Three-Point Landing
Standing as solidly as possible makes your balance more secure. The most solid foot position is a triangle, with your weight distributed evenly between the base of the big toe, the base of the little toe, and the heel. It's easiest to start learning this awareness from the standing position. Shift your weight around to experiment with getting it just right. You can also discover your usual habit by looking at the wear on the tread of a well-worn shoe. Mine, for example, wears out first on the outer back corner, and somewhat less on the outer border (when the shoe gets really old!). And when I check in with my feet, I discover that I tend to put most of my weight on the outer edge of my foot. When moving, checking for Three-Point Landing is more complicated as you roll across your foot with each step. I like that challenge, because it makes me aware of what a complicated miracle walking is!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Look Both Ways When Crossing a Road
My daddy told me to look both ways three times before crossing the street. Modify this advice to serve you when you want to improve your balance as well as be a wise pedestrian. When you get to the road, stand tall and look consciously to the left and then to the right, stretching the neck as if saying "no". When all is clear, add a balance challenge by continuing to look left then right while crossing. It takes about three sets of steady head turns to get across the road, which would make my daddy proud!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Ankle Circles and Chicken Wings
Wake up with a smile and give yourself an excuse to savor your last cozy moments in bed. Ankle flexibility is crucial to staying upright since your feet need to adjust to variations in the walking surface. Starting your day under the covers by moving your ankles/feet in circles as well as up and down (pointing and flexing) makes sure your feet are ready to do their job the moment they hit the floor. And while you're at it, why not add some arms? Try lying on your back, tucking your arms by your sides with elbows at your waist and putting your hands palms-up beside your shoulders (like folded chicken wings). This posture opens the chest, stretches the back and gives your posture a boost. As a bonus, it feels good! Aaahh!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Climb Stairs for a Burst of Fitness
Going up the stairs is a golden opportunity to build strong legs, a major foundation for good balance. Take full advantage by keeping both toes straight ahead, giving your thighs the best workout. My sister learned in Pilates that placing your whole foot on the surface of the step is easiest on the knees. A wobbly foot means that your knees have to compensate, which adds unwanted work for that vulnerable joint. Firmly placing your whole foot gives your knees a welcome break. The bonus benefit of climbing up stairs is an aerobic boost. Very often, stairways are short flights with landings (resting places), making a versatile built-in gym!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Exercise in Disguise
If you don't know how to start exercising, I invite you to join me in thinking of ways to tuck various movements into the cracks of your days. Combining your creativity with a knowledge of what your body likes and wants most can lead to interesting experiences that build fitness on the sly. Pick times that seem like down time, and get creative. If you're waiting in line, stand on one foot for balance. If you're watching TV, try reaching for the ceiling. Stretching is always a good place to start--just move something and feel how it feels. Avoid too much multitasking (not so safe), let yourself be silly (if you dare) and have fun (to inspire yourself to keep it up). Please join me in this project: maybe we can start a secret, feel-good movement revolution!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Un-Dividing Attention to Reduce your Risk of Falling
My pilot friend studies reports of plane crashes. In almost every crash, he says, the accident included at least three things going wrong. That got me thinking that maybe this applies to falling "crashes" as well. For example, maybe you're a bit tired from not sleeping so well last night, so you're not picking up your feet as much as usual (#1). You're walking on a slightly irregular sidewalk and coming to the bump that shouldn't be there (#2). And maybe at that moment you hear a bird singing across the street, and turn to look (#3). You've now divided your attention and set yourself up for a fall. Un-divide your attention by pausing for a moment to reduce your risk of falling. I noticed that many of my falls happened when I was hurrying (not the same as walking fast), which was my habitual #1. When I considered the consequences, it was easy to change my habit. Now I have more attention for the birds!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Brr-rr-r-r! On Purpose
We have a big gangly nerve that runs to most of our major organs. It’s called the Vagus Nerve, and it’s a major player in our Rest & Digest (parasympathetic branch of the nervous system) behaviors. It has a weird bunch of likes, including gagging(!) and humming. One of its favorites is cold. You’ve probably heard of the practice of alternating sauna time with jumping into a snowbank–”Aaah” says the Vagus. We’re coming up to Polar Bear Plunge season, celebrated on New Years Day, where a bunch of scantily clad folks give their vagus nerve a feast by jumping into a cold body of water. The way to make a cold/cool shock into a Rest & Digest “Aaah” is to breathe deeply while shocking. You are cordially invited to find your local Plunge! Or, if you like the idea and prefer it gently, end your shower with 30 seconds (and building up to more) of cool or cold water. And remember to BREATHE!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Life @ 3MPH
I grew into my walking-based lifestyle step by natural step, and never particularly noticed how much I liked it until a book fell into my lap in time to be my December read. (A Walking LIfe: Reclaiming Our Health and Our Freedom – One Step at a TIme, by Antonia Malchik) Chapter by chapter, this book gave me more reasons to appreciate my walking and lifestyle pace of 3 miles per hour. My reading coincided with observing the frenetic seasonal hustle-bustle that’s currently in progress, the contrast adding more joy to my appreciation. Walking puts me in a place with time to smell the pine trees; walking moves me at a speed that lets me be more aware of the slow turning of the seasons; walking gives my feet the opportunity to feel the earth beneath them. On these busy days, I invite you to give a gift to yourself: to stop, plant both feet on the ground, and savor a deep breath.
