Welcome to one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself, exercise.
I'm Margaret Richard for the National Institute on Aging.
The program you are about to begin was designed especially for adults by the Institute, one
of the U.S. government's National Institutes of Health.
You probably already know that regular exercise and physical activity are very important for
the health and well-being of adults of all ages.
In fact, some research studies suggest that not exercising is risky behavior.
One of the myths about exercise is that you can be too old and too out of shape to start
an exercise program.
Some people fear that physical activity or exercise such as strength training may harm
them.
This is not true.
To be on the safe side, the Institute recommends that if you are a man over 40 or a woman over
50 and you plan a vigorous program, the kind that makes you breathe hard and sweat, you
should consult your doctor first.
Vigorous activity could be a problem for someone if you have heart disease and don't know it.
Share the NIA exercise guide with your doctor so he or she will know what you are up to.
It is safe to exercise even if you have a chronic condition such as heart disease or
diabetes.
In fact, exercise may help you, but your doctor may advise you to do so only when your particular
condition is under control.
During flare-ups, exercise could be harmful.
Other exercise myths I've heard include that you need a lot of special equipment or you
have to go to a gym to get into a real exercise program.
These are not true either.
You can start your own exercise program right at home as this video and exercise guide will
show you.
Take the time to go through the guide before you begin the video program.
It's filled with loads of valuable information about the benefits of exercise for your heart,
your bones, and your sense of well-being.
Just about every adult can safely do some form of exercise at little or no cost, especially
when you realize that exercise means anything that makes you breathe harder.
Even doing household chores can improve your health.
Rake those leaves, cut the grass, and climb those stairs, shovel that snow, plan on making
physical activity and exercise part of your everyday life.
The payback is huge.
The first step in this exercise program is to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity
that makes you breathe harder on most or all days of the week.
This is called endurance activity, or perhaps you've heard it called aerobics.
If you can't be active for 30 minutes all at once, try at least 10 minutes at a time.
Make sure when you add it all up that you haven't short-changed yourself.
Work up to at least 30, but preferably 40 minutes of endurance exercise on most or all
days of the week.
In any exercise program you choose, start gradually.
Build step by step.
Sticking with it is what works.
So include activities you enjoy, you can do correctly and safely, you have access to,
and you can fit into your daily schedule.
In other words, you're more likely to stick with your exercises if you set yourself up
to succeed from the start.
Even a moderate level of sustained activity helps.
One doctor I know describes it this way, if you can talk without any trouble at all, your
activity is probably too easy.
If you can't talk at all, it's too hard.
Beyond building your endurance, the second step in our program is to build strength.
Most of the exercises we'll do on this tape are strength building exercises.
Some of these exercises also double as balance building exercises.
It's very important to keep using your muscles.
Having enough muscle can mean the difference between being able to get up from a chair
by yourself or having to ask for help.
Even very small improvements can make a big difference in being able to do things on your
own and live independently.
Improving balance is also important.
There are lots of little ways you can improve your balance.
Try to incorporate them in your daily routine.
Stand on one foot while you're talking on the phone and every now and then walk heel
to toe.
Now, the last step in your program will be stretching exercises.
Stretching won't build your endurance or muscles, but it may help you stay limber.
All of us have seen people stretch before they exercise, but to avoid injury, don't
stretch until you are warmed up.
I'll stretch with you at the end of our session.
On page 17 in your guide, you'll find checkpoints for you if you have a chronic condition.
However, be careful.
If you have any symptoms such as irregular rapid or fluttery heartbeat, severe shortness
of breath, fever, or persistent pain or trouble walking after you've fallen, please check
with your doctor.
Again, remember, start slowly and build up.
Because you are in this for the long haul, start with one or two types of exercise or
physical activity that you can manage.
Sometimes just knowing that exercise can improve your health is enough motivation, but if you
need more, try finding an exercise buddy or chart your progress.
Don't forget to put time for exercise on your calendar.
Let's warm up now.
For the warm up, we're going to use a towel and pull side to side to create a little tension
on the towel, but no tension in the body.
