Move More for Ultimate Health

April is Move More Month, and yesterday was World Health Day. As promised in my post last week, this post will focus on tips for incorporating smart movement into your daily life.

I recently listened to an interview with Brad Kearns, co-author of the book Born to Walk. Kearns explained that as you age, the goal is to work with your body by moving in ways that promote optimal health and don't overly stress your joints. The maximum heart rate for effective fat-burning movement is 180 minus your age, which means the older you get, the lower your fat-burning heart rate becomes. For those of us over 45, this likely means engaging in walking, hiking, or a slow jog instead of running. You might sprint occasionally (Kearns suggests once every seven to ten days), but you're not pounding the pavement three times a week. Take a 15-minute break to walk with a coworker, your dog, or your kids. Walk after eating to improve digestion and boost your energy. 

Incorporating strength training into your routine can help you:

• Burn More Fat - Strength training allows you to build lean muscle mass, which acts as a calorie-burning system that your body adapts for the long term.

• Boost Your Metabolism - Your basal metabolic rate measures how many calories you would burn if you stayed in bed all day doing nothing but breathing. The more muscle mass you have, the higher this rate will be (the more calories you burn at rest). A pound of muscle burns three times as many calories as a pound of fat.

• Strengthen Your Bones - Strength training increases muscle and builds connective tissue, which helps protect and fortify bones. It is an effective tool for preventing bone issues like osteoporosis.

• Change Your Body Composition - Strength training can tone and shape your body. 

Resistance exercises to build strength and maintain muscle require just one set of lat pulldowns, chest press, overhead press, seated row, and leg press for all the major muscle groups at a weight you can do for one set of 12 repetitions each. If the thought of spending time in the gym makes you groan, keep reading. You don't need a gym or any equipment to move your body and build strength. Functional movement and body weight exercises that you can do at home can keep your body in tip-top shape. 

Functional movement training doesn’t just strengthen one muscle group at a time; it focuses on training movements, not muscles. This approach mirrors how humans were designed to move and helps refine natural movement. As a result, you’ll develop strength holistically, with your body working as a cohesive unit rather than isolating individual muscles. Additionally, coordination and neuromuscular control improve as you engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously.

• Squat - Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointing forward. Lower into a squat by pushing your hips back, ensuring your knees track over your ankles, and keep your heels planted on the ground. Go down as far as is comfortable for your knees while keeping your chest lifted and your heels on the floor. 

• Forward Lunge - Step forward with one foot and bend your back knee until it’s almost touching the ground. Watch yourself in a mirror to assess whether your knees and ankles are stable or shaky. Does your knee drop inward or outward away from your body? Are you hunched over, unable to keep your chest or head up? If so, begin by bending the back knee only about halfway down.

• Plank to Push-up - From a plank position, lower your body towards the ground and push back up. If you find yourself crunching over (shoulders rounding) or if your lower back sags, start by holding a high plank or perform the push-up with your knees on the floor to build strength and stability.

• Bodyweight Wood Chop - Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, bending your knees slightly while keeping your chest up. Lift your arms diagonally across your body toward the ceiling, then bring them down to the opposite side of your body. Check your ankles: Are they stable with your feet flat on the floor? Can you maintain proper posture (chest up, spine straight) throughout the movement? 

• Lateral Lunge - Stand in a wide-legged position with your toes pointing forward. Lunge to the right by bending your right knee and pushing your hips back. Push back to the starting position and repeat on the left side. That's one rep.

• Tricep Dips - Begin in a reverse tabletop position on the floor, with your fingers pointing toward your feet and your hips lifted off the ground. Bend and straighten your arms to complete one rep.

  
  

Focus on achieving proper alignment and developing the mind-muscle connection as you practice each exercise. Don’t hesitate to modify your workouts and start slowly. Always consult your doctor before beginning a new exercise routine, and make sure to allow time for rest and recovery. 

Join Firefly's Yin Yoga to Explore the Chakras series, offered via Zoom on Thursdays at 5:00 p.m. MDT starting May 1. You can register for the full six-part series for $72 here. Learn more on our Spring/Summer Events page.