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Brrr-rr-r-r!
Cold day? What if, instead of turning up the heat for your whole home, you choose to warm up just your body? Play the Inside Out Game to fire up the tiny furnaces in each of your muscle cells (the mitochondria, if you want to be polysyllabic about it). Any movement will stoke the inner flame: calisthenics, jitterbugging to your favorite music, cleaning out the attic. Adding layers of clothing is another way to warm up, and another chance for playful movement. Dance and stretch as you pull the sweater over your head, or make a humorous fuss as the second layer of pants sticks to the first one. Then notice that having on more clothes makes moving a little more difficult, and behold! you’re doing even more exercise. Considering that you’re simultaneously lowering your heating bill, I’d call it a win-win version of multitasking!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Pandiculation…?!?
Yes, even pandas pandiculate, with the help of a tree. But perhaps the most accessible example is your local cat. Pandiculation is a full-bodied tensioned stretch, often with yawning, that helps your cat, and you, wake up. Short, deep and spontaneous, this luscious stretch gets your blood moving, which prepares muscles for movement. It’s effective for releasing the stiffness accumulated while being inactive or sleeping. Follow your cat’s example and enjoy its rich sensations the next time you’re en route from sleep/sedentary to up-and-at-’em. Just tense your whole body, push out your fisted arms and legs, and add a yawn for good measure. Maybe it’ll even make you purr!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Dizzy and Ditzy
Undependable balance and quirky brain function–Dizzy and Ditzy–are big topics, and this is a Tip, not a tome. Leaving the hard parts to your doctor, let’s nibble at one corner and notice that these are both possible symptoms of dehydration. Since it is suspected that 75% of the population is dehydrated, it makes me wonder how many of our aging-inspired aches and pains are simply our body asking for water? And since I know I’m one of those 75%, and maybe you are too, I cordially invite you to play a two-part water game with me. Part 1: Learn Your Baseline. How much water/fluid do you drink? For a few days, count and record your water in a way that doesn’t depend on your memory. For example, I set out my allotment, my daily goal, in three jars in the morning. Drinking something other than water is duly noted. Part 2: Raise Your Baseline. Add an extra daily cup or two over the next week. Somewhere along the path, do an online search of symptoms of dehydration, add Dizzy and Ditzy, and see if your body may be responding to being wetter. Hmmm? I wonder if yesterday’s extra water was any part of why I slept so well last night…?
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Sneaking Through The Woods
Walking without making a sound is another way to stretch your walking skills, and is how animal trackers move silently through nature. Put on your soft-soled shoes and your soft eyes and head for the woods! Place your feet silently in three parts to let yourself feel twigs or other potential noisemakers under your feet before you put weight on them. Start by placing the little toe corner softly on the ground, then roll your foot to include the big toe corner. Next, gradually add weight as you lower your heel and shift your weight. (You may notice that this very slow movement adds meditation and balance dimensions to your walk.) Start your practice on an open even path, then add challenge by walking through tall grass or the woods with their unpredictable surfaces; unevenness lets your toes practice discovering where the ground is. For visual “silence”, avoid touching nearby saplings or bushes because a small bump at the bottom of a moveable plant will make the high-up leaves wave wildly, and you will no longer be invisible!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Seasoned Feet
It’s easy to take walking for granted. One foot in front of the other, right? (Yawn!) But fall brings a seasonal change that can change your mind about that. Autumn may start out dry with fallen leaves itching to be kicked and crunched. That makes a simple walk into a dance with its own rhythm instrument. Then it’ll rain (finally). The leaves became sodden and intermittently slippery. The walk becomes more of a mindfulness dance, where consciously planted steps are best supported by slightly bent knees that support a grounded body, and treads on shoes are much appreciated. Next up are puddles, muddy or otherwise, which call for their own kind of splash dance. And just when you’re accustomed to those walking styles, you’ll get to experience winter with its ice component. No more yawning!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Breaking for Business
What can you do with those idle moments while your puppy uses her nose to check out the neighborhood Dog Blogs? Sounds like a great opportunity to stretch your calves, a self-care move that doesn't happen easily during daily activity. Here’s how: Step back with one foot, heel down, knee straight, feel the stretch in the upper calf, right below the knee. Then bend your knee and feel the delicious sensation travel down to your lower calf and ankle. Alternate between bent and straight knee as you enjoy the relief in your lower leg. Repeat on the other side. Since there is a bit of a balance challenge in this stretch, you may want to use the top of your dog’s chosen tree/post for stability. By now, maybe your puppy’s done sniffing and you’re both ready to go on with your walk, both of you feeling more satisfied. Is there an equivalent for cats? Let me know!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
What About The Other Side?
