Power Moves For Strong Legs

Our 13 year old dog, Teddie, got a home exercise program to strengthen his back and hips at his last vet appointment and that, of course, made me think of 2 FIT TIPS to help YOU get stronger.
 
We’d noticed he was having more stiffness and difficulty getting up from the floor or jumping up onto surfaces.
 
Apparently, it’s common for dogs to start to overuse their stronger front legs as they age and start to develop arthritis/pain in their spine or hips. 
 
We went deeper into why that is to satisfy my PT brain, but I won’t bore you with that.
 
More importantly, the discussion reminded me of 2 Healthy Aging Moves to share with you.
 
But first, check out Teddie being a good boy doing his homework: 3 sit to stands every day to strengthen his back and hips/legs. Yes, snacks are included!

Here's Your Homework (without the snacks):

1. ADDRESS YOUR WEAK SPOTS

Teddie’s vet visit was a great example of how our brain loves to find the easiest way to move so you’ll automatically default to overusing your stronger muscles even if that isn’t an efficient movement pattern.  
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We all have muscle imbalances in our body based on which hand is dominant, what you do all day, or the sport you play.
 
Full body workouts like Yoga and Pilates are a great way to work on strengthening both sides of your body.
 
Tightness or stiffness can also be a sign you’ve got some underlying weakness in your postural and core muscles.
 
If you’re weak, your body will tighten up in key spots to hold you up against gravity. 
 
Finding your tight and weak spots will help balance you out.

2. FOCUS ON YOUR LEGS

Teddie’s vet visit was also a great reminder of how important it is to keep your legs strong as you age. 

​Have you ever noticed that some folks have difficulty standing up from chairs/sofas as they get older?

It’s related to a variety of things- hip weakness, stiffness in their joints, and/or a fear of falling that can develop due to decreased vision, balance, and flexibility.

The fear leads to them not leaning their trunk forward enough to stand up and it just spirals from there. 
 
And guess what they start to do- overuse their arms to stand up! Just like Teddie…

Left unchecked it'll increase their fall risk.
 
Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths for age 65 or older.
 
Having a solid strength training program for your legs is a key component to staying active & agile as you age.

Unlike dogs, we can't walk on our hands!
 
Focus on your hip mobility & strength and use these exercises to help you get started.
 
DAILY MOVES:
 
Take Sit to Stand breaks throughout the day. It’ll help counteract all the negative effects sitting has on your posture and joints but also help your heart stay healthy. 
 
There is research showing that standing up once every 20 minutes is more effective than walking 15 minutes on a treadmill for cardiovascular and metabolic changes.  It’s also more beneficial than standing up 35 times at once. 
 
You’ll want to stand up every 20 minutes to overcome the negative effects of sitting. 
 
Teddie has to do 3 sit to stands per day but you need to do 3 per hour of sitting.
 

• Get Started: Set your timer and stand up and down 3 times every hour throughout the day. 
• Spice It Up: Do your sit to stand then add a mini squat and hold it 20 seconds to strengthen your legs even more before you sit back down.

 
POWER MOVES:  Add these Power Moves to workout routines for stronger legs, hips, and core muscles. 

• 3 HIP Balance Moves
• 3 Strength Moves with Bands
• 3 Core Power Moves

OVER TO YOU: 

Which moves will you start with this week? 
 
FYI if you need snacks to get you motivated at first like Teddie, aim for protein snacks (it's OK to sneak in a little dark chocolate too).

To Strong Legs!
Mollie
 
P.S. Want more help with your tight & weak spots? Our next round of SHINE™ & opportunity to be a part of Rest Crew #2 is coming up soon- get on the waitlist here.