic exercise.)

That’s me ready to start the day energised and flexible.

Walking Trends

Society seems to be seeking out ways to include walking in daily activities, which can only be a good thing for the people taking part. It will lead to a heathier older demographic. Besides just plain walking, there’s Power Walking, Nordic Walking, Heel Walking, Backwards Walking, and - Netwalking.

One of our Step Counting Challenge group members, here on Life In The Second Half, Graham Saxby, mentioned in one of his posts in our chat thread, that he belongs to a group who go Netwalking sometimes. As Graham explained “It’s like networking but done whilst walking through some nice countryside or a park etc. Organised by a business networking group to which I belong.”

So, there’s yet another way to get people walking.

Rebounding Without A Trampoline

This looks like an interesting, beneficial and very doable exercise without equipment. It’s a low impact way to improve circulation, lymphatic system function and overall fitness. Many years ago I had a mini-trampoline and used to rebound on it every morning. Then one day I felt unwell afterwards, and fainted. A visit from the doctor assured me I was fine but had probably been overdoing it. That put me off rebounding on a trampoline.

However, I’ve seen people doing it without one recently and am interested in trying it. Apparently, you get the same benefits. It entails standing on the balls of your feet and moving the heels up and down in a bouncing motion. You can let the heels touch the ground every time you come down, or you can just bounce on the balls of your feet, your arms swinging about loosely.

Note: I’ve tried it now and like it for its simplicity, and the feeling that you’re getting all of your body moving, which is energising.

Remember, everyone has their own level of fitness and/or mobility and this will dictate what you can and can’t do. These are exercises I found interesting to try out. You may be happy to just read about them.

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DISCUSSION

Have you ever tried any of the exercises mentioned here? How did you get on?

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Disclaimer: The content of my posts is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered medical, physical, psychological, health, or wellness advice. Do not make decisions based on this content alone. Always consult a qualified health professional. What I share here is meant to provide information to help you explore what’s right for you.