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Gentle exercise

KaramazovKaramazov Citizen
edited January 2021 in Mind and Body Wellbeing

So, a couple of days ago Mrs K pointed out that my trousers aren’t fitting me any more, and I’m looking a bit round across the belly.
Checked with a tape measure and I’m three and half inches wider than I was pre-covid.

Not wanting to be a tub of lard I thought I’d try some gentle no-equipment exercise to get back to being 32 inches around and stay that size: I’ve just done ten push-ups (which were a strain) and ten stomach crunches (I think that’s what they’re called: lay on my back with my knees in the air, hands behind head and then lifted my upper half so my elbows were heading towards my knees without lifting my feet off the ground... didn’t seem to be able to lift myself that far).

Just thought I’d ask if anyone has any tips or instructions for doing this sort of thing properly without overtaxing myself.

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Comments

  • I've been doing yoga every day, except when I had surgical pain. There are lots of yoga instruction videos for beginners. I'm not saying you have to stick with yoga, but it's a suggestion to help with flexibility and core strength so you can build up to harder no-equipment exercises like you've done.

    In my personal experience to lose weight / size after childbirth, the most effective exercise was cardio. I used to do long distance cycling, but also cardio (e.g., kickboxing) that was followed by gentle weight training. Just marching up and down the stairs can help with cardio. Right now I don't need to lose weight. I lost quite a lot in the last year and I'm trying to put some back on.

    I'm no expert, but yoga videos can really help with the mindset and with flexibility.

  • Ah: hadn’t thought of yoga or deliberately moving through space.

    I’ll check out what YouTube has to offer in the way of beginner yoga/cardio videos this evening, and try marching up and down the stairs a set number of times tomorrow. 👍

  • I should exercise more, but need something simple to do for an uncoordinated 64 year old with a lower back problem.

  • Yes, I felt strain in my lower back whilst attempting to do what I think of as stomach crunches: probably best for you to not do what I did!

  • verityverity Administrator, Citizen

    I agree cardio is more important.

    No equipment cardio can be a bit harder on your joint which is where stretch an strengthening comes it.Yoga is good, and palates.

    If you can stretch to equipment I would say a magnetic resistance exercise bike could be useful.This won't be as risky to back of joints as would a rowing machine (without good technique). They are compact an silent unlike flywheel versions.

  • I had an exercise bike. I stopped using it when I put on weight doing so . It got sold several months later.

  • @verity said:
    I agree cardio is more important.

    No equipment cardio can be a bit harder on your joint which is where stretch an strengthening comes it.Yoga is good, and palates.

    If you can stretch to equipment I would say a magnetic resistance exercise bike could be useful.This won't be as risky to back of joints as would a rowing machine (without good technique). They are compact an silent unlike flywheel versions.

    Thanks for the thought, but neither budget nor house will stretch to equipment (we're both in the manual labour game, and live in a dinky four-room house... we own virtually nothing and it’s pretty much standing room only!)

    I’ll look into palates as well though 👍

  • I’d better be more “gentle.”

    I broke my pinkie running today.

    Maybe I should just walk😉

  • @kraftiekortie said:
    I’d better be more “gentle.”

    I broke my pinkie running today.

    Maybe I should just walk😉

    😂

    (I hope you’re joking... if not: hope your finger mends soon and you’ve got adequate pain relief on the go)

  • verityverity Administrator, Citizen

    @kraftiekortie said:
    I’d better be more “gentle.”

    I broke my pinkie running today.

    Maybe I should just walk😉

    Yikes. Ice out?

    Do you have it splinted?

  • verityverity Administrator, Citizen

    Is a mini trampoline gentle?😁

  • HylianHylian Citizen, Mentor

    Doing some sort of cardio before you do strength/endurance exercises is supposed to be helpful, since it warms your body up. I don't do stretches until after I exercise because that apparently can increase the chance of you getting a cramp. I noticed if I stretch beforehand and don't warm up (I just pace around for like 15 minutes lol) it makes exercising a lot harder and it'll hurt more later.

    I'm young so I don't have a lot of issues with pain during exercise and am probably not massively helpful in this conversation, but for aftercare I always spend time stretching all the body parts that I exercised and take a hot shower later on in the day so I don't get sore later.

  • ^ you’ve just reminded me of my games teacher and the the stress he put on “cooling down” at the end of lessons.

    (And lying in the bath covered in mud and bruises after rugby matches for that matter)

  • It’s splinted now. Might require surgery.

  • OliOli Citizen

    Walking is probably the most underrated form of exercise there is. You don't need special equipment, you get fresh air and Interaction with the environment and it's kind to your body.
    Of course the experience depends upon where you live and climate and safety factors. Some neighbourhoods are set up now to make walking virtually impossible.
    But my first love is cycling, highly recommended.

