Stay Fit While Having Fun!

Stay Fit While Having Fun! An initiative by our Physiotherapists

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Contents Benefits of Exercise .............................................................................. 1 Types of Exercises................................................................................. 2 Warm Up Exercises............................................................................... 3 Aerobic Exercises .................................................................................. 5 Strengthening Exercises .................................................................... 7 Balance Exercises ................................................................................ 9 Flexibility Exercises ...........................................................................11 My Fitness Chart .................................................................................13

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Benefits of Exercise

Did you know? •

Regular exercise is important to maintain good physical and mental health.

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It is proven to provide long-term health benefits and improve health for some older adults with chronic conditions.

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Being physically active and exercising regularly can help prevent or delay many diseases and functional disabilities.

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Types of Exercises

An ideal exercise routine to maintain fitness should include the 4 different types of exercise.

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Strengthening

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Balance

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Endurance

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Flexibility

Combining different types of exercises will make the routine interesting!

Remember to warm up and cool down!

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Warm Up Exercises Did you know?

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Warm up is an essential part of exercise!

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Adequate warm up helps to prepare our body for exercise and prevent injuries

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Research has suggested that the optimum duration for warm up should be between 15 and 20 minutes.

Benefits •

Allows muscles and tendons to be more pliable.

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Increases blood flow to the tissues, delivering more oxygen to muscle tissues.

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Prepares your muscles for stretching.

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Prepares your heart for an increase in activity, preventing a rapid increases in blood pressure.

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Increases speed of nerve impulse conduction, improving reaction time during exercise.

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Neck 1. Turn your head to the left and right.

2. Look all the way up and down.

Shoulder (2 exercises) Ex1. Shoulder shrugs.

Ex2. Arm rotation (clockwise and anticlockwise).

Hamstrings & Lower Back 1. Reach hands towards toes.

2. Keep knees as straight as possible.

Groin / Glutes 1. Sit down on ground or chair.

2. Flex one knee and pull it to chest.

3. Keep other leg as straight as possible.

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Aerobic Exercises Did you know?

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Aerobic exercise includes any activity that makes you sweat, breathe harder, and gets your heart beating faster than at rest.

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Some examples of aerobic exercises are brisk walking, cycling, jogging and swimming.

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Studies show that your heart’s performance declines by about 15% from ages 25 to 65.

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Improving your cardiovascular endurance means you will have a greater ability to tolerate physical activities and get tired less easily.

Benefits •

Helps your body use oxygen better.

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Improves energy levels.

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Increases endurance, which helps you exercise longer without getting tired.

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Reduces stress, anxiety, and depression.

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Improves sleep.

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Reduces body fat and helps maintain a healthy weight.

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Reduces the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes.

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How Much, How Often?

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Build up your endurance gradually, especially if you have not been active for a long time.

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Try to hit at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity endurance activity a week. Being active at least 3 days a week is best!

Moderate intensity exercise Rate of perceived exertion 9-10 Vigorous, maximal effort 7-8 Hard - very hard 6 Somewhat hard 5 Moderate 4 Light 2-3 Fairly light 0-1 No exertion - very light

Talk Test Unable to talk or sing (vigorous) Able to talk but unable to sing (moderate) Able to talk and sing (light)

Going Further •

Ensure you increase the duration of exercise prior increasing the difficulty level.

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For example, increase your brisk walking duration to 30 minutes before trying to walk faster or try up steeper hills.

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Strengthening Exercises Did you know?

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Strength peaks at 25 years of age and plateaus until 35 - 40 years of age.

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People who are physically inactive can lose as much as 3% to 5% of their muscle mass per decade after age 30.

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By age 50, 10% percent of muscle mass would have been lost and the speed of muscle contraction also decreases.

Strengthening exercises to try Shoulder Press 1. Hold the appropriate weights for you.

2 Inhale and straighten your arms above your head.

3. Exhale and return to start position.

Push Ups 1. Keep hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart.

2. Bend and straighten arms to push body towards and off the floor respectively.

3. Keep your back straight, abdomen and buttocks tight.

4. This exercise can be done on your toes (difficult ) or on your knees (easy).

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Bridging 1. Lie down and lift your buttocks up.

