Whilst a walk in the park is always lovely on a sunny day you know how you could make it better?

A park bench workout!

Next time you pass a bench on your walk stop and do this 5 minute work out. If you know you only pass one bench then do it twice at the same bench.

Make sure you have been walking for about 10 minutes first so you are warmed up and then do some tree sprints.  Pick two trees and walk as fast as you can between them, use your arms as well.  If necessary rest for 30 seconds before continuing the walk at your normal pace. Try to do 2-3 tree sprints.

Exercises to do at the park bench

10 sit-to-stands

1. Stand a few inches away from the bench with your back towards it.
2. Sit down, then stand up again quickly, using your legs to push yourself up.

Easier modification:If necessary find a bench with an armrest and use one arm to help yourself push up but still try and use your legs as much as possible.

10 push ups using back of bench or seat of bench. (make sure the bench is securely anchored to the ground before attempting this)

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, 3 to 4 feet behind a bench
2. Lean forward to place both hands on top of seat back slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Keeping body in a straight line from head to heels, bend both elbows to lower chest toward bench.
3. Push back to starting position.

Easier Modification: Do these against a tree instead of a park bench.

Seated alternating knee to chest.

1. Sit on the edge of the bench and lean back, place your hands behind you resting on the bench fingers pointing forward
2. Lift your feet from the ground lifting your legs up.
3. Keeping chest up and shoulders back pull your right knee to your chest, then return it to beside the left leg. Now pull your left leg to your chest, then return it.
4. Alternate legs like this for 10 reps trying to keep your feet off the ground, you can leave your toes on the ground for balance if neccessary

Easier Modification: Leave your feet on the ground for balance and to take some of the weight off.

At the end of the walk remember to do some stretching
Before starting any new exercise program please check with your doctor and clear any exercise changes with them

Helen Witcomb is a personal trainer in the Farnham area, please go here Whole Life Fitness, Personal Training for the over 50s. for more information. This will open a new browser window.

The programme reduced the fall rate by 35 percent among program participants (with no gender bias) compared with those who did not take part.  Participants aged 80 years and older who had fallen in the previous year showed the greatest benefit.

The programme consists of strengthening and balance exercises combined with a walking plan. No expensive equipment is needed and it can be done at home.  The programme involves four home visits over the first two months, a home visit at 6 months and a telephone call every month between visits, concluding with a final home visit at 12 months.

More information about the trial, the programme and the exercises can be found here

Otago Exercise Programme to help prevent falls in older adults.

In the UK Later Life provide training to people who wish to teach this programme. Their leaflet can be found here.

http://www.laterlifetraining.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Otago-Home-Exercise-Programme.pdf

Some qualified Otago Leaders are registered on Later Lifes Falls Directory http://www.laterlifetraining.co.uk/falls-directory/ if you wish to try and get in contact with someone who provides the programme.

I hope you have found this article informative. If you have any questions on this article, or any questions about exercise and the over-50s please post a comment. By subscribing to this blog you will be informed of any new articles. You will not receive any spam email.

Helen Witcomb is a personal trainer in the Farnham area, please go here Whole Life Fitness, Personal Training for the over 50s. for more information. This will open a new browser window.

When we are actually standing correctly then the spine is aligned so that the centre of gravity passes down the ears, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles.  This position is called neutral spine.

Here are some quick tips to ensure you are standing  with a neutral spine. Think about your pelvis as a bucket filled with water. If you tip the bucket either forwards or backwards then water will pour out. This is bad.

Firstly let’s find the two positions where water will flow!

1. Stand sideways in front of a mirror.
2. Place your hands on top of your pelvis, just below your waist (If you bend to the side, the crease that forms is your natural waistline)
3. Soften your knees and roll your pelvis forward and towards the floor (your bottom should be sticking out)
4. Now slowly roll your pelvis backward dropping your tailbone to the floor
5. These two are the extremes and what you are trying to find is the place in the middle where the bucket (your pelvis) is not tilting in either direction.

Practice finding this position and how it feels, it will probably feel odd at first. Do this several times a day so you get used to it.

Other things to remember

• Your shoulders don’t belong by your ears! Relax and keep the shoulders back and down and chest up.
• Look forwards.

The next blog post will discuss how you keep this position!

Helen Witcomb is a personal trainer in the Farnham area, please go here Whole Life Fitness, Personal Training for the over 50s. for more information. This will open a new browser window.