Let's press the shoulders down, lift tall, chest is lifted, hips are tucked, the knees
are slightly relaxed, and let's bring the ear to the shoulder and up.
You want to make the movement as complete as possible.
Now we're going to turn the head to the side, so look all the way side and front of the
side and breathe deeply in through the nose and after the mouth.
And let's shrug the shoulders back, make a complete circle, exaggerate the movement.
And let's reverse it, take it back and all the way front and repeat.
Once more, all the way back and front.
You want to get loose and ready for the workout.
Now let's bring the towel up close to the body and make a big circle.
Open the back, separate the shoulder blades again, pull the towel side to side, other
side and reach and stretch.
Remember keep the knees slightly bent, facing the front.
Now let's take it up to the middle and down.
And now a little faster, here we go, and up and middle.
Press and press, up and down.
Now this time let's bring it down to the back of the head and separate the shoulder blades,
pull the elbows forward and once again and down and stretch.
All the way to the side, pull the elbow behind the head, bend the knee and lengthen.
Other side.
And let's just put the towel down and come all the way down with a flat back, the head
is last and you want to round the back.
Last deep breath, arms up, in through the nose and we're ready to work out.
Now that we are warmed up, let's start our strength training.
Now some movements may seem strange at first but you'll get used to them.
Take it into the temptation to hold your breath.
Holding your breath, taking a big breath and holding it while you push or pull can cause
changes in blood pressure which can be a problem if you have heart disease.
When doing any weight training, remember always to avoid jerking or thrusting your weights.
Use smooth, steady movement.
Breathe out as you lift your push and breathe in as you relax.
We're going to begin with a strengthening exercise called the arm raise.
Now to do this exercise, I'd like you to sit in a sturdy chair with the feet flat on the
floor about shoulder width apart.
The arms are straight down at the sides with the palms facing inward.
We'll raise both arms to shoulder height, hold for just a moment and then slowly lower
the arms to the sides.
Now get your weights.
We're all beginning this exercise with three pound weights.
You do what's best for you.
It may be that if you're beginning you start with no weights or if you're a little more
advanced that you progress and keep challenging yourself.
So let's begin the exercise.
We're coming up for one, two, three counts, holding at the top and coming down right to
our sides.
Sit up tall.
Remember that the feet are shoulder width apart as are the knees.
As we lift the arms, we go no higher than the shoulders, but the shoulders press down.
One more bit of advice is keep the fingers rather loose so that you're not ripping the
weights and impeding the circulation in your fingers.
So it's one, two, three and hold and down, two, three and hold and up.
Very slow, very controlled.
If at any time you feel like you're having to compromise the correct position to perform
the repetitions, then simply take a stretch or go to lighter weights.
If on the other hand you find that the exercise becomes too easy for you, then graduate yourself
to heavier weights.
Make sure that you challenge yourself every time you work out.
Now we're doing two sets of 15 repetitions.
So now we're beginning our second set of 15, but we'll do the counting for you.
Just concentrate on your form.
Again, it's up, two, three, hold for four and down.
Very, very controlled.
Now you want to breathe out during the exertion, which is the lift.
You want to breathe out and breathe in.
Or hold your breath.
The elbows are slightly bent, never locked.
Again, sitting tall, checking your form.
The abdomen is pressed against your back and as you become more fatigued, it's even more
important that you pay attention to correct form.
Last five.
Now you'll feel the fatigue in your shoulder area and that's good.
That'll make you stronger, your muscles and your bones.
And the last delicious, terrific one.
And we're finished.
Our next exercise is the chair stand, which strengthens the abdominal and thigh muscles.
We're going to place a pillow against the back of the chair and sit in the middle or
toward the front of the chair with the knees bent and the feet flat on the floor.
Now lean back on the pillows in a half reclining position, keeping the back and shoulders straight.
Raise the upper body forward until sitting upright, using the hands as little as possible.
I'm going to place my hands in this position or you might extend your arms forward.
Now slowly stand up, again using the hands as little as possible and slowly sit back
down.
