Do the opposite of what you've read elsewhere Photo by Eternal Seconds on Unsplash For many years, after my gym sessions and before stretching, performed ab wheel (exercise wheel) exercises. I did them with good form and in full control. I added progressions and felt myself getting stronger and even more stable.
But I was puzzled why, no matter how strong my core muscles became, the dull ache in my lower back never disappeared. I'm doing these daily Photo by Eric Froehling on Unsplash We're about the enter our 3rd week of Stage 4 lockdown during the second wave of the coronavirus, and the level of anxiety is noticeably higher than in the first wave.
It is perfectly natural that we should feel more anxious, but often this kind of cold logic doesn't help reset our thinking. On the other hand, following these three recommendations will help you reset your thinking and reduce your stress. Proven to be better than yoga for a sore lower back Photo by Jenny Hill on Unsplash My hamstrings have been tightening since we've had lockdown and gyms closed. I've been running more, a lot more. Running pits the quads and hamstrings in battle, and the quads win, which tightens the hamstrings by stretching them.
Typically, for runners, tight hamstrings reflect in a sore lower back. The combination of two recent research studies will help. How to avoid becoming frail before your timeRegular running is typically the most popular mode of exercise as people transition away from the gym, their youth, into looking after a family, or during a pandemic. Running is spectacularly better than doing nothing, but even frequent running doesn't maintain muscle strength as we age.
We need to do something extra. Are masks next on the FDA alert list of COVID products? Image Credit: The Author We in Melbourne, AU, are currently in lockdown with a compulsory facemask order when outside. I don't mind wearing a mask - for the greater good - but the chemical smell concerns me.
The ubiquitous blue 3-layer “surgical facemasks” have been costing up to $249 a box. Even for that high price of $5 per mask, they emit unpleasant fumes of plastic and polyester and even potentially harmful bleaches & dyes. A freshly unwrapped mask has that “fresh plastic” smell of the inside of a new car. And it will reignite your joy of movement Photo by Aliaksei Lepik on Unsplash If you don't know where to start with exercise, and exercise doesn't excite you, then you're not alone. I have something for your that is so simple that you'll love it. In fact, it is so simple that this one of my shortest articles.
Despite its simplicity, it will make a big difference in helping you live longer better. 
Photo credit: petukhov.anton Portrait of a young business woman at office via photopin (license)
What to do when you have lost the motivation
We all have distractions. Some, like the pandemic, are a massive one for all us and can be demotivating. Others can demand our attention, and some simply provide excuses to slip into old habits or to procrastinate.
A friend had recently started on an exercise program I designed for him. But after 3 weeks he surprised me by saying that he had lost the motivation to do his morning exercises. I wasn't immediately sure how to help, but we worked it out together to get him started again.  Photo by Victor Freitas on Unsplash Four fantastic benefits - especially for womenAt the gym I see lots of middle-aged people spending lots of time in the aerobics room, and few of them building strength in the weights area. Those that are in the weights area are more often than not sitting on machines taking a rest. It's not hard to conclude that most people past 45 don't place a high value on all-round body strength. Yet, all round body strength is one of the most fundamental physical assets that will help them improve their quality of life - and their longevity. And my observation over 22 years at the gym is that, in particular, most midlife women limit their understanding of "exercise" to cardio like biking or running. The idea that they could actually become strong perhaps seems absurd to the point that it never strikes them as a real possibility.
But more than men, women 50+ need strength training to regain essential components of their degenerating musculoskeletal system.  Photo by Andriyko Podilnyk on Unsplash If you can do one, I'll show you to get to 15Pull-ups are a fantastic pull exercise, and we don't do enough pull exercises. That's why we see so many rounded-hunched shoulders in the gym, and they look bad on men and even worse on women (because it makes them look so much older).
It's a shame to see people putting in all that work and building a poor posture instead of a stronger one. Pulls-ups develop a more robust and more attractive posture. If you can do one proper pull-up, I'll show you how to build that up to 15.  Photo by Jordan Heath on Unsplash Here's how, and it's not too hardThe disease of diabetes has dire consequences for the health of our vascular system - our arteries, veins and capillaries. These vital pipelines become clogged up with excess sugar in our blood. This clogging results in nerves, cells and organs dying, e.g. hairs falling out, nerve pain as they die, blindness, kidney failure.
Every cell in our body relies on efficient blood flow, including our muscles. If we can increase the number of capillaries in our muscles, we can improve the blood flow and offset some of the adverse effects of diabetes. |
ChoicesSince I was diagnosed at 50 with Type 2 diabetes I've been learning how to do bone-building fitness training which lowers my age. You can too. It's your choice. Walter Categories
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