While managing life’s responsibilities, you can put your body through a lot. Avoiding injury is essential to keep you moving and feeling good.
Injuries happen when your body is unable to keep up and use its muscles and joints properly to support a movement you are doing.1 To help you prevent injuries and feel fitter, you may like to try 3 simple and effective exercises that you can do anywhere. Remember to check with your doctor first before starting any of these exercises to ensure they are safe for you to do.
A forearm plank is great for strengthening your core. A strong core is needed for good balance, and when you have good balance you are less likely to fall over.3
To perform this exercise, face down towards the floor and hold your body up with your toes and forearms.
Keep your body as straight as you can so that it is parallel to the floor. Your shoulders should be in line with your elbows.
As you hold this plank position, you should feel a tightness or hardness around your stomach area.
Hold this for at least 5 seconds and repeat 8 to 10 times.
The bridge exercise is useful to realign your posture. Having a correct posture ensures your muscles, joints, and spine are not put under strain. A correct posture also means you can use your muscles properly so that your body is well-supported to do different movements.5,6
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor and at shoulder-width distance apart.
Lift your hips toward the ceiling while keeping your feet flat on the floor and without overarching your back.
Hold your hips in that position for a few seconds and tighten your core and buttocks.
Gently bring your hips toward the floor again, and repeat the exercise 8 to 10 times.
Building lower body muscle strength can improve balance and strengthen your joints.8 A lunge is an exercise for your lower body.
Start in a standing position with your feet hip-width apart
Step forward with your right leg, bending your knees to lower yourself downward.
Make sure your right knee does not extend past your toes and your left knee remains above the ground.
While keeping the weight on your right heel, push yourself back up to standing position. Repeat with your left leg.
Do this around 8 to 10 times for each leg.
You can see that building your muscles is a key part of preventing injury. While exercise is important for this, nutrition is equally important.
Your muscles are strengthened when you include protein in your diet. If you or the person you care for finds it challenging to eat enough protein from meals, an oral nutritional supplement like Ensure Plus Strength may help. Besides providing you with the recommended 20 g protein to support muscle-building post-exercise9, Ensure Plus Strength is also specially designed with a nutrient called beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate, or HMB, which has been shown to support muscle strength.10,11
Over to you now! Which of these exercises will you consider making a part of your weekly routine?
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Food for Special Medical Purposes. Use only under medical supervision.
References: 1. Victorian Government Department of Health. Sprains and strains. Victoria: BetterHealth Channel, 2020. Available here. 2. National Health Service UK. 10-minute abs workout. National Health Service UK, 2021. Available here. 3. Mayo Clinic. Core exercises: Why you should strengthen your core muscles. Mayo Clinic, 2020. Available here. 4. National Health Service UK. Common posture mistakes and fixes. National Health Service UK, 2019. Available here. 5. Australian Government Department of Health. How to improve your posture. Healthdirect, 2019. Available here. 6. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Posture: Align yourself for good health. Mayo Clinic, 2016. Available here. 7. Healthline, What Muscles Do Lunges work? 2019. Available here. 8. Mayo Clinic. Strength training: Get stronger, leaner, healthier. Mayo Clinic, 2021. Available here. 9. Bauer J, et al. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2013;14(8):542–59. 10. Stout JR, et al. Exp Gerontol. 2013;48(11):1303–10. 11. Argilés JM, et al. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2016;17(9):789–96.
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