Keep the back and shoulders straight throughout the exercise.
Let's begin the exercise.
Begin with the hands crossed over the chest, lean back with the body straight, sit forward
and slowly rise to a standing position.
And return to the chair and repeat.
Now we're going to do two sets of 15.
However, if you're a beginner and that is a little too much for you at this point, then
go ahead and start with 8 and progress as you get stronger.
Barbara is doing the same exercise with a variation as she has her arms extended straight
in front of her.
So that might be an easier option for some of you that are beginners actually.
Remember we're not using momentum, we're controlling all the movements.
Now you want to breathe out on the lift and breathe in as you lower.
You'll always breathe out on the exertion.
Try to keep the body as straight as possible as you lean back and return forward.
Press your abdomen against your back throughout the exercise.
We've done 15 and we're going strong.
Don't rush it and don't use momentum.
Control each part of the movement.
Slowly back, up and stand.
Remember each of us is starting at a different place at our fitness level.
So even if you can just do a few in the beginning, the exciting thing is your strength will build
and you will do a little more each time we work out together.
Alright we're in our last 5.
Now as you get fatigued, keep the form very perfect, very precise.
Breathe our last 2 and our last one and we've done it.
This next strengthening exercise is called a biceps curl.
It works the front of the arm, the biceps.
Now you're going to sit in an armless chair with your back supported by the back of the
chair.
The feet are flat on the floor about shoulder width apart.
Now hold the hand weights exercise with the arms straight and the palms facing in.
Slowly bend one elbow, lifting the weight toward the chest and rotating the palm toward
the shoulder while lifting the weight.
Let's try that one more time.
Lift and rotate and return to your starting position.
Sit nice and tall in your chair and let's bring the weights up to the shoulder with
the turn at the top and bring them all the way down.
So we're going to do 15 repetitions, 2 sets using both weights and of course do what's
good for you but don't undermine yourself.
Make sure that you're challenging yourself all the time.
Now here's some rules and regulations for you additionally.
You want to have your elbows close to your sides and we want to have a full range of
motion meaning we want to go all the way down and at the top squeeze.
So you're really working the muscle.
We're coming up, we're rotating the weight and the weights at the bottom are facing each
other.
Now loosen your grip, your grasp.
You don't want to squeeze the hands.
Just hold it with a relaxed grip and squeeze.
Alright we're going into our next 15, our second 15.
If this exercise, if you find that it's too difficult then you can either use lighter
weights or no weights at all.
On the other hand, if you feel like you're moving those weights in no problem then you
can get yourself a set of heavier weights and keep the challenge going because that's
really important in building strong muscles and strong bones.
The shoulders are down, the elbows are at your side.
Remember to sit up tall, use your abdominal muscles and squeeze at the top.
The last few, make them good, squeeze and extend the arms.
Okay the last one, all the way up and all the way down.
The following strengthening exercise is the triceps extension which works the back of
the arm.
You're going to sit in your chair near the front edge.
Your feet are flat on the floor with the knees about shoulder width apart.
Raise one arm straight toward the ceiling and support this arm below the elbow with
the other hand.
Now bend the raised arm at the elbow bringing the hand weight toward the same shoulder and
slowly straighten the arm toward the ceiling.
Slowly bend the arm toward the shoulder again and repeat this bending and straightening
until you have done the exercise 8 to 15 times with one arm and then we'll repeat 8 to 15
times with the other arm.
Let's work the triceps.
The arm is up, we're supporting the arm with our other hand just below the elbow and we're
bringing the weight down and up.
So this is our position now for 15 repetitions and then we'll move to the other side.
You want to keep the elbow right next to your head and try not to move the elbow.
That is where the movement stops and starts.
Let's make sure we don't go too quickly.
Doing the movement with lots of control.
Shoulders are down, use your abdominal muscles.
Last three.
We're using five pound weights.
You do what's good for you, be sure to challenge yourself.
And this is our last one and now let's switch to the other side.
Again supporting the elbow, bringing the arm down and all the way up.
The elbow is next to the head, lifting the body tall and let's not go too quickly.