Full article here

Badass 63-Year-Old Woman Powerlifter Takes Home Gold at First Competition

Why it’s never too late to pick up a weight

For more information on Personal Training in the Farnham area, please go here Whole Life Fitness, Personal Training for the over 50s. This will open a new browser window.

This is not only for those with arthritis, if you still find wall squats difficult for any reason then this might be a good substitute.  This exercise does need a piece of equipment, a resistance band. Now you can get various different types of resistance bands, if you have any problems with your wrists I recommend you get ones with a handle.

Here are some examples of what you could use (not price checked)  Fitness-MAD studio Pro Safety Resistance Tube  or Perfect Fitess Resistance Band system  or USA Pro Body Bands (no handles).

As this exercise is for a large muscle group I recommend you get one of the heavier resistance bands.

I will be doing some more articles using resistance bands as they really are perfect for throwing in your bag and taking with you for a walk around the park.

“Conclusions—Recreational PA of moderate intensity was inversely associated with stroke incidence in women, whereas PA showed no effect on CVD risk in men. Increasing time dedicated to activities such as walking would be expected to help to reduce the stroke burden in women. ”

If you are looking for a way to start or even improve your fitness with walking may I suggest you follow the 6K Daily Steps Challenge set up by Over Fifty Fitness. A way to ensure you stay motivated is to rope in friends. Why should a catch up only be done over a cup of coffee and piece of cake instead find a lovely walk (maybe with a coffee shop or pub at the end!) and go, make it a weekly appointment in your diary.

Before starting any new exercise program please check with your doctor and clear any exercise changes with them.

For more information on Personal Training in the Farnham area, please go here Whole Life Fitness, Personal Training for the over 50s. This will open a new browser window.

1. Turn on oven. Mine is a fan one and appears to have nuclear tendencies but 170 would probably be good.
2. Cut squash in half lengthways.
3. Mix 2 tablespooons of olive oil or coconut oil with 1 teaspoon of garlic (I am very lazy and use jar garlic, if you are not then I would crush about 2 cloves)
4. Baste the tops of the squash with the oil
5. Add a sprig of rosemary and sprinkle paprika all over



6. Bake for about 45 minutes  or until a knife goes in easily, again oven dependent.
7. Boil a pint of chicken stock, if you have home made it will taste better (after having a roast just boil the carcass with some water for a couple of hours, strain and then freeze)
8. Remove the rosemary (I find it too overpowering)



9. Scrap all the squash into the boiling chicken stock and simmer for about 20minutes.



10. Use a handblender to blend the ingredients of the saucepan and there you go gorgeous butternut squash soup with a little bit of a kick from the paprika.

P.S I love coconut so if you want add roughly 50g coconut cream to the pint of chicken stock. Also test whilst the soup is cooking and add more paprika/chill if you want a real kick.

A new report has been published by Westminster City council and written in conjunction with think-tank Local Government Information Unit (LGiU), which states that:

“Linking welfare measures to behaviours that promote public health. Relocalisation of council tax
benefit and housing benefit combined with new technologies provide an opportunity for councils to
embed financial incentives for behaviours that promote public health. The increasing use of smart
cards for access to leisure facilities, for instance, provides councils with a significant amount of data
on usage patterns. Where an exercise package is prescribed to a resident, housing and council tax
benefit payments could be varied to reward or incentivise residents.”

According to one of Westminsters councillors this report is forward and radical thinking.  Some of the ideas in this report make sense, but they are overshadowed by the utter stupidity of this one paragraph which shows very little grasp of the complexities that can lead to being obese.

So my thoughts.

• Would someone show me ONE former obese person who is now slim that can attribute  all their weight loss to exercise.
• They are going to monitor use  of the leisure centre using smart cards. The same leisure centres that are packed with machines dispensing chocolate, crisps, soda pop and sports drinks (sports drinks ARE NOT HEALTHY). This smacks of Big Brother. Also apparently it’s ok to be rich and fat, just not poor. (I’m looking at you Eric Pickles).
• What about obese people who might also be parents or carers? The government want to penalise children for their parents weight? !?!
• If the obese person does happen to be a carer what are they suppose to do with the children or person they care for whilst they are at the gym? Many might have creches – but these cost money.
• Where is the money for the gym membership going to come from? My local leisure centre costs £37 a month for off-peak membership.

