You At Your Best

speCiAl tO yOu At yOuR Best Physical activity is vital to your health and wellbeing. The World Health Organization says limiting time spent being idle and taking advantage of opportunities to get moving - even if it's just a little bit of exercise - can go a long way toward improving overall health. Last fall, the WHO released new exercise guidelines for people of all ages. Adults should get between 150 and 300 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity, and that includes older adults and those with chronic conditions or disabilities. Individuals with limited mobility due to age or preexisting medical conditions may wonder how they can meet the guidelines for exercise. Those with chronic pain or illness sometimes find that exercising for more than a few minutes can be challenging. Even brief periods of exercise can pay dividends, and there are various approaches people can take to work around mobility and other issues. Explore chair exercises Just because you are seated doesn't mean you can't get a workout in. Seated chair exercises can work various muscle groups. Seated arm rows, tummy twists, overhead arm raises, hand squeezes with a tennis ball, inner thigh squeezes, leg lifts and extensions, and many other exercises can be customized to be performed in a chair. Work out in the water Exercising in the water can assist with movement and reduce strain on the body. The Arthritis Foundation says the water's buoyancy supports body weight, which minimizes stress on joints and can alleviate pain. Water provides gentle resistance as well - up to 12 times the resistance of air. That means it's possible to build strength and muscle even just walking or swimming around a pool. Use resistance bands Resistance bands are like giant rubber bands that can be used to build up strength and flexibility. Resistance bands are effective, low-cost gear that can offer high-impact results for building muscle, staying fit and increasing mobility. Resistance bands can be used in lieu of hand weights for many exercises and be ideal for those who find barbells and dumbbells are challenging to maneuver. Mind-body exercises are an option Exercises like Tai Chi and yoga are ideal for those with limited mobility. These exercises integrate awareness of body movement with the exercise through coordinated breathing. The exercises encourage people to focus on slow, fluid movements and deep stretching. Seniors and others with limited mobility are advised to first discuss fitness regimens with a physician to get a green light to proceed. Then exercise regimens can be started gradually and altered to become more vigorous as the body acclimates to exercise. Increase duration and frequency as strength and endurance builds. Exercise ideas for people with mobility issues exercise apps for every fitness level By By RhOndA BABeR-CROne yOu At yOuR Best One good thing that came from the pandemic? At-home fitness exploded. With people staying out of public places like gyms, tons of online programs took advantage of the simple premise of people staying home. PELOTON Digital Membership The good news about Peloton? You don't have to own the bike or Tread to join the Peloton family! The Peloton Digital app provides live and recorded yoga, strength, meditation, cardio, stretching, outdoor, running and walking classes. The filters are great, allowing you to filter by length, type (flow, focus, theme, power), instructor, level (beginner, intermediate, advanced) and even music genre. The workouts are challenging, and the teachers are top-notch. A Digital Membership only costs $12.99 per month, with the first 30 days free. The only "hitch" is that two people can't use the app at the same time. ALOMOVES Alomoves is a yoga and pilates-centric program offering full-body fitness classes. The classes are not live, but there is an array of instructors and variety. The workouts pull from yoga and pilates, but range from mindfulness to Barre to HIIT (high intensity interval training). The filters include: Style, yoga, mindfulness, fitness and skills – all rooted in yoga, but definitely worthy of being called "workouts." Other filters are level, beginner, moderate, intermediate and advanced. And you can also choose length – from 15 to 60 minutes. They have a variety of series such as Into the Wild (on location), Body Shred and Yoga Plyo Boost, to name a few. The 10 minute killer abs, which is pilates-based, will make you break a sweat and the Pilates Sweat & Sculpt was a great total body workout in 31 minutes. Alomoves offers a free 14-day membership, and afterward, it's only $20/ month or $149/year. THE SCULPT SOCIETY Created by fitness expert Megan Roup, The Sculpt Society is touted as the "#1 Dance Cardio Scupting program." Reminiscent of the Tracy Anderson Method, the program uses light weights and high repetition for toning up. There are over 400 on-demand and live classes, ranging from five to 50 minutes. The types of workouts include: sculpt, dance, cardio, yoga, meditation, stretching, and pre and post-natal. One great feature of The Sculpt Society is the "quickie" workout. The 10-20 minute classes are offered in the areas of arms, legs, butt and abs. The quickie 10-minute killer abs is challenging, as well as the 21-minute Sculpt that included arms, legs, booty and plank, that definitely will help you break a good sweat. This app offers a free 14-day trial, then it's $19.99/month or $119/year. BEACH BODY ON DEMAND For those into more high-intensity workouts, Beach Body offers classics like P-90X along with yoga, piyo, barre, 10 rounds (boxing) and MBF (muscle burns fat). "Lose up to 9 pounds in 14 days" is their pitch, but mostly likely the reason they don't offer a free trial. There are over 1500 downloadable workouts led by 14 super-fit trainers (one of them the P-90x inventor Tony Horton). Workouts can be filtered by level, type, body part, trainer or program. For a 12-month membership, the deal is $99. For a three-month (quarterly) plan, it's $59.85, and for a 6-month plan, $77.70. There's also a nutrition component (Shakeology) offered, at added cost. sundAy, June 27, 2021 | July - Fit X yOuAtyOuRBest.nWAOnline.COm | yOu At yOuR Best | 7

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