Exercise

Summary

• Exercise has numerous benefits include increasing brain function, hippocampus size, positively impacting epigenetics

• Remember the first and biggest step is going from 0 to any activity. After that, try to work your way up to 150 minutes, and possibly higher. Working in 10-minute sessions is okay (e.g. dancing mid-day as a pick-me-up, completing a 7-min workout in the morning, etc)

• Make it fun! Do what you love. Add music. Add friends. Whatever works. Start small: 5-7 minutes a day is okay!

• The plan:

  • Try to do aerobic activity most days (planned exercise or strategies to just increase physical activity by parking farther away, walking up extra stairs)

  • Try for resistance training 2-3x per week

  • Try to do some light stretching, balance/stability actions, tai chi, focused movements etc 2-3x/week

  • Break up sedentary periods but standing or doing a short walk or stretch every hour or so

• Aim to build up to 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week to start, then try to increase if possible and in a sustainable way

  • Moderate = you can talk but not sing while exercising

  • Mild = you can sing

  • Vigorous = you have a hard time talking

• Include a mix of cardio, resistance, and stability/stretching activities

  • You can combine cardio into your work day by walking more

  • You can combine stretching or stability into your relaxation/stress management

  • Look for other techniques to fit these into your day

• Strength/resistance training is important for stability and function

  • Consider rucking (or walking with weights in a backpack)

  • Grip strength exercises like farmer carry

  • Hip hinge exercises like deadlift, squats, step ups

  • Slowly elongating your muscles during exercises

• Stability exercises can be found here as one example

  • Consider toe yoga

  • Cat and cow poses

  • Shoulder shrugs

• You can also exercise in a chair if that is easier (below)

• Building mitochondrial health:

  • Consider zone 2 exercise

    • 60-70% of maximum heart rate

    • Aim for 20+ minutes

  • Foods that can help include blueberries

• Plyometrics

  • If you can jump without injury or pain, these exercise may help with lymphatic flow, strength bones and disks in your spine

Other exercises to consider

Easier workouts

• Introductory resistance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1F-UfC8Mb8

• Another introductory resistance program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsY_4oZAPLc

• Simple stretches: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwdbg4W2Rbs

• Overall basic workout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOMO_bx4Y2l0jhkQtfHppQw/featured

• Full workout: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwuUKfQXoM2e1DssWlaMY5uEUQLZhdyV6

• Tai Chi and Qi Gong (22 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa_I5NAOW4k

• Body movement: https://www.petrafishermovement.com/resources/ 

Chair Exercises

• Chair aerobics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45PEKrji6wE

• Chair yoga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUnZzpX2KMw

• Introductory chair exercises: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUnZzpX2KMw

• Gentle Chair Yoga (10 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMps5-PIJHA

• Gentle Chair Yoga (20 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEjiXtb2hRg

• Gentle Chair Yoga (30 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YHjBYcqJ5c  

More advanced

• 7-minute workout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECxYJcnvyMw

• Cardio and stretch videos: https://www.uwo.ca/ccaa/programs/videos/cardio.html

• Strength videos: https://www.uwo.ca/ccaa/programs/videos/strength.html

• Balance videos: https://www.uwo.ca/ccaa/programs/videos/balance_flexibility.html

• Aerobic workout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYuw4f1c4xs

• Intermediate cardio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt4OlweHzNk

• Advanced Tabata workout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHesd3IMTNI

Details

Sample exercise (from Michael Roizen)

Easy routine

March in place 20 seconds

Squat 10 times

Push ups/knees 5+ times. Can do wall pushups too

Jump in place for 20 s

Plank x 15s

March 20 seconds

Squats for 30 sec

Bear crawl on hands and toes for 20 seconds

Shadow box 45s

Touch toes and hold 1 min