Aging Backwards_10 Years Lighter and 10 Years Younger in 30 Minutes a Day
Page 15
Completely relax the upper body, bending forward with knees bent and arms relaxed. Sway slowly side to side, 4 seconds per side, a minimum of 8 times. Slowly straighten your back to stand straight, rolling up one vertebra at a time.
CHAPTER 11
SPEED YOUR WEIGHT LOSS
As we’ve discussed throughout the book, if we don’t exercise enough, we lose an average of 7 to 8 percent of our cells a decade. If we are sedentary, this cell loss is exacerbated by atrophy. With every muscle cell lost, we also lose thousands of mitochondria, the organelles that are found by the thousands in muscle cells and are responsible for burning a significant amount of the body’s calories.
The loss of mitochondria makes it more difficult to burn the calories we consume each day. This effect leads to difficulty controlling our weight, and ultimately to weight gain. Those unspent calories have to go somewhere and so the body converts them into fat to be stored for later use. The main fat storage units are in the hips and stomach, and in and around certain other organs. As our muscles shrink, our insulin sensitivity wanes and we develop a diabetic-like shape—we get skinny legs and arms and expanded fat in the stomach, the hips, and some organs—the opposite of what we want! This muscle loss is the major underlying cause of changes in body shape associated with aging, and it is entirely preventable!
Two aspects of fitness can help us manage our weight:
1.A full-body workout of 30 minutes every day to prevent any of our 620 muscles from atrophying.
2.Using our largest muscles to burn as many calories as possible during that workout.
The trigger for burning calories is muscle activation, and our largest muscles are found between the waist and knees. I refer to these as the “weight loss” group of muscles: the abdominals, gluteus muscles, quadriceps, and hamstrings. We need to engage them to tap into their fat-burning potential.
For those who despise cardiovascular workouts such as running on a treadmill (I’m one of those people), I have put together a series of exercises that I do to prevent my muscles from shrinking and atrophying while burning the maximum possible number of calories. I do these particular exercises two to three times a week to keep the furnaces of my muscle cells stoked! I will do extra pliés throughout the day, just for the fun of knowing that each time I do them, I am burning off extra calories and waking up my mitochondria, giving myself more energy and more calorie-burning power for next time.
LEG LIFT SEQUENCE
Do all the exercises on one leg, then turn over and do them on the other leg. Take 3 minutes to do the full sequence on each leg, for a total of 6 minutes. Note: The hips should always be stacked one on top of the other.
Step 1: Lie down on one side of your body with both legs straight and place the upper arm in front to stabilize the torso. Raise the legs as high as possible (as shown in photo) and return them to the floor. Make sure that you do not use your torso: Use only the legs. Do 8 to 16 leg lifts.
Tip: Imagine that your inner thighs are glued together as you do the exercise.
Step 2: Add a sit-up along with the leg lifts. Lift the upper body as you lift the legs, then lower the body as you lower the legs to the floor. Do 8 to 16 per side.
Step 3: Lift the body and support the position with your elbow: Bend the lower leg, bringing the knee toward the front while supporting the upper body on the elbow (A). Make sure the side of the leg (the saddlebag area) is facing upward. Pull the upper leg away from the hips (B). This constant pulling out of the hips will decompress them while making the calories burn. Pump the leg up and down 8 to 16 times with your toes alternately pointed and flexed. The leg should not lift very high but should always remain off the floor.
Step 4: Continue pulling the leg away from the body with a flexed foot. Internally rotate the leg so that the heel points upward (A), then externally rotate the leg so that the heel points down (B). Rotating the leg within the hip socket will improve mobility in the hips. Do 8 full rotations.
Step 5: Extend the leg in front of the body and slowly lift and lower the leg 8 times.
Modification: If you have a weak or injured back, always keep the knee slightly bent to relieve the load that a straight knee would put on the spine.
PLIÉS SEQUENCE
This plié sequence takes roughly 3 minutes to complete and burns a tremendous number of calories.
To protect the knees, keep them in line with the ankles. If you want to increase difficulty, bend into a deeper plié. Never hold a plié move. The constant movement will keep the muscles thin and flexible while increasing strength.
To prepare for a plié, place the legs in a wide stance with feet slightly turned out. Imagine you are against a wall in order to keep your back straight.
Modification: If you have tight hips, you may need to lean slightly forward to maintain balance.
Step 1: Maintaining the basic plié position, shift the hips to one side, return to the center, then shift to the other side. As you shift the hips, immobilize the upper body to ensure that movements happen below the waist. Take your time in each position to get maximum flexibility of the lower spine. Shift the hips 8 times.
Step 2: Maintaining a basic plié position, lift one heel off the floor, then imagine you are squeezing an orange under your heel as you bring it down. Lifting the heel as high as you can will improve flexibility in the feet. Repeat heel raisers 4 times with each foot.
Step 3: Maintaining the basic plié position, extend one arm to the ceiling, reaching as far up as possible (A). Imagine you are grabbing a rope from the ceiling, then pull the elbow toward the knee, crunching at the waist (B). Repeat movement 8 times on each side.