You know you can always start with heavier weights and move to lighter ones when you
feel the form is being compromised.
If you're just a beginner you might want to do this without weights just to get a feel
for the exercise, become friends with it.
Now my arm's a little shaky right now and yours may be too and we just try to work through
it if we're able to as long as there's no pain.
Let's proceed with the shoulder flexion strength exercise.
We'll begin in the chair with the feet flat on the floor, the ankles and knees about shoulder
width apart.
Now the arms are straight down at your sides with the palms facing inward.
Raise both arms in front of you and keeping them straight and rotating them so the palms
face upward as we reach shoulder height.
Now hold the position and slowly lower the arms to the sides.
These exercises will strengthen your shoulder muscles so let's begin.
We'll bring the arms up and rotating the palms up, hold just a second and bring them right
back down to your sides.
Now what's most important here is that you keep the shoulders pressed down and make the
movement very smooth.
So you come up just to shoulder height, no higher and then rotate the arms and bring
them back to your sides.
All the way up and all the way down with a lot of control.
Loosen the fingers so that they're not clipping the weights too tightly.
I'm using three pound weights and you have to use weights that suit your fitness level
wherever you are.
So perhaps you can have a few different sets of weights and on some days you might even
feel stronger than other days so you might vary the amount of weight that you use for
this exercise.
Remember if you start with heavier weights you can always go lighter.
You know it's the pull of the muscle on the bone that makes the bone stronger so we're
not only strengthening our muscles but we're making our bones stronger as well.
Okay we've completed 15 repetitions and now we're starting the next 15.
If you are a beginner or you haven't exercised for a while and the repetitions we're doing
are too intense for you, well you could start at a lower number such as say eight and then
work up as you're able.
Keep the form perfect.
The back is straight, the shoulders are pressed down, the chest is lifted, you're using your
abdominal muscles and you're working the shoulder muscles with a lot of control and with very
smooth movements.
Remember you're never lifting the weights higher than the shoulders.
Alright we have just a few more to go and if your form is very correct and you can kind
of push forward, well that's what we want you to do.
Last two and last one and you're finished with that exercise.
The following exercises will strengthen the muscles of the lower body.
If you have had knee replacement surgery, please don't do exercises that strain your
leg at or below the knee without first checking with your surgeon.
The first lower body exercise we're going to do is a knee flexion strength exercise.
So stand tall, stand straight and hold a chair or table for balance.
You're going to slowly bend the knee as far as possible, hold the position and slowly
lower the foot all the way back down and then we'll repeat the same movement using the other
leg.
Let's begin the exercise standing fairly close to the support whether it's a table or a chair.
Begin with the right leg, the knees are side by side, we're going to slowly raise the heel
all the way up and lower and then repeat with the other leg.
So that would be one set and we're doing 15 in total.
All the way up and hesitate and all the way down.
Now it's very important that you use your abdominal muscles, use your gluteal muscles,
squeeze them, keep the shoulders down and there's an opportunity here to test your balance.
So at any time lift your hands off the support and check it.
By all means don't lean on the chair.
All the way up and down.
Try not to lean forward at all, keep the body as straight as possible, lift the chest and
down.
The shoulders are down.
Now if you feel like you need more of a challenge and you're ready for it, you can use leg weights,
weights around the ankle to intensify this exercise.
We're working the back of the leg, the hamstring area.
Now make that extra little effort to get the heel all the way up.
All the way up and all the way down.
Again, you have an opportunity here to test your balance and this is, we've now done 10.
Test the balance, don't lean on the support.
Use your abdominal muscles.
All the way up and all the way down.
Hands up tall, again the shoulders are down and you're lifting the heel as high up as
possible and then lowering with control.
Last two.
All the way up.
And the last one.
On the other side.
And we've worked the hamstrings.
The following hip flexion exercise will strengthen the muscles of the hip and thigh.
So let's begin with some rules and regulations.
Stand straight, holding a stable object for balance, like this chair.
Slowly bend one knee toward the chest without bending the waist or hips.
