Every week she adds a few more exercises that you can add to your programme. Incorporate them into your daily routine and feel the difference!
Being seated for any reason such as driving, sitting behind a desk, watching television or waiting can be harmful to your health. When seated, the body slows down on the breakdown of fats and sugars within the body. This leads to a wide range of health concerns such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, excess fat around the waist and high cholesterol.
It is also known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Lesser risks are stiffness, exhaustion and poor blood circulation.
Sitting for a long time squeezes blood vessels, reducing blood flow which causes fatigue. The spine, hips and knees are also affected due to excessive pressure on the intra vertebral discs, hips and knee cap. Being active for a couple of hours a week also does not prevent the risk factors of being seated. Only by sitting less during daily activities can one lower the risks involved.
In cases where older adults are bound to a wheel chair, have an injury or extreme pain, these basic movements can be modified to be more comfortable.
Do the following movements throughout the day. They can be done seated or standing.
Ball circles back and knees: Step 2: Pass the ball between the legs making a figure 8. Lift the knee as high as possible to get the ball under the knee. Keep a straight back.
Ball squeeze: Place the ball between the knees. Squeeze for 5 seconds and release for 5 seconds. Repeat 15-20 times.
Back posture correction: Place the ball between the back and the back of the chair. Feel the vertabrae stack on top of each other. Begin with the ball at the top of the back between the shoulder blades. Hold each stretch for 60 seconds. Roll the ball a little lower after 60 seconds and stretch the next part of the back for 60 seconds until the ball is on the seat of the chair.
