EXERCISE

Flexibility Exercises

Flexibility exercises involves stretching, loosening up and bending. These exercise helps muscles and joints to perform their full range of movement with suppleness and ease and help to reduce stiffness and keep your joints flexible.

It's never too late to start exercising. Even old people can get stronger, improve their moods and reduce the risk for serious illness by putting more activity in to their daily lives. If you are out of shape, always check with your doctor before beginning any exercise programme. Try out these simple exercises.

Stretching exercises

Calf Stretch Stand at an arm's length away from a wall.  Place your palms flat against the wall.   Extend your right leg behind you 2 to 3 feet and press your right heel to the floor.  Keep both heels flat against the floor.  Hold, relax. Repeat with the left leg.
Quad stretch Stand with your right hand resting on a chair or a table for support. Bend your left leg behind you. Grip the top of your left foot with your left hand and slowly pull the heel  toward your rear until you feel a stretch in your quadriceps  (front thigh). Be sure to keep your hips and knees  aligned, and don't  lock the knee of your supporting leg. Hold, relax, and repeat with your other leg.
Hamstring stretch Loop a  towel or rope under the arch of your foot  and lie flat on your  back, legs straight out on the floor. Keeping your knees straight pull your left leg off the floor until you feel  a stretch. Be sure to keep your back pressed to the floor throughout the stretch. Hold, then repeat with your other leg.
Lower Back Stretch Sitting on the edge of a chair, bend at the waist, dropping your head and chest  to your legs while reaching your hands toward your ankles.  Keep your belly tight. Don't do this exercise if you have radiating leg pain.
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Exercise for the Lower Body
Inner thigh lift Lie on your right side, boosting your upper body on your right elbow and supporting your head on your hand.  Bend your left leg, placing your foot flat on the floor, keeping your right leg extended and slightly forward. Using your inner-thigh muscles, lift your right leg toward the ceiling at least 6 inches.  Hold, and then slowly lower.  Repeat on the other side.
Outer Thigh lift Lie on your right side, boosting your upper body on your right elbow and  supporting your head on your hand.   Extend both legs so that they are in line with your body.  Slowly lift your top leg to form an 80-degree angle, and then lower.  Repeat on the other side.
Abdominal Crunch Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor an shoulder-width apart. Lightly support your head with finger tips, elbows out.  Raise your head, shoulders, and upper back a few inches off the floor. Put your chest forward and keep your eyes on the ceiling. Do not crane your neck forward when you lift. Keep about a fist-size space between your chin and chest. Come up about  30 degrees, hold  and then slowly lower yourself back down. Don't  let your upper back rest on the floor and return to the  starting position.
Seated Leg Lift Wearing ankle weights, sit on a chair or bench with your back straight and feet flat on the floor. Grasp the sides of the chair for balance if needed. Slowly lift your left foot until your calf is in the line your thigh. Hold, and then slowly lower. Repeat with your other leg.
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