2. Keep your abdomen and buttock muscles tight.

3. Hold position for 10 seconds.

Wall Sits 1. Lean against a wall.

2. Slide yourself down maintaining contact with the wall until your knees are bent 60-90 degrees.

3. Hold position for 10-15 seconds.

Sumo Squat 1. Stand with feet apart and toes slightly turned out.

2. Lower your body by pushing your hips back and bending knees until your thigh are parallel to the floor.

3. Stand up slowly until your legs are straight.

Heel Raises 1. Stand on a step with your heels hanging off.

2. Raise your heels then slowly lower them until your calves are stretched.

3. You may use a support if needed.

Do 10 to 15 repetitions of each exercise, for 1 to 3 sets.

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Balance Exercises Did you know?

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Balance disorders are among the most common causes of falls in the later years of life.

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It can lead to injury, disability, loss of independence, and limited quality of life.

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At least 30% of persons aged 65 and above older report difficulty walking 1km or climbing one flight of stairs.

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Balance training can be done more than 3 days a week or as often as you like!

Balance exercises to try Standing Leg Swings 1. Stand upright, lifting one leg off the ground.

2. Move your leg in a semicircular motion.

3. Lift higher or faster if your balance allows.

Tandem Walk 1. Walk in a straight line with your heels touching your toes.

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Standing On Soft Surface 1. Stand on a small pillow or a stack of folded towels.

2. Lift one foot off the pillow while maintaining an upright posture.

3. Hold position for as long as possible.

Grapevine 1. Cross your right leg in front of your left.

2. Uncross the left leg by stepping side-ways.

4. Now cross your right leg behind your left.

Clock Reach 1. Stand as shown in the picture.

2. Visualize a clock with 12 in front and 6 behind you.

3. Try to reach to 3 to 9 o’clock, then 6 to 12 o’clock alternately.

4. You may use a support if needed.

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Flexibility Exercises Did you know? •

The elasticity of your tendons and ligaments decrease with age.

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Adults can lose 8 to 10 cm of lower back and hip flexibility as they age.

Stretching exercises to try Upper Chest Stretch 1. Place hands behind head with fingers clasped.

2. Pull your elbows back slowly while keeping your head upright.

Standing Side Stretch 1. Stand with feet together and arms straight over your head with fingers clasped.

2. Inhale and exhale as you bend your upper body to the right/ left.

3. Return to the centre.

Hold each position for 30 seconds, repeat 3-5 times.

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Kneeling Side Stretch 1. Kneel and sit back on your heels as shown.

2. Move your upper body to one side until you feel a stretch on the other side of your body.

Knee to Chest Stretch 1. Lie on your back with the knees bent.

2. Grasp behind one knee with both hands and bring it to your chest.

Seated Hamstrings Stretch 1. Sit with one leg stretched out in front.

2. Slowly lean your trunk forwards to touch your toes, keeping your back straight.

Calf Stretch 1. Get into lunge position in front of a wall with arms straight. Point your toes forward.

2. Push the back heel towards the floor and move your hips towards the wall until you feel a stretch in your calf.

Hold each position for 30 seconds, and repeat 3-5 times on both sides.

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My Fitness Chart Test

Upper limb strength

Lower limb strength

Upper limb flexibility

Lower limb flexibility

My score

How am I doing?

Push ups Arm curls 5x sit to stand 30 sec sit to stand

Back scratch

Sit and reach Chair sit and reach 4x 10m shuttle run

Agility 8-ft time up and go Step test Endurance Step up test 13

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Yishun Health is a network of medical institutions and health facilities in the north of Singapore, under the National Healthcare Group.

Admiralty Medical Centre • (65) 6807 8000 • www.admiraltymedicalcentre.com.sg Khoo Teck Puat Hospital • (65) 6555 8000 • www.ktph.com.sg Yishun Community Hospital • (65) 6807 8800 • www.yishuncommunityhospital.com.sg The information is correct at the time of printing and subject to revision without further notice.

REHAB.PE.49.1218