All of us know exercising at optimum intensity and frequency is crucial to our well being. Exercising at least 30
[the_ad id=”6157″]minutes a day helps your bones and improves heart health, muscle strength, coordination, balance and mental well-being. Read further to find ways of doing some common exercises.
Knee lifts
To do knee lifts, stand tall, bring up alternate knees to touch the opposite hand. Keep your abs tight and back straight. Keep a slight bend in the supporting leg.
Aim: 30 knee lifts in 30 seconds
Knee bends
To do knee bends, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands stretched out. Lower yourself no more than 10cm by bending your knees. Come up and repeat.
Aim: 10 repetitions
Single-Leg Dip
You should feel this exercise in the front and back of your thigh, hip, and buttocks.
Place two chairs on either side of you to help with balance. Lift one leg slightly in front of you. Plant your weight on the other leg. Slowly lower yourself down a few inches, pushing your weight onto the heel of your supporting leg. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds. Slowly straighten up. Repeat and switch sides.
Do: Sit back as if there was a chair behind you.
Do not: Let the knee of your supporting leg move forward over your toes.
Hamstring Curls
You should feel this exercise at the back of your thigh.
Hold on to the back of a chair for balance. Plant your weight onto your supporting leg. Lift the other foot and bring the heel up toward your buttocks. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds. Slowly lower your leg. Repeat and switch sides.
Do: Keep your knees close together.
Do not: Lock the knee of your supporting leg. Do not bring your heel up past a 90 degree angle.
Lunge: Strengthening the core
Lunges work the same large muscle groups as the squats, but can work additional leg muscles and improve balance. Lunges are done by taking a big enough step forward that the knee forms about a 90-degree angle. However, you must keep your spine in a neutral position (upright position, no bending forward). Your trailing leg, at the same time, should have its knee come close to the floor and have the toes accept significant body weight. Then, return to a standing position and repeat with the other leg.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and lunge forward slowly at an even pace across a distance (approx. 10 times each leg) and then jog back.
Do this twice (i.e. 2 sets).
Mouth and Throat Exercises for Sleep Apnea
Mouth and throat exercises work on the throat, tongue, soft palate, and jaw. These are widely regarded as the most effective type of sleep apnea exercise.
As a sleep apnea sufferer, we want all of our breathing muscles firm and toned, yet still flexible. While we may want to work diligently on one area, don’t forget about the surrounding muscles.
Jaw Exercise for Sleep Apnea
A tight jaw places pressure on your breathing passages. Jaw exercises help to loosen and relax the jaw muscles, and tone your tongue muscles. It also helps release stress.
Jaw Tension Relief Exercise – Use a mirror for this exercise to ensure your jaw is moving up and down.
How to do the Exercise –
- With a closed mouth, allow your teeth to just touch.
- Position your tongue in a resting position, with the tip laying behind the upper front teeth.
- Arch your tongue against the roof of your mouth.
- Slide the tip of your tongue back as far as it will go along the roof of your mouth.
- Keep your tongue in this position and slowly open your mouth until your tongue can no longer rest on the roof of your mouth.
- Repeat steps 1-5 for 5 minutes, 2 times a day.
Office Workout with Theraband
Chronic neck/shoulder pain is common in office workers. A theraband or resistance bands are latex bands or tubes that are used for physical therapy and light strength training exercises. Theraband exercise requires proper posture, warming up and stretching prior to use, and the knowledge of which exercises to do.
How to do the exercise?
Begin by wrapping the middle of the band around your foot. Grasp the ends of the band at your chest, taking up the slack while you bend your hip and knee. Press your foot downward into the band, extending your hip and knee. Hold and slowly return.
TIP: Keep your back straight.
Performing the simple Theraband exercise 2 minutes a day, 5 times a week, will significantly decrease your neck and shoulder pain.
Workout with Theraband
Stair Climb your way to strong + healthy bones
Importance of weight-bearing exercise:
- Muscles are forced to work against gravity, which causes muscles to pull on bone – which builds bone
- Bones become denser in mineral content and therefore stronger
- Weight-bearing exercises help maintain bone mass later in life
Benefits of stair climbing:
- Builds and tone muscles in the legs and buttocks.
- Increases bone density
- Burns 250 calories in a half hour
Step Up Your Workout!
Looking for a challenging yet simple move?
Try step aerobics for a heart pumping workout at work or home. All you need is a staircase or sturdy platform that’s about a foot off the ground, and you are ready to burn about 10 calories per minute!
Step onto the platform with your left foot. Bring your right foot up and lift leg to a 90-degree angle. Lower right foot to the ground. This is one rep. Do 20 reps on each leg. For a challenge, hold a pair of dumbbells.
The 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise
This breathing exercise is very simple, takes almost no time, requires no equipment and can be done anywhere. Although you can do the exercise in any position, sit with your back straight.
Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound. Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four. Hold your breath for a count of seven. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.