  • IsabellaIsabella Citizen
    edited January 2021

    (((( Cycling )))) ^ I miss it so much!
    In my prime I could have kept up with you.
    I'd love to join a cycling group.

    Now I'd fall flat on my face. I can barely walk straight without smacking into the wall.

  • Sorry about your finger, Korts.

    I needed surgery to set my broken wrist.

    I hope the meds help.

  • Broken wrists suck!

    I’m lucky I didn’t break mine today,

  • kraftiekortiekraftiekortie Citizen
    edited January 2021

    I can’t take Ibuprofen. I’m getting a prostate biopsy on 2/5. The Tylenol seems to be helping. Thanks.

    But I still need to run! I’m a 60 year old man prone to being overweight.

    I can’t ride a bike because of my right knee.

  • OliOli Citizen

    @Isabella said:
    (((( Cycling )))) ^ I miss it so much!
    In my prime I could have kept up with you.
    I'd love to join a cycling group.

    Now I'd fall flat on my face. I can barely walk straight without smacking into the wall.

    My pace is rather sedate now so you'd have no problem keeping up.
    My walking has gone a bit wonky as well.

  • BenderBender Citizen
    edited January 2021

    @kraftiekortie said:
    It’s splinted now. Might require surgery.

    Ouch, sorry to hear this, kraftie, I hope it heals well.

    When I want light cardio, I usually go for walking or biking, I hate jogging and it's not friendly to my knees or lower back.

    But checking YouTube for light workouts, either aerobic or Yoga or Pilates is a great idea and you can personalise them to your specific needs. I would also check for circuit training with light weights/dumbells. These would give your metabolism a boost if practised regularly and you can also make your own circuits with the exercises you prefer - 20 min (starting and with warming up and ending with stretching) a day 3 times a week should be enough for a beginner and it's great if you can do them outside.

    This would be an example to give you an idea and you can start with lighter dumbells. You can usually find cheap dumbells in charity shops (probably close now) or ebay or you could actually use plastic bottles or jugs filled with water in the beginning.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Bo_8m9p15k

    But if you want to lose weight, it's necessary to keep an eye on the calories you consume too.

    @Karamazov said:
    Yes, I felt strain in my lower back whilst attempting to do what I think of as stomach crunches: probably best for you to not do what I did!

    Do you usually have any back pain or back-related issues, or you think it was more due to suddenly introducing an unfamiliar kind of movement?

  • KaramazovKaramazov Citizen
    edited January 2021

    @Bender said:
    When I want light cardio, I usually go for walking or biking, I hate jogging and it's not friendly to my knees or lower back.

    I have a tendency toward agoraphobia and have to devote most of my concentration to keeping calm whilst out and about... so I do out in the world for work and groceries, but otherwise avoid the beyond to the house and garden.
    Pity really: when we had a dog I walked him daily for twenty minutes, and “power walked” the lot to make sure he was keeping fit, must’ve helped me too.

    But checking YouTube for light workouts, either aerobic or Yoga or Pilates is a great idea and you can personalise them to your specific needs. I would also check for circuit training with light weights/dumbells. These would give your metabolism a boost if practised regularly and you can also make your own circuits with the exercises you prefer - 20 min (starting and with warming up and ending with stretching) a day 3 times a week should be enough for a beginner and it's great if you can do them outside.

    Ah: so one day on, one day off? Sounds like a good idea: I assume outdoors is to ensure ones not gulping down lungfulls of stale air and thus maximise the overall health benefits 🤔

    This would be an example to give you an idea and you can start with lighter dumbells. You can usually find cheap dumbells in charity shops (probably close now) or ebay or you could actually use plastic bottles or jugs filled with water in the beginning.

    So I can pinch some of Mrs K’s used 2 litre water bottles out of the recycling? ... sounds like a plan. 🙂

    I’ll watch the vid after responding: thanks for sharing 🙂👍

    Edit: that looks very achievable, I’ll definitely be giving it a go 😎

    But if you want to lose weight, it's necessary to keep an eye on the calories you consume too.

    Yes: I’ve noticed that since the first lockdown the amount of chocolate I consume went up seven-fold... and I also took to having at least one slice of cake a day... 🤦‍♂️
    (On top of work and the outdoors activity that entails being reduced compared to the last few years)

    @Karamazov said:
    Yes, I felt strain in my lower back whilst attempting to do what I think of as stomach crunches: probably best for you to not do what I did!

    Do you usually have any back pain or back-related issues, or you think it was more due to suddenly introducing an unfamiliar kind of movement?

