Start Your Engines!

Yes, those engines – the ones you sit on for most of the day (your glutes) and the engine that stabilizes your body to move through life (your core – your back and abdominal muscles). The month of May is filled with festivities leading up to three of the largest events in Indy: The Indy 500 Race, which most of us watch or listen to (usually as we are sitting) as these incredible machines race around the track at record speeds, The Indianapolis Mini Marathon and the Geist 5K. So why not take some time to start – or restart – your own engine – your own body, the ultimate human machine – and rev up or get back on track with your fitness?
Being Fit Over 50 isn’t just an important aspect of being the “New 50”, it’s a way of life – a lifestyle! Living a healthy and fit lifestyle, especially after 50 doesn’t have to mean going to the gym 5 days a week trying to navigate constricting machines and equipment you’re not quite sure how to use properly or attending over-crowded classes with loud music. Nor is that always fun! But, by now you should know how to use/move your own body properly, no equipment needed, just functional movements used in active daily living to make you feel stronger, fitter, more energized and overall healthier. These same movements are ones that you perform every day as you move through life, transitions, travel and sport.
Active Daily Living requires five primary functional movement patterns:
1. Bend-and-lift movements (getting up and down from a chair, i.e., squatting)
2. Single-leg movements (such as walking, hiking, skiing, or lunging)
3. Pushing movements (e.g., pushing something up on a shelf or pushing a door open)
4. Pulling movements (pulling a door open or pulling weeds/gardening, or picking up a grandchild to hold )
5. Rotational (spiral) movements (turning/rotating to reach something from behind or a golf back swing)
Five basic functional movements to start your own engine and rev up your fitness are:
1. Squats (Don’t let the word “squat” scare you. It’s simply getting up from a chair and sitting back down again!)
2. Lunges
3. Push Ups
4. Triceps Dips
5. Oblique Twists
Helpful Tip – First, create a playlist of 5-10 of your favorite songs that make you want to move or dance. Since most songs are about 3 minutes in length, this will provide a playlist of 15-30 minutes. Then, practice these five functional movements and mix it up by alternating exercise sessions with reps or timed intervals 2-3 times a week. Start out with a 5 to 10 minute warm up, such as a brisk walk or jog, a bike ride or even a cardio warm up of jumping jacks, jump rope and/or marching/high knees. Be sure to stretch afterwards, hydrate properly with water and nourish your body with nutrient-rich whole foods.
Still not sure how to get started or how to perform these movements properly? Call Susan to schedule a Consultation to discuss how you can rev up your fitness and reboot your engine.