Step 4: Keeping the knees bent in a plié, extend the arm to one side as far as possible. This will tone the waist and improve posture. Alternate sides 16 times.
Step 5: Maintaining the basic plié position, place hands on the thighs and try to press the legs open. This will improve flexibility in the hips.
PULLING WEEDS SEQUENCE
Repeat for 3 sequences on each side, for a total of 3 minutes.
Step 1: Start the sequence by keeping feet in a wide stance, bending the knees, and leaning forward with a rounded back.
Step 2: Imagine that you are pulling a weed out of the ground and slowly roll up the spine into a standing position with the arm pulling up to the ceiling. The full movement should take 6 to 10 seconds.
Tip: Create resistance in the arm by contracting your muscles throughout the movement.
Step 3: Once the arm reaches toward the ceiling, slowly rotate on the spine and push the arm behind you. At the same time, bend the knee into a lunge. This sequence will relieve tight back muscles and improve flexibility in the spine. Take 6 seconds to rotate the spine. Repeat 3 “pulling weeds” sequences on each side.
SIDE BENDS
Place the legs in a wide stance with feet slightly turned out. Raise the arm next to the ear, keeping it straight while pulling the arm away from the shoulder as much as possible (A). In a side lunge position bend the torso sideways, pulling the top arm until you feel a deep stretch in the ribs (B). Make sure that the hip stays down in order to maintain the side stretch. This will strengthen the core and thin the waist while burning calories.
Alternate sides 8 to 16 times, moving under your muscles’ control and not using momentum to throw the body.
Tip: Make sure the arm stays beside the head in order to target the waist and side muscles.
DIAGONAL REACHES
Step 1: Place the feet in a wide stance, bend the arms, and lift the elbows to shoulder height. This position is used as the transition between diagonal reaches as you alternate sides to center and protect the spine.
Step 2: This diagonal front lunge alternates sides at three different heights: floor, shoulder, and ceiling. Reach the front arm on a diagonal, pulling the opposite arm behind you. Alternating sides, diagonally lunge at all three heights, passing through the preparation position each time. Do between 8 and 16 diagonal lunges.
SIT-UPS SEQUENCE
To start a sequence of sit-ups, bend the knees with feet on the floor, lie on your back, place your hands behind your head, and keep the elbows open.
Step 1: Begin the sit-up by lifting the shoulders off the floor. Keep the elbows open and your head off the floor, rotate the shoulders from one side to the other, then lower the head slowly to the ground.
Tip: Make sure you keep your neck in line with your spine and keep the abdominal muscles engaged. Remember to use a cushion to support the neck, if needed (see Chapter 10).
Step 2: Raise one arm to the ceiling and slowly do 8 sit-ups while reaching the arm up. Complete 8 sit-ups with the other arm reaching toward the ceiling.
Step 3: Stretch one arm toward the opposite knee and slowly do 8 sit-ups. Repeat 8 times with the other arm.
Step 4: Try to touch your ankle by stretching the arm down the side of your body. This exercise will strengthen your obliques. Complete 8 times, then change sides.
Step 5: Place hands behind the head and straighten one leg with a flexed foot. Do a crunch and simultaneously lift the straight leg off the floor. Do not bring the leg higher than you see it in the image. Repeat 8 times, then switch legs.
ADVANCED SIT-UPS
Step 6: Keep your head on the floor and raise both legs in the air. (You may bend your knees if you cannot keep them straight.) Try to lift the pelvis slightly off the floor 8 times. The lifts will target your lower abs.
Tip: Keep the abdominal muscles engaged. If you want extra support, place your arms beside your body. If you have weak back muscles, keep your feet on the floor.
ADVANCED SIT-UPS
Step 7: To get into the starting position, place the head on the floor with elbows open and lift the legs straight up to the ceiling. Slightly lower your legs toward the floor. Make sure you can keep your abdominal muscles engaged at all times. Open and close legs 8 times.
Tip: If you have a back injury or weak abs, keep the knees slightly bent at all times, and do not bring the legs low to the ground.
ADVANCED SIT-UPS
Step 8: Keep the head on the floor, bend the knees, and lift the feet off the floor. In order to be in the starting position, the knees need to be at a 90-degree angle to the chest. Touch one foot on the ground and then bring it back to neutral position. Repeat 8 times, alternating legs. Now repeat the exercise with a flexed foot and gently tap the heel toward the floor. Repeat 8 times, alternating legs.
SQUASH LUNGES
Step 1: Start upright with one leg lifted in front.
Step 2: Carefully drop on the front leg, contracting the muscles around the knee to absorb the impact when you land. Try to land slowly and without making any noise. Bend your back leg.
Step 3: Push away from the ground, and return to your original starting position. This sequence of three steps will strengthen the quad and burn calories. Repeat 4 to 8 squash lunges with each leg.
DIAGONAL LEVER STRETCHES
Step 1: In a deep front lunge hold both hands and try to reach as far away as possible from your shoulders. You will feel a deep stretch in the upper back and shoulders.