Currently if you are obese you can ask your GP to put you on a  GP referral scheme however it is limited to a 10-12 week  course of gym membership (and support) after which membership MAY be subsidised but will not be free. Many of those on benefits can’t afford the luxury, and gym membership is a luxury even if our health is not.

Education is what is needed in how to cook healthy food cheaply, these courses should be available to everyone no matter what their BMI (every heard of skinny fat?) or bank account. How to exercise by using the local park and cheap equipment. The government could  look into ways that fruit and vegetables  can be subsidised so even those who do not have easy access to a huge supermarket can afford them. In Scotland the Scottish Food and Drink Federation (SFDF) and the Scottish Government  are working with local food businesses to  reduce levels of sugar, fat and salt in their everyday products.

What is not needed is the humilation and pushing into further poverty of people whose crime isn’t really to be fat but to be unemployed and poor.

The (snazzily named) Y-T-I raises target the muscles of your upper back that stabilize your shoulder blades  and strengthen your shoulder muscles.

Y Raise

1. Lie facedown on the floor with your arms resting on the floor above your head, completely straight and at a 30-degree angle to your body, so your body forms a Y shape.
2. Your palms should be facing each other so that the thumbs point up (as if you were doing an ok sign!)
3. Raise your arms as high as you comfortably can, concentrate on your upper back doing this work and not your arms.

 T Raise

1. Still lying facedown move your arms so that they’re out to your sides—perpendicular to your body.
2. Your thumbs should be still pointing upwards with palms now facing forwards.
3. Raise your arms as high as you comfortably can, concentrate on your upper back doing this work and not your arms.

I Raise

1. Still lying facedown move your arms so that your body forms a straight line from your feet to your fingertips.
2. Like with the Y your palms should be facing each other  with your thumbs pointing up.
3. Raise your arms as high as you comfortably can,  concentrate on your upper back doing this work and not your arms.

Do 10 reps of each Y, T and I  (immediately after one another) and then rest for 1 minute before doing another 10 reps of each exercise.

For a no equipment required lower back and core exercise please see the following article I wrote which details both Bird Dog (great name!) and the plank.

Beginner – Walls slide  (also good for those with arthritis in the knee)

1. Stand against a wall with your back touching it. Your feet should be shoulder width apart.
2. Begin by slowly sliding down the wall, maintaining contact, until you are in seated position.  Your  hips and knees should both  be at 90-degrees, your back flat against the wall, your heels  on the ground and your knee joint should be directly above your ankle joint.

Do not worry if you can not get this far down to start with, just slide down the wall to a position comfortable for you.

3.  Slowly push with the legs, weight going thru the heels and slide up the wall to return to starting position.

Start by doing this 3 times a day, to increase the difficulty of this exercise then when you are in the seated position hold for 5 seconds before sliding back up the wall.

Intermediate – Body weight squat to chair

When you first try these place a chair behind you, it will help you visualise what you are suppose to be doing. If necessary actually sit in the chair when you lower yourself.

1. Stand with feet slightly more than shoulder width apart with toes turned out at a slight angle.
2. Push back your hips as if you were going to sit in the chair, think about reaching back with your bottom attempting to touch the chair . Whilst you are doing this you need to remember

• Do not round your back
• Keep chest up
• Your knees should track over your toes i.e. you should be pushing your knees out, they shouldn’t be collapsing inwards.
• Keep weight toward the heels, you should be able to wiggle your toes.
• Eyes looking foward, your chin should be parallel with the floor

3.  The position you are going down to is just below parallel for your thighs, where your bottom drops below your knees BUT this is a position you are working towards, when you start just go down as far as it feels comfortable. At this point your form is more important than your range of movement.

4. Keeping the weight in your heels, slowly push your body back up.

5. Start with 3 repetitions and work up to 10.

So 2 exercises the press up and squat, both movements which use lots of muscles but no equipment! The next post will be covering a back exercise, as we age it’s actually important that we strengthen the back to help prevent the hunching that can occur as we age for now – as you are probably reading this on a PC or laptop –  I will just say sit up straight!

Before starting any new exercise program please check with your doctor and clear any exercise changes with them.

Helen Witcomb runs Whole Life Fitness which is a personal training company which specialises in the over 50s. For more information please visit Whole Life Fitness or call 01252313578.