My Journey to Health Part IV – My Exercise Routine

Later, I will write about habits and routines and what a powerful role they play in making progress in anything in life, but this entry will be focused specifically on the daily exercise routine I have in place.

If I were to describe what the aims are of the workout it would be a combination of things. Balance, flexibility, range of motion, strength, stamina and all of these things contribute to injury prevention and quality of life.

Regardless of your age, these things are important but as you get into your sixties, balance, flexibility, strength, range of motion and stamina all tend to decline steadily without significant intervention. If you can work on all of these things together, you will be much less prone to injury and be able to do many more things enjoyably, thus enhancing the quality of your life. Longevity is one thing, as machines and medication can keep us alive much longer than is desirable, but quality of life is the holy grail…at least for me.

Many of these exercises combine those aims. flexibility and range of motion or balance and strength and so on. I will include photos of many of these exercises, but will attempt to describe them in words first to outline my routine. I attempt to do these things at approximately the same time as the power of habit, which I will detail later, makes all of this much easier and more sustainable.

While my stove top espresso is brewing and I have taken my vitamins with my water, Metamucil, ginger-turmeric and green power mix, I begin my exercises.

I warm up slowly and gradually build to more demanding exercises. Here is the sequence, which I do mix up from time to time to keep it interesting and I add exercises when I find new ones that I think will add a new dimension to my body.

Don’t be intimidated by the list. It usually takes only 30-40 minutes.

1. rotation of my head 5-10 times in each direction (range of motion and flexibility)
2. rotate shoulders forward and then back 5-10 times(range of motion and flexibility)
3. rotating arms, both together 5-10 times (range of motion and flexibility)
4. rotate arms individually forward and back 5- 10 times (range of motion and flexibility)
5. Raise hands above my head and down again, crossing above my head and below my waist 10 times (range of motion and flexibility)
6. Hold my hands together and swing them far to one side, then the other 10 times
7. Hugging my shoulders and releasing, then hugging again changing which arm is on top several times
8. then I do several stretches with my arms and shoulders (see photos), while also rotating at the waste to begin loosening up my lower and upper back.
9. 10 toe raises and then walk on my heels. (strength and balance)
10. Bend over at my waste with legs a couple of feet apart and touch the floor, walking my hands forward. Then I rotate and point with one hand up towards the ceiling, do this on both sides alternately and holding the position for 5 seconds or so. (flexibility and range of motion)
11. Stand on one leg for about 30 seconds, then while still on one leg do at least ten minor knee bends. do the same on the other leg. (occasionally see how long you can stand on each leg)
12. Standing next to a wall, I raise my leg up to the side 10 times, working my hip. Then, with the same leg, raise the leg forward and back. Do the same with the other leg.
13. Stretch my calf muscles and Achilles tendons leaning against the wall.
14. 10 forward lunges each leg (strength)
15. Wall sit for a minute or so (strength)
16. three to five deep squats holding on to something (flexibility, strength. Range of motion)
17. Stretch my hip kneeling on the floor (flexibility, range of motion)
18. Do leg raises laying on each side. Fifteen of them. (Strength, range of motion)
19. Laying on stomach do the Superman motion, raising my head and arms, working the back muscles.
20. On knees do the cat-camel five times. Flexion and extension of spine.
21. Do the pointer with one knee on ground and one arm pointing forward. Hold for 10-15 seconds and repeat on other side.
22. Do adapted push-ups on knees 30-40.
23. Hold plank for 30-60 seconds (occasionally do much longer) (strength)
24. Laying on my back I pull one leg at a time next to my chest. Do this alternating. Then pull both knees towards your chest.
25. On my back, bring my heels towards my butt, then raise my hips up and then down 10 times. This is good for your back.
26. Then do the above, but with one foot and point the other leg up towards the ceiling and hold the position for 10 seconds or so.
27. Do standard push-ups. I am now doing two to four sets per day of 20-25 per set. Start small.
28. With rubber tubing I do multiple exercises. Rubber tubes are excellent as you are in control of how much force you use.
    • 20 curls each arm (strength)
    • 20 overhead presses with both arms together (strength and range of motion)
    • 10 overhead presses each arm (strength)
    • Holding tube in two hands, rotate shoulders and arms taking the tube behind your back and then in front of your stomach. 10 times. Great flexibility and range of motion.
    • Pull tube side to side in front of you (strength)
29. With barbells of your choosing do the following: 20 curls, 20 overhead presses, 20  butterfly motions, 20 bringing weights from sides to center in front of you, 10-15 squats

29. I have learned to juggle, so I juggle three lacrosse balls, typically doing at least 50 touches and then do 20 separately with each hand and two balls. This develops my coordination. Juggling is quite easy to learn via online tutorials. It seems impossible at first but is learned quickly.

I do about half of the above before my coffee and protein bar and half after.

After taking the kids to school, I drive over to Little Mountain and hike anywhere between 45 and 90 minutes, varying the amount of incline, speed and length. This is outstanding for strength, stamina and balance.

I have been trying to work in swimming for two to three days per week for 10-15 minutes.

It is a great way to begin each day.

I occasionally take a day off from the hiking if I feel tired, but try to do the exercise routine or at least most of it daily. When traveling I try to do at least part of it and often bring my rubber tubing and juggling balls.

Before my dietary changes, my knees, feet and ankles forced me to take more days off of hiking due to pain. I used to wear knee braces. Now I rarely feel pain and rarely take anti inflammatory pills. Amazing.

Photo credit to my beautiful wife, Denny