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Because we use our legs a lot most days by walking around the house, walking to work (some of us!), walking at work, lunch break, up and down stairs, walking for leisure, running, playing sport etc.etc., we tend not to pay them too much attention. These are two of the most powerful limbs of our bodies and the poundage generated in our pelvic area as we walk or run is colossal. This is why hip and pelvic fractures, when they occur, create such major trauma for the patient. It is important therefore to keep these vital limbs in trim order, athletic and limber. The old tried and true simple exercises are still the best. Unless you want to build yourself into the Incredible Hulk - in which case you can go to the gym! – you can’t go past the time proven exercises for general fitness. We will start with the good old squat. This exercise is great for keeping your legs limber and especially good for your thighs. To start, when still standing, raise both arms straight out in front of you until parallel with the floor. Lower yourself slowly into the squat position keeping your neck tilted forward slightly in line with your back. This will keep your spine straight and also assist with your balance. When you begin to rise, the tendency is to tip backward – by keeping your neck bent slightly forward and arms outstretched you will find you can rise much more easily without losing your balance. The key here is to go down slowly and rise slowly, fighting it all the way and feeling your muscles pulling and stretching – this is what will build your muscle strength, instead of going up and down quickly. Do a set of ten of these and see how you go. When you can do ten comfortably, you can add a few more, and for these, stay in the squat position for a second or two before rising. When rising, slowly of course, begin by raising your butt first and then follow through with the rest of your body. Staying down in the squat position a second or two will help to keep your pelvic area open and more fluid. Here is a technique for climbing stairs more easily and to keep your leg muscles working better. Most people place their whole foot onto the tread of the stairs. This tends to lead to noisy (heavy) clumping up the stairs, more energy wasted and you will tire more easily as you climb. To overcome this, just place the forward front half of your foot on the stair and almost spring upward. Your whole foot will be working, and as you rise (spring) upward, your calf muscles and thighs will get a much improved workout. Imagine your energy flowing upward through your body and out of the top of your head. Practice this and you will find you will rise/spring up the stairs so much more easily and almost fly off the top one. You will surprise yourself at just how much more easy it is to climb stairs - and you won’t be puffing! Channeling your energy flow upward through your body and out of the top of your head is an excellent habit to perfect as it can help you in a number of exercises and day to day activities. It will make it easier to rise from your down squat position, climbing steps of all types and rising out of low seats, chairs, sofas etc. Stretching the tendons in your ankles is great for keeping these parts of your feet stronger, flexible and relaxed. This in turn makes it much less likely that you will turn or go over on your ankles or injure them. You need to have your shoes on to practice this technique. In a standing position, turn you the outside edge of your shoe down and roll your foot outward. You will feel the tendons begin to stretch. As you roll it further outward you can apply more weight until you can feel the tendons really stretching. Now, tilt your foot slightly forward so you feel the stretching across the top of your foot. Apply as much weight directly downward and forward as is comfortable – do not overdo it at the beginning – release slowly. Actually, you will find it is quite a pleasant feeling. Over time and as the muscles and tendons strengthen you will find you can apply quite some downward pressure and enjoy the sensation as you progress in the strengthening process. As we get older we tend to let the arches of our feet collapse inward – this is just an aging thing. To help overcome this we can practice walking on the outside edges of our feet. This may feel strange at the outset. However, it only takes twenty one days to form a new habit, so if you focus on this for that time you will find that it then becomes automatic. Couple this with the tendon stretching exercise and you will find you won’t be walking so flat footed and your shoes will wear much more slowly. These exercises and techniques are designed to be carried out in moderation so as not to hurt or injure yourself, as the writer can take no responsibility for any such incidents. Vincent Bossley is a sailor and publisher living on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia. You can visit him anytime on his sailboat2adventure website for sailors where you can download his ebook 'Voyage of the Little Ship 'Tere Moana', sailing blog and much more sailing knowledge.
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