Hold the position and slowly lower the leg all the way down and repeat with the other
leg.
Let's begin the exercise.
We're going to place both hands on the support or if you like, do it with one hand, whichever
gives you the best opportunity for a challenge.
We're going to start with the right leg, raise it as high as possible and lower it and then
go to the left leg.
What's really important here is that the body remains straight, that you don't lean forward
as you lift the leg.
And with a lot of control, lift as high as you can and press down.
All the way up and down.
Now again, you have the opportunity to test your balance.
So at any time, lift both hands or one hand from your support.
The abdomen is in and the chest is lifted.
Let's not rush it.
You want to squeeze your gluteal muscles all the time.
Now if you are ready to use leg weights for this exercise, it would be appropriate, but
be sure that you don't compromise proper form in order to use the leg weights.
The shoulders are down and you're not leaning on your support, but rather just using it
for balance.
Now you don't want to use momentum here.
It's all about control and pulling the leg up and pushing it down.
We're beginning our second set of 15 repetitions.
Keep the chest lifted.
Let's not rush it.
This kind of feels like prancing.
Step high with both legs.
Keep your hips facing the chair evenly as well as the shoulders.
Of course, the chest is lifted, the shoulders are down.
Check your balance every now and then.
And we're in our last five sets.
And we're in the final countdown.
This is the last one and we've done it.
The exercise we're about to do, the hip extension strength exercise, is a wonderful exercise
for strengthening the muscles of the lower back and the buttocks.
Stand 12 to 18 inches from a chair or table and bend at the hips holding on to your support.
Now you're slowly going to lift one leg straight backwards.
Hold the position and slowly lower the leg and then repeat with the other leg.
Let's begin by facing our support, in our case it's the chair, and bending forward
about 15 degrees from the hips.
We're going to begin with the right leg and lift the leg to the back and bring it down
and repeat with the other leg.
Now we're going to keep the knee facing the floor and the foot flexed rather than pointed.
So you'll maintain the angle of the body and lift the leg with both hips facing the chair.
You don't want to open the hip on the side of the working leg.
Up and smoothly down.
Up and hold just at the top.
If you're ready to have more intensity with this exercise, try using leg weights and I
guarantee you it'll make a difference.
As I said, the most important thing is form.
The repetitions will follow.
Push your abdominal muscles and press the shoulders down.
Now as you do the exercise, check your balance.
Don't lean on the chair or the support too much.
And I might add that you have to use something that's high enough so it doesn't cause you
to bend forward too much.
The abdomen is in.
We have about five more sets.
Let's pause at the top and then lower.
Pause at the top and lower.
You can definitely feel the muscles of the lower back and the gluteal area, which is
the rear end, working hard.
Check your balance.
Last two.
Last one.
And we're done.
Let's now prepare to do the side leg raise, which strengthens the muscles of the hips
and outer thighs.
We'll begin by standing straight directly behind a chair with our feet slightly apart.
Now hold the chair just for balance.
Slowly lift one leg to the side, all about six to 12 inches, and hold the position.
Slowly lower the leg and repeat with the other leg.
Now both the back and the knees remain straight throughout the exercise.
Let's begin the exercise standing tall with the abdomen in, the gluteal muscles, that's
the rear end, squeezed tight, the shoulders down, and the hands not leaning, but just
there for balance.
So we're going to begin with the right leg, lifting it to the side, and down.
Let's switch to the left leg to the side, and down.
So we want to just hesitate and then lower.
You're not going more than six to 12 inches off the ground, so there's no momentum, no
swinging, it's all very controlled, and you're leading with the outer thigh, that's what's
doing all the work, lifting the leg.
If you feel that you're ready for a challenge, then simply add leg weights, maybe three pounds
each leg, or possibly more, possibly less.
Now check your balance by lifting the hands off the chair, possibly one hand or both,
when you feel that you're ready.
There's always an opportunity to improve your balance, and we need to take advantage of
those opportunities.
Let's talk about breathing once again.
Keep your breathing very regular, never hold your breath if you feel like you're being
challenged.