    (No ache afterwards)
    I think it was most likely the unfamiliar movement: I do have a tendency to aches in my upper back and left shoulder from past damage, but nothing I did set that off.

    Surprising since I was expecting push ups to be agony in that area at first, but I only felt strain in my upper arms and backs of my thighs. 🤷‍♂️

  • A lot of people struggled this way last year - being a lot less out and about (even just walking) would play a part, and being stuck at home and dealing with the increased stress would also lead to more stress or boredom eating or snacking.

    Whenever you start a form of exercise you're not familiar with, it's best to take it easy in the beginning and have reasonable goals, like doing it regularly for short periods of time. Pain will clue you in quickly to which muscles you're using and as you get stronger, your body will tell you when it's time to take it up a notch or increase frequency if desired. Cutting up on the sweets should also give some results pretty fast.

  • You have strong parts of your body, Mr K, since you go around fixing things.

    Fixing things takes strength and flexibility.

  • @Bender said:
    A lot of people struggled this way last year - being a lot less out and about (even just walking) would play a part, and being stuck at home and dealing with the increased stress would also lead to more stress or boredom eating or snacking.

    Yes: I think the route for me was less exertion leading to less sleep leading to “tiredness hunger” from being up later than I normally would.
    I seem to remember reading somewhere that prolonged periods of poor sleep can itself be a causal factor in weight gain... 🤔

    Whenever you start a form of exercise you're not familiar with, it's best to take it easy in the beginning and have reasonable goals, like doing it regularly for short periods of time. Pain will clue you in quickly to which muscles you're using and as you get stronger, your body will tell you when it's time to take it up a notch or increase frequency if desired. Cutting up on the sweets should also give some results pretty fast.

    Well, I did those exercises in the video you posted today, then walked up and down stairs slightly faster than I normally would ten times, then stretched each of my limbs out and about three times... my heart was thumping afterwards! Sat in my chair and focussed on calm slow deep breathing.
    Think that’s probably my limit for the moment.

    My head feels clearer than it did before, and I haven’t had my normal late afternoon lethargy: so I think the exertion itself is positive in the immediate moment.

    Cake (and daily tortilla chips) I ditched about a week ago: chocolate I’ve halved from what it had got to.

  • @kraftiekortie said:
    You have strong parts of your body, Mr K, since you go around fixing things.

    Fixing things takes strength and flexibility.

    True: I’ve had builders I’ve worked alongside remark on how strong I am, stamina is an issue though.
    And, well, I’ve also noticed that a lot of people round here in hands-on practical jobs have obviously muscled and powerful arms and legs, but big flabby bellies: so the type of exercise we get in our jobs may build strength in certain areas, but it doesn’t keep the body as a whole in good condition.
    (Decorators and plasterers seem to keep trim though: but they do big sweeping full body movements in their work as a matter of course)

  • BenderBender Citizen
    edited January 2021

    @Karamazov said:

    @Bender said:
    A lot of people struggled this way last year - being a lot less out and about (even just walking) would play a part, and being stuck at home and dealing with the increased stress would also lead to more stress or boredom eating or snacking.

    Yes: I think the route for me was less exertion leading to less sleep leading to “tiredness hunger” from being up later than I normally would.
    I seem to remember reading somewhere that prolonged periods of poor sleep can itself be a causal factor in weight gain... 🤔

    It never happened to me, despite chronic bad sleep, but I've read something like that too. But the less I sleep, the less I eat so maybe that plays a part too.

    Whenever you start a form of exercise you're not familiar with, it's best to take it easy in the beginning and have reasonable goals, like doing it regularly for short periods of time. Pain will clue you in quickly to which muscles you're using and as you get stronger, your body will tell you when it's time to take it up a notch or increase frequency if desired. Cutting up on the sweets should also give some results pretty fast.

    Well, I did those exercises in the video you posted today, then walked up and down stairs slightly faster than I normally would ten times, then stretched each of my limbs out and about three times... my heart was thumping afterwards! Sat in my chair and focussed on calm slow deep breathing.
    Think that’s probably my limit for the moment.

    Sounds great actually, it will get easier and easier as you go.

    @Karamazov said:

    @kraftiekortie said:
    You have strong parts of your body, Mr K, since you go around fixing things.

    Fixing things takes strength and flexibility.

    True: I’ve had builders I’ve worked alongside remark on how strong I am, stamina is an issue though.
    And, well, I’ve also noticed that a lot of people round here in hands-on practical jobs have obviously muscled and powerful arms and legs, but big flabby bellies: so the type of exercise we get in our jobs may build strength in certain areas, but it doesn’t keep the body as a whole in good condition.
    (Decorators and plasterers seem to keep trim though: but they do big sweeping full body movements in their work as a matter of course)

    This is also very true: health-wise, strength and muscle mass are less important, stamina and lean muscle will give you a lot more benefits in the long run. Visceral fat in particular can be dangerous and no amount of strength will compensate for that.

