Easy Exercise Guide - The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

Dancing is an effectiveand fun way to stay fit,increase stamina andflexibility, strengthen andtone muscles, and helpweight loss. You don’thave to be going out to hitthe dance floor – turn upyour favourite tunes anddance around your home!>Ready, steady, go!How to work more physicalactivity into your dayWalkingExercising outdoors is beneficial for bothyour body and mind, so take a brisk walk foras long as you can – 30 minutes is a goodtarget to work towards.TOP TIP!Keep an exercise diary, notingdown what activities you havedone, for how long, how you feltafterwards, and any goals youreached. Keep challenging yourselfand reward yourself for progress.There are lots of ways to build more walkinginto your daily routine, or to make it moreinteresting. For example:> Walk to a corner shop, post officeor post box further away than usual> If you have a walkman or MP3 player,take your favourite music along withyou – especially something with anenergetic beat

Set a good example and takesomeone walking with you. Yourgood habits can help make othershealthier too!Where possible, walk up and down stairs,instead of taking the lift or standing still onan escalator. Stair climbing is an effectiveworkout – it gets your heart rate going, burnscalories, and can increase the strength in yourlegs and buttocks. If you don’t have accessto stairs, you can gain similar benefits frommarching on the spot.At homeWhen settling down to eat, sit on your chairand stand up again 10 times before you startyour meal. This will burn calories and strengthenyour thigh muscles, which help protect yourback when you need to do some lifting.Use advert breaks as a reminder to get upand move around or change position. Insteadof using the remote control, walk to the TVand change the channel or volume.Gardening is a great form of alternativeexercise. Some vigorous green-fingeredactivity such as pruning, planting, diggingand weeding, will improve both physicaland mental health. Gardening isn’t a sport,but it can be hard work so make sure youwarm up with a few simple stretchingexercises.The FITT principleThere are four ways to progressthe amount of activity you do:Frequency – increase the number oftimes per week that you are activeIntensity – walk that little bit faster,cycle that little bit harder, or digharder in the gardenTime – increase the amount of timeyou spend on each session of exerciseType – if you’re comfortable with theexercise you’re doing, try somethinga bit more demanding. For example,progress from walking to a slow jog,or do something that uses the upperand lower body, like tennis.TOP TIP!A NOTE ON POSTUREMaintain good posture by using yourcore muscles: stand tall with yourshoulders back, pull in your lowertummy and pelvic floor muscles alittle way whenever you’re standingor walking.

Housework is a perfect wayto combine a little exercisewith your usual activities.Turn chores into a workout byspeeding them up orbeing more energetic. Here aresome examples:> When loading andunloading the washingmachine, stand with yourfeet hip-width apart andyour back straight, hold inyour tummy muscles, bendyour knees in a squat, thenstraighten them again> When vacuuming, use longdrawn-out movements anduse the whole body insteadof just your arm> Time yourself to see howlong it takes you to dustall the furniture in a room,then when it needs to bedone again try to get itdone faster.>At workMany people spend the majority of theirworking day sitting at a desk. Combat theinactivity caused by a sedentary office jobby using the following tips:Instead of using the equipment in youroffice, walk to a water fountain or photocopieron a different floor. Moving regularly can alsohelp you think clearly and be more efficient.Stretching lengthens a muscle in oneposition. Try to hold the stretch so that you feela gentle pull in the area:> Sitting slightly forward in your seat,rotate your upper body to the right,holding on to the backrest of yourchair with your left hand. Hold for5 seconds. Do the same on theopposite side> Loosely grasp your hands behind yourneck. Push your elbows back, yourshoulder blades squeezing together.Avoid pressing into the neck. Hold for5 seconds> Gently interlock your fingers. Push yourpalms away from your body, gentlystretching the forearm muscles, fingersand shoulder blades. Hold for 5 seconds.

Interactive sport videogames like tennis, boxingand skiing may be ‘virtual’,but the movements havea very real effect on yourbody, so take the time towarm up properly. If youhave a more traditionalconsole, play games in agroup and set physicalactivity challenges, suchas running on the spotor star jumps, as youprogress from onelevel to another.Do It Yourself gymKeep your muscles toned and flexibleand your body will be more able to copewith physical stresses. Your body will bestronger and more stable – making youless prone to injuries and illness> Holding a small bottle of water, sit down orstand with your feet hip-width apart andyour back straight, bend your arm at the elbowin a bicep curl. Keep your elbowclose to your body. Repeat 10 times,then swap arms> For your triceps, hold the bottle above yourhead with your arm straight. Bend at theelbow to lower the bottle towards yourshoulder, then straighten again. Repeat10 times, then swap arms> Facing a wall and placing your handspalm-down on it for support, raise one leg outTOP TIP!AVOIDING SMALL MUSCLE TEARSWhen stretching, avoid bouncing backand forth. You should hold a position for30 seconds when stretching, otherwiseyou can make small tears in the musclefibres, weakening the muscle itself.to the side and lower it again. Repeat10 times, then switch legs. This willhelp tone your buttock muscles> When you’re sitting down, march on thespot for 2-3 minutes. Do this as many times asyou can throughout the day to burn caloriesand maintain good circulation in your lowerlimbs. This can be done at your desk, on thesofa, at the dinner table, on the bus> Reach over your head, bending to the side atyour waist and then straighten up. Swap sidesand repeat 10 times.Now you know how to safely add some extra, easy exercise into your day you canchoose what works best for you and increase your activity levels significantly to helpimprove your health. Get into the habit now and you’ll find exercising easier over time.

physios say...formoveHEALTHDISCLAIMER: The activities suggested in this guide have been designed tocover a range of abilities and should not cause any harm. Consult a charteredphysiotherapist or your GP before embarking on any new fitness regime, andif you do experience pain or discomfort as a result of any of the exercises, stopimmediately and speak to a health professional.If the exercises here are not suitable for your specific capabilities, a physiotherapistwill be able to provide you with a personalised programme of activity, tailored tosuit your needs and lifestyle.The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy is the professional, educationaland trade union body for the United Kingdom’s 49,000 charteredphysiotherapists, physiotherapy students and assistantsThis document is available in a format for peoplewith sight problems Tel: 020 7306 6666The chartered society of physiotherapyWeb www.csp.org.ukEmail enquiries@csp.org.uk14 Bedford Row London WC1R 4EDTel +44 (0)20 7306 6666Textphone +44 (0)20 7314 7890environmental statementThis leaflet is printed on fully recyclablematerial made from elementalchlorine-free pulps sourced fromsustainable forests. The paper milloperates an environmental managementsystem to internationally recognised ISO14001 standard. When you have finishedwith this document, please pass it toanother user or recycle responsibly000175