Of course, everyone has a Main side. You grab your first rattle with your preferred hand, which starts building into a habit. But what about the Other side? Is it waiting for you to give it a chance? Try it and see! As an experiment, I started doing crossword puzzles with the Other hand. The challenge: each letter has to fit in its box and be legible when the crossing word comes along. The results: my Other hand gives me awkward moments (without embarrassing consequences) and an increased appreciation for kindergartners who are starting to learn their letters. Also, without fanfare, my brain builds new neural connections in response to the new skill. Then the door of curiosity opened to look for what else was lopsided. For example, which leg goes into your pants first? Which hand habitually reaches into the silverware drawer? Which side of your teeth do you brush first? What else? How about trying the Other? (It’s probably best to explore with a sense of humor!) When you take the challenge, please let me know how it goes.
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
The One For You
What’s the best exercise in the world? The one that you’ll do! And what if that exercise style is also one that suits you EXACTLY, so it gives joy and adds to your feelings of wellbeing over time? I wish there were a magic button to push for each of us to find our One. But no. Instead, we get to do it like a treasure hunt, looking for clues of joy, then clusters of benefits. It is a search that’s worth it. Parkour anyone? Or follow the woman whose eyes glowed when she talked about bench pressing. Two months ago I found kettlebells at an excellent gym close to home–a cluster of benefits that has captured my heart and commitment. Please let me know if/when you find yours!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Breaking for Business
What can you do with those idle moments while your puppy uses her nose to check out the neighborhood Dog Blogs? Sounds like a great opportunity to stretch your calves, a self-care move that doesn't happen easily during daily activity. Here’s how: Step back with one foot, heel down, knee straight, feel the stretch in the upper calf, right below the knee. Then bend your knee and feel the delicious sensation travel down to your lower calf and ankle. Alternate between bent and straight knee as you enjoy the relief in your lower leg. Repeat on the other side. Since there is a bit of a balance challenge in this stretch, you may want to use the top of your dog’s chosen tree/post for stability. By now, maybe your puppy’s done sniffing and you’re both ready to go on with your walk, both of you feeling more satisfied. Is there an equivalent for cats? Let me know!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Everyday Squats
Squats are a thorough exercise for strengthening the back side of your body, but the front-oriented lifestyle we all live makes us neglect them. Hiding your squat practice in your daily activities is a great way to do serious exercise without feeling serious about it. Bend your knees and push out your rear to start. Then as you come up, push down into your heels and squeeze your butt muscles as you straighten your legs. It doesn’t matter how far down you squat, so it can be practiced as you take cookies out of the oven or when reaching into your bookshelf. Softening the knees (a tiny squat) can counterbalance the weight of your torso as you lean forward to brush your teeth or wash dishes. And everytime you get in and out of your chair is the classical time to use the squat deliberately. Just adding a little bit of mindfulness at those moments of lowering and raising your body can give you a great dose of exercise in disguise.
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Do The Twist!
My exercise buddies recently discovered, to our delight, how quickly and effectively dancing The Twist can amp up feelings of vitality. Will you join us? A little goes a long way, maybe even for just a couple of minutes. Serious research on YouTube reveals the rules are: 1. Wiggle hips, 2. Move knees one way, 3. Move arms the opposite way, and 4. Repeat. Yes, it’s that simple! Start out slow and gentle, build up as your body is ready, then think of ways to add movements to make it your personalized full body movement. If you want to get fancy about it, put Chubby Checker on the Victrola, and take a trip down memory lane with both your body and mind.
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Pushing the Edge
What if you wake up one morning with a new twinge in your shoulder from sleeping on it funny. Not good! A natural tendency is to hold the shoulder still so it won’t hurt. Instead, try moving it around gently, in shrugs and circles, to feel the edge of your comfort, where the hurting starts. Practice moving your shoulder to explore the information it has for you. Discover where you feel a gentle tugging sensation just short of pain. Very gently, probe around and sense the shape of that borderline space. Then relax and breathe. Revisiting and exploring your shoulder throughout the day will allow your shoulder muscles to gradually re-decide to release the resistance that was causing the pain. This pattern can also be applied to older aches and pains, maybe even turning around long-held body limitations. Expand your range of motion. Expand your strength. Expand your flexibility. Every expansion includes feeling better!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.