Dzenitis Tami Brehse - 5-Minute Core Exercises for Seniors: Daily Routines to Build Balance and Boost Confidence

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Illustrations Drew Bardana, 2021; except pp. Chrisy Ni.

ISBN: Print 978-1-64876-656-5
eBook 978-1-64876-155-3
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This book is dedicated to the determined seniors around the world who are committed to improving their health and living their best lives through the power of fitness. You inspire us!

CONTENTS

Hello and welcome! We are glad youre here.

Im Cindy Brehse, an Athletics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) and Silver Sneakerscertified group fitness instructor, as well as a Golden Hearts Active at Any Age Senior Fitness Specialist. My co-author is my daughter Tami, who is my business partner and, when were lucky enough to get together in person, my workout partner, too. As a team, we are passionate about helping seniors use fitness as a transformative tool for healing and prevention, not only for the body, but for the mind and spirit as well.

As you age, youre blessed with wisdom, more time to spend with family and friends, and the chance to travel. And who doesnt love those senior discounts? You do, however, have challenges. As you age, your body begins a process of gradual decline. Your bones shrink and become less dense, making them more prone to fractures. Your muscles lose strength, and your balance falters. Your memory weakens, forcing you to reach harder for thoughts that once came easily. Even your metabolism slows down. Talk about a raw deal, huh?

Are all these aging-related frustrations cause for a pity party? No! The symptoms of aging may be a fact of life, but you dont have to take them lying down. With a regular exercise regimen, you can fight osteoporosis and ward off broken bones. By working your muscles daily, you can keep them strong. If you practice balance and stability moves, youll remain steady on your feet and recover from falls more quickly. Moving your body keeps your brain sharp and releases stress. And that pesky metabolism? Regular exercise will help it work more efficiently and will make your favorite jeans a little easier to button.

In this book, we focus on your core: the muscles, ligaments, and tendons that make up your stomach, sides, and back. Well talk in detail about the importance of core strength in chapter 1, but we can tell you now that the highlights include proper balance, a trim waistline (critical in reducing your risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes), and feeling good. Feeling good means being able to move around freely to play with your grandchildren, stay in your own home without assistance, drive your car, and take part in hobbies such as tennis or gardening. None of these things can happen without your health.

This book will give you the tools to move confidently through your daily life with a strong core. We will begin with a breakdown of the major core muscle groups; its a lot easier to focus on an exercise when you know which muscles youre working and how they benefit you. Plus, well go over some basic dos and donts to help you exercise safely.

Then, in chapter 2, well introduce a series of 40 targeted movements broken down into four handy categories: seated exercises, standing exercises, mat exercises, and exercises with weights. Well walk you through each movement with step-by-step instructions. In chapter 3, well incorporate the movements into quick sequences that will fit seamlessly into your daily routine.

You dont have to make huge changes to your life to build a stronger core and reap all the benefits that come with it. By the end of this book, youll have the tools you need to strengthen your core muscles, maintain your balance, and retain your mobilityand theyre tools you can return to again and again.

When was the last time you felt delighted about working out your midsection? If your answer is something like Ha! Never , it would not be surprising. However, if you shift your thinking from the exercise to the effects, youll see that core fitness is actually worth getting excited about.

In a nationwide survey of seniors, the leading aging-related concern was maintaining physical fitness. Core strength is the key to physical freedom. When you start making core exercise part of your daily routine, youll begin to feel the effects almost immediately. Youll experience a greater range of motion and more control over your balance, not to mention feel more confident in your clothes.

As you might have guessed, core strength is about more than just being able to do 100 sit-ups. Instead, developing core strength is a systematic approach to relieving pain and preventing injuries. The core supports the spine, and if your core is weak, other major muscle groups have to compensate. This tends to throw off the alignment of your entire body, leading to pain in the back, hips, and knees, and making you more likely to lose your balance.