A Friendly Nudge
...because we all could use a little encouragement!
Happy New Year!
Congratulations! You survived the holiday gauntlet and hopefully you’re ready to resume your journey to a stronger, more resilient version of you.
It’s easy to beat yourself up over holiday indulgences but I’m pretty sure that’s counterproductive.
I cringe when I see people trying to use exercise like some type of punishment for their holiday detour. My approach is just to pick back up where I was pre-holiday.
Egg cups are a great way to take some of the friction out of eating real food and this week’s exercises should help you get back into your pre-holiday groove.
So, let’s get cooking with some Egg Cups
I love to make a batch of these to have breakfast/lunch covered for a few days.
This is a perfect example of playing with your food. I used rosemary ham, but there are so many options for customizing these to your liking–cooked ground beef, prosciutto, cooked bacon, smoked salmon or no meat–you are only limited by your imagination.
Ingredients:
12 eggs
Cheese - I used crumbled goat cheese
1 pound of sliced rosemary ham, or cooked protein of your choice
Bell Pepper
1 handful of spinach chopped - but any greens like chopped kale, Swiss chard or arugula would be tasty
Avocado or olive oil to coat the inside of the muffin tins
Line the cups of the muffin tin with ham and then add your greens, and bell pepper
Whisk your eggs in a pourable container like a measuring bowl, add salt and pepper and stir and then pour into the muffin tins leaving a little room for the cheese.
Top with your favorite cheese, or skip this step if cheese isn’t your thing
Place the muffin tin in an oven preheated to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
Check on them in 15 minutes. Ours took 19 minutes for the center to be set and the top to have just a touch of color.
Enjoy!
Now let’s move a little!
Foam Rolling Duration: As much time as needed
This is a great way to get your muscles ready to exercise. When you find a sore spot, hang out for 20-40 seconds. Check with your doc if you have osteoporosis, osteopenia or other health issues. Avoid your armpits, lower spine, neck, front or back of knee.
Easy Skater Duration: 30 seconds to 1 minute
For this exercise, take a wide step and balance on one foot. This one combines a gentle warm up with a balance drill. If you need something to help with balance you could do this behind two chairs and use their backs for support if needed.
Side Shuffle Duration: 60 seconds to 1 minute
Slight bend in knees, stay balanced and move with some lightness and spring in your step. Outside is the best place for this if you can manage it. This is a great warm up and it helps with balance and agility.
Slam Ball: Duration 5 “slams”
We’re working on preserving and improving our capacity to generate power. This is different from strength because it’s rapid, explosive force production.
If you stumble, being able to adjust mid stride and catch yourself, is a fast twitch or power capacity. Building that capability can mitigate some of the consequences of aging.
The reason that we’re doing so few reps is because we want them to be explosive. I want you to throw the slam ball down like you mean it.
This is another time where you will double brace your core. Hopefully it’s becoming a little automatic by now.
Bird Dogs Duration: 5-10 reps each side
This is the Swiss Army Knife of an exercise.
Shoulders, back, legs, glutes, core and even a little balance as a bonus.
Long neck, chin tucked, brace your core, squeeze the pencil between your shoulder blades and reach with your arm and opposite leg to feel that length in your spine. That sounds like a lot, but it feels great.
Start with 5 on each side and build up.
Split squats Duration: 8-10 per side
This exercise makes a great down payment on leg strength and balance. Take your time with the descent and if necessary put a pad or folded blanket for knees to touch down on
Rotational Balance Duration: 1 minute each leg
There are few things that are going to have more impact on your quality of life as you age than your balance. Make a game out of finding creative ways to work balance into your daily routine.
Suitcase Carry Duration: 1 minute and work up to 2 minutes
I don’t think there’s a single exercise that offers more functional benefit than suitcase carries.
Upper body, deep core stabilizers, legs, cardiovascular, and an extra helping of grip strength.
Take your time, proud chest, double brace your core (suck in your gut and brace it like someone is going to punch you) and then take your weight on a walk.
A kettlebell or a dumbbell work great for this, but if you’re just getting started a gallon jug of water weighs 8 pounds.
Try 30 seconds left handed and 30 seconds right handed.
Standing Hip Mobility: Duration - 1 minute per side
A lack of mobility or range of motion in your ankles and hips can have a big impact on how your knees work and feel. It’s why I like this exercise. It helps you explore your range of motion in your hips and it can gradually help you expand your range of motion.
Avoid any movement that causes pinching, catching or pain. You want to expand your capacity and grinding through pain is not the way to accomplish that.
Engage/stabilize your core because you want to keep your core stationary and have the motion come from your hip.
Heel Raise with Tennis Ball Duration: Start with 10 and work up to 25.
This is a great drill to keep your feet in more of a neutral position during heel raises.
It’s not going to change your life but it’s going to help you better engage your big toe and second toe during your heel raises.
And after that, all kinds of magic is possible.
Seated Rows with Band Duration: 8-12 reps
I love being able to use resistance bands or Therabands to do this great gym exercise at home.
Braced core and proud chest. Feel your shoulder blades go forward (protraction) when your arms go forward and feel your shoulder blades retract when you pull back against the band.
Stability Ball RDL: Duration 5-10 reps per side
This is a tough one for me, which is why I put the low end of the rep range at 5.
I like using the stability ball because it keeps my balance from becoming the limiting factor and I can concentrate on the quality of the movement.
You want to pivot or hinge around your hip and you want to feel like someone is pulling you by your outstretched arm and your outstretched leg. Feel that length and feel your hamstring load.
This week’s exercises can be done sequentially as a circuit, skipping any of the exercises that don’t feel right for you. You can also sprinkle some of these throughout the day and week as exercise snacks. The secret is to start where you are and be patient with yourself.
My goal is to do something every day. It may only be a few pushups, some body weight squats and a few mobility exercises, just something to let my body know I’m still here. But with that said, there are going to be days when all those good intentions aren’t enough to get my butt moving.
I don’t beat myself up, I just remind myself what my goals are and get back after it in the morning.
Have a wonderful week and I’ll see you next Saturday!
Jim
And remember to play with your food!
Arms against the wall, hands behind head.
Will you show the shoulder exercise? That exercise helps my shoulders so much. I don’t know if my stance is correct because I feel it in the lower back as well.