It's important to keep the intake and output very regular.
Now we're doing two sets of 15 each set, and one lift of the right leg and one lift of
the left leg constitutes one set.
So now we're beginning our second set, and let's check our form, make sure the abdomen
is in, that you're squeezing your buttocks, the shoulders are down, the chest is lifted,
and the movements are very controlled and very perfect.
The supporting leg should be straight, but the knee does not necessarily have to be locked.
We want to just relax the knee slightly so we don't hurt the joints in order to strengthen
the muscles.
Remember you're not kicking the leg, you're lifting it with a lot of control.
Alright, we have five more to go, so make them your best ever.
Again keep the body tall, don't lift to the right and left.
Two more, and the last right leg and left leg, and we've done it.
The next exercise is called plantar flexion, which will help you improve your balance.
So begin by standing straight, holding on to your chair or table just for balance.
We're going to slowly stand on our tip toes as high as possible, hold the position, and
then slowly lower the heels all the way back down.
We're going to do 15 repetitions of this movement.
Let's begin in our usual position with the abdomen, the hips tucked, and the shoulders
down.
Now let's begin by lifting the heels all the way up, holding and pressing down.
Now because we're using this exercise to improve our balance, you can begin with both hands
on the support.
And as you feel more comfortable, just use one hand with as little pressure on the hand
as possible.
And now let's graduate to one finger only, lifting straight up on the top of the toes
and lowering.
And as you're able to, lift the finger and improve the balance.
We have just a few more.
Now this is an exercise you can do anytime, anywhere.
So we're doing 15 now, but I challenge you to do more later.
And done.
Please cool down with us.
You've done a great job.
You certainly are stronger than you were at the beginning of this program.
So we hope to see you often.
Let's begin with the feet, that shoulder width, and holding one arm with the other, bring
the ear to the opposite shoulder and you'll feel the stretch all the way through the shoulder
and the neck area.
And let's change and drop the ear to the shoulder on the other side.
The head is straight, the shoulders are pressed down and they come straight up to the shoulders.
Now let's face the chair and stretch the calf.
The bent knee is right over the ankle and the back heel is down.
The body is a straight line from the head to the tailbone.
And let's change and stretch the other leg.
Bringing both feet together, we're going to stretch the back of the leg by bringing the
body flat down and dropping the elbows.
Go ahead and bend the elbows.
And round the body up so the head comes up last.
And let's do that again.
The abdomen is in.
Stretching should be relaxing.
So don't push past that point.
Alright now let's use the towel and we're going to stretch in back of the body.
Now I'm going to turn around and you can stay facing forward, replacing the hands as close
as we can to each other.
So you kind of want to walk them up and down the towel and you can facilitate this by opening
the elbows.
Alright, let's just keep the towel in the back and change hands.
And you'll find that you're a little more flexible on one side than the other.
Again, I'm going to turn to the back, open the elbows and walk the hands toward each
other.
You want your stretches to be very static without a lot of movement, a lot of dancing.
And release.
Let's go ahead and sit in the chair.
Place the towel on the floor.
And with the knees slightly apart, you want to roll the body all the way down, bring the
head up last.
And reach up with one hand and the other hand.
Bring the hand all the way down and the other hand.
Once more reach.
Stay at the top, clasp the hands, turn the palms to the ceiling, press back and separate
the shoulder blades as you bring the hands down.
And have a great day.
I hope you have enjoyed our exercise session.
Before I say goodbye, I would like to say a word about how much exercise you should
get each week.
Begin exercising gradually.
And remember to drink plenty of water while you exercise.
Once you have worked your way up to a regular schedule, you can do endurance exercises and
stretching exercises every day and strengthening exercises every other day.
Page 71 in your guide has a suggested schedule.
The National Institute on Aging has health information on a variety of topics of interest
from menopause to prostate cancer.
Call them at 1-800-222-2225 or visit them on the web.
If you've borrowed this tape and don't have your own copy of the exercise guide, call
the institute and they will send you a copy of the guide.
Single copies are free while they last.
That number is 1-800-222-2225.