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Home » Exercise Programs » Try these 5 exercises to help stay active and healthy during isolation – oregonlive.com

Sir Isaac Newton said it best: An object remains at rest unless acted upon by a force.

In other words, youre going to stay plastered to that chair unless you decide otherwise.

Following safety precautions is only half our battle against COVID-19. As I mentioned last week in my article for older adults, we have another crisis brewing amid the coronavirus pandemic: serious health problems as a result prolonged sedentary behavior.

How serious?

Just like older adults, research shows that young people also become more vulnerable to conditions like cancer, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, depression, anxiety, obesity and chronic pain from extended periods of inactivity. For the foreseeable future, were stuck in a perfect storm for contracting or exacerbating these health problems.

Stay home does not mean stay immobile.

Daily exercise and healthy eating habits help prevent serious health conditions while enhancing sleep, energy and even earning potential. If you already embrace these habits, keep up the great work and encourage family, friends and others you care about to do the same.

If you dont, its the perfect time to look in the mirror (figuratively and literally) and make some healthy changes. Now more than ever, the tried-and-failed excuse I dont have time has no merit, given that most of us are stuck at home and looking for ways to be constructive.

The first step is to commit to making time every day for yourself. Taking care of yourself yields a priceless return thats contagious with people close to you. Ask any doctor: Its the ultimate medication with zero side effects.

The second step is to establish the time of day youll do your program, which should be the same every day to develop habit for you and family and friends, so they know not to bother you during this time. Next, what program are you going to follow? Here I will outline a basic home program requiring only a set of dumbbells that safely trains all muscle groups. Even if youre an experienced trainee, reviewing the program ensures youre using safe technique.

There are a million different ways to exercise. The universal key is to do so in a manner that protects your joints to avoid injury. Please take a moment to review proper technique in a video of the exercises by watching above or clicking here. Included in the videos linked are stretches, which are an important part of every health program but also need to be done carefully to protect joints. I suggest reviewing the lat stretch, hip stretch, pec stretch and hamstring stretch, all of which can reduce joint stress and pain if done correctly.

The lateral raise, wall press, bridge, hip abduction, bench dip, seated dumbbell curl and crunch included in the video are optional and should be added gradually if you havent trained in a while.

Focus on learning technique by doing 25-30 repetitions of each exercise at a moderate intensity. If your technique is off, youll notice the exercises are too easy along with joint discomfort, which is counterproductive. Review the video often and invite a family member to watch you to help get technique right.

Figure A: Squat. To protect your knees, don't go deeper than 50 degrees.Ty Downing

The first movement is the squat (Figure A), which targets the thighs, glutes and hips while indirectly using the hamstrings, lower back and calves. The keys to this movement: minimize arching of your low back, dont squat lower than 50 degrees of knee bend and stay back on your heels. Almost every strengthening program includes squatting deeper than 50 degrees of knee bend, which research shows dramatically increases knee forces. This can lead to knee problems, especially if you have arthritis.

Figure B: Lunge. Relaxing the back knee and focusing on the front knee is challenging.Ty Downing

The second movement is the lunge (Figure B), which trains the same muscles as the squat but challenges balance more. The range of motion is the same, but the hard part is relaxing the back leg and focusing on the front thigh. Keep the front knee slightly outward, as collapsing it toward midline increases knee and ankle forces.

Figure C: Bent-over row. Note that the dumbbells and hands are wider than the hips.

Figure C2: Perfect posture should be maintained throughout the movement.Ty Downing

Next is the bent-over-row (Figures C, C2) for the back, shoulders, neck, forearms and biceps while indirectly using the glutes, thighs, low back, hamstrings and calves. This is one of the hardest movements to do correctly due to body position, so make sure you set up correctly and maintain throughout. Keep your elbows and hands slightly away from your body and head and trunk still. The payoff is that you train 10 muscle groups at once.

Figure D: Side plank. Supportive shoulder down, belly in.Ty Downing

The side plank (Figure D) trains your hips, sides of your trunk and lat muscles, which are the biggest muscles in your back. Take special care to keep your supportive shoulder down to protect your shoulder, and your belly in to protect your spine. More advanced trainees can do this movement off their feet.

Figure E: Pushup. Hips higher than shoulders, elbows straight out to side.Colin Hoobler

Finally, the pushup (Figure E) is excellent for your chest, shoulders, triceps, neck, tummy and hip flexor muscles. The most difficult parts of this movement are keeping your head still, hips up and back straight, not arched. Keeping the hips up does two things: It makes your chest muscles work harder and protects your lower back.

Completing this program should take about 10-15 minutes and you should feel great afterward. If you have any health problems, get clearance from your doctor first. If you feel sharp pain or that something is wrong, stop and check your technique.

In addition to this program, get outside and walk briskly for at least 30 minutes every day. Research shows that our immune systems respond positively when exposed to nature, so take an umbrella with you and stick to the 6-foot spacing and hygiene rules.

At some point, well be out of this debacle and not only will you feel and look better, youll have healthy habits that will serve you well for the long haul.

Because Ralph Waldo Emerson was also right: The first wealth is health.

-- Colin Hoobler is a Doctor of Physical Therapy in West Linn. He is the creator and host of the podcast Action 30. Email him at ch@action30.com.

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Try these 5 exercises to help stay active and healthy during isolation - oregonlive.com

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Home » Exercise Programs » Try these 5 exercises to help stay active and healthy during isolation – oregonlive.com