    When my lower back started acting up some years ago due to sedentary work, I first concentrated on stretches and core strength as it's usually recommended, than extended to exercises targeting the intercostals and less obvious back muscles, both rather underrated groups. You won't get huge mass there, and until then I wasn't even aware of their individual existence, but they make a big difference supporting the spine 😁

  • @Bender said:

    @Karamazov said:

    @Bender said:
    A lot of people struggled this way last year - being a lot less out and about (even just walking) would play a part, and being stuck at home and dealing with the increased stress would also lead to more stress or boredom eating or snacking.

    Yes: I think the route for me was less exertion leading to less sleep leading to “tiredness hunger” from being up later than I normally would.
    I seem to remember reading somewhere that prolonged periods of poor sleep can itself be a causal factor in weight gain... 🤔

    It never happened to me, despite chronic bad sleep, but I've read something like that too. But the less I sleep, the less I eat so maybe that plays a part too.

    I’ve seen it happen that way with a guy I lived with: he didn’t eat more from his insomnia, he drank lots of black tea with cigarettes and took on work as a freelance sound engineer/mixing specialist for a local media independent music label to fill his extended days.

    Whenever you start a form of exercise you're not familiar with, it's best to take it easy in the beginning and have reasonable goals, like doing it regularly for short periods of time. Pain will clue you in quickly to which muscles you're using and as you get stronger, your body will tell you when it's time to take it up a notch or increase frequency if desired. Cutting up on the sweets should also give some results pretty fast.

    Well, I did those exercises in the video you posted today, then walked up and down stairs slightly faster than I normally would ten times, then stretched each of my limbs out and about three times... my heart was thumping afterwards! Sat in my chair and focussed on calm slow deep breathing.
    Think that’s probably my limit for the moment.

    Sounds great actually, it will get easier and easier as you go.

    Coolness 😎👍

    @Karamazov said:

    @kraftiekortie said:
    You have strong parts of your body, Mr K, since you go around fixing things.

    Fixing things takes strength and flexibility.

    True: I’ve had builders I’ve worked alongside remark on how strong I am, stamina is an issue though.
    And, well, I’ve also noticed that a lot of people round here in hands-on practical jobs have obviously muscled and powerful arms and legs, but big flabby bellies: so the type of exercise we get in our jobs may build strength in certain areas, but it doesn’t keep the body as a whole in good condition.
    (Decorators and plasterers seem to keep trim though: but they do big sweeping full body movements in their work as a matter of course)

    This is also very true: health-wise, strength and muscle mass are less important, stamina and lean muscle will give you a lot more benefits in the long run. Visceral fat in particular can be dangerous and no amount of strength will compensate for that.

    When my lower back started acting up some years ago due to sedentary work, I first concentrated on stretches and core strength as it's usually recommended, than extended to exercises targeting the intercostals and less obvious back muscles, both rather underrated groups. You won't get huge mass there, and until then I wasn't even aware of their individual existence, but they make a big difference supporting the spine 😁

    So that’s what the yoga stretching of the body does is it? Exercises all the little non-obvious muscles that help your skeleton and cartilage keep their structural integrity?
    Oh! Is that what people mean when they talk about “the core”?

  • So that’s what the yoga stretching of the body does is it? Exercises all the little non-obvious muscles that help your skeleton and cartilage keep their structural integrity?

    In my experience, yoga stretches help more with building and maintaining mobility, flexibility and resilience, this is also important, especially as you get older.

    I used free weights to target small muscles and you can literally start feeling them working individually as you engage them (soreness lol), and it was (for me) very rewarding to get this new awareness of how and when each gets involved. And yes, everything is supposed to work together to support your skeleton. Many people concentrate on larger muscles as they're easier to develop and more visible, but imbalances can cause further issues.

    Oh! Is that what people mean when they talk about “the core”?

    All the muscles around your middle, back and front. Vanity dictates them to be visible, but you can have a small layer of fat on top of them and they do the job just as well.

    Man, that quote was messy 🤣

    You can edit the discussion (first post) to allow tangents if you want and I'll drop messing with the spoilers 😉

  • Isometric exercises are also essential - something like this (there are many plank variations and the longer you maintain it, the more it burns):

    And this is one of the most complete exercises engaging both the core and the back, and if you do different sets with different weights, you will engage different muscles differently. That was a mouthful 😳

    https://sworkit.com/exercise/dumbbell-push-up-with-rotation

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