Step 2: Imagine that you are holding on to something in front and shift the weight into a back lunge. The arms will have remained in front, continuing a deep upper back stretch.
This full-body large sequence will strengthen and stretch your upper back and spine, both improving your posture and burning calories.
CHAPTER 12
SOOTHE YOUR JOINTS
While there are many different causes of joint pain and arthritis, the most common, and the one I have seen most often, is lack of movement and the ensuing atrophy. Gentle, daily exercise can do a great deal to relieve, slow down, and even prevent this type of atrophy, which becomes arthritis. All of the exercises in this chapter are good for young and old to decompress the joints and relieve any joint pain.
As we age, if we do not use our muscles, they will slowly shrink and atrophy. Muscles attach bones together, so when they shrink, they pull the bones closer together, squeezing the joints. This is a slow process, imperceptible to us on a day-to-day basis, but the long-term consequences can be devastating after decades of cumulative wear and tear. We start to notice it when it is manifested as decreased joint mobility, stiffness, and pain. These signs that are happening to our muscles are indications of arthritis to follow. We can stop the arthritis from ever happening simply by correct exercising.
In order to slow down the progression of atrophy, and to reverse the damage, we need to do daily flexibility and strengthening exercises, such as Classical Stretch, ESSENTRICS, or tai chi.
For our purposes in joint compression reversal, we never use weight-training machines. In order to decompress the joints, we need to pull them apart. When we strengthen while we stretch the muscles around the joints, we relieve the pressure on the joints and activate the regenerative processes necessary to reverse arthritis and joint pain.
We need to decompress every joint in our body—in our fingers, shoulders, spine, hips, knees, and feet. Consider this: Each foot alone contains 26 bones, 33 muscles, 31 joints, and over 100 ligaments. The two feet together have over one-quarter of the body’s bones (200 bones in total).
Where most joints meet, create opportunities for movement, even the slightest amount. Take off your shoes and regain the maximum amount of movement possible in your feet, toes, and ankles.
HIP STRENGTHENING AND MOBILITY
Using a chair, kick the leg in front 8 to 16 times with a pointed foot and a flexed foot. When kicking, try to isolate the leg from the torso by letting only the leg move—not the body. For arthritis relief, height is less important than isolation of the leg and the hip joint.
FOOT, ANKLE, AND KNEE STRENGTHENING
Extend the leg in front while bending the supporting knee (as in a plié). Then straighten the supporting leg and lift the heel. Repeat this sequence slowly 4 times before changing legs. This sequence helps to liberate jammed tight joints, giving them strength and mobility.
HIP STRETCH
Rest your bent leg on the seat of a chair while keeping your supporting leg bent and your back straight. The exercise will slowly move your hips in as many different directions as possible. Rock your hips backward into an arch, then into a deep tuck underneath, followed by side-to-side swaying of the hips. This will clean out scar tissue in the hip socket, giving greater mobility and ease of hip motion.
SPINE AND HAMSTRING STRETCH
Place your leg on the chair, preferably with the knee straight. Lean forward, keeping your spine as straight as possible while gently extending one arm over the leg. You will feel a tug in the hamstrings and perhaps in your back. Gently move into and out of the stretch; never hold a position, as holding diminishes the flexibility benefits. Keep moving in this hamstring stretch for about 1 minute before changing legs. Repeat this hamstring stretch twice with each leg.
QUAD AND PSOAS STRETCH
Step 1: Place your foot flat on the seat of the chair. Raise the heel of the standing leg while bending the knee. Do a pelvic tilt as you shift the full weight of the body toward the seat of the chair.
Step 2: Lock your pelvic tilt as you try to replace the heel of the back foot on the floor. You will feel a stretch at the front of your hip. This is stretching a muscle that restricts movement in the lower spine and makes us age rapidly when it is tight. (I call this the “old age muscle”!) This movement should be done slowly: it should take about 15 seconds to complete.
Step 3: Very slowly, lower the knee of the standing leg toward the ground. The moment you cannot lower any farther, slowly straighten up the leg and return to step 1. Repeat steps 1, 2, and 3 on the same leg 3 times very slowly before changing legs. Flexible muscles decompress the tight joints that cause arthritic pain and discomfort.
LONG ADDUCTOR OR INNER THIGH STRETCH
Place your leg comf
ortably on the seat of the chair. Bend slightly forward while rotating the leg inward. The trick in this stretch is to keep moving the rotation and your forward bend until you find the spot where you feel the inner leg stretch. Gently rock into and out of the stretch for about a minute.
SINGLE ARM CEILING REACH
Step 1: Reach one arm as high as possible, relaxing the opposite side of the body. This will allow you to pull the working side of your spine to its maximum degree.
Step 2: Very gently, try to pull the extended arm behind the head as far as is comfortable. This will open the chest and improve posture as well as lengthen the spine and prevent spine arthritis. Take 10 seconds to do steps 1 and 2 before changing arms. Alternate arms at least 4 times.