Text: Gabi Fastner
“The objective of this training programme is to remain active and flexible while getting older. Without exercise, many important body functions begin to slow down: muscles begin to weaken, joints become less flexible, and balance decreases overall. Our bodies will only maintain those functions it uses every day! This training regime will ensure a more youthful, fresh, and confident demeanour.”
1. Think on your feet!
Coordination training promotes confidence in our agility as well as mental fitness. The older you get, the harder it becomes to do two things at once or move different body parts separately. This is your chance to take the challenge – and don’t be disheartened if you don’t get the hang of it right away: try and try again!
2. Mobility & flexibility
The necessary flexibility to perform everyday tasks is a very important issue when getting older. The continued elasticity of your shoulder, chest, and arm muscles is a key factor for the mobility of your arms and hands. A flexible shoulder joint will be the difference between closing the zip on the back of your dress yourself, or having to ask for help. Flexible leg and hip muscles, as well as good flexibility in your ankles will be needed to climb stairs and walk with ease. Let’s get going!
Keep your body mobile and agile for a long and active life!
3. Balance & equilibrium
A good sense of equilibrium and balance will allow us to better coordinate our movements, which in turn protects us from falling. We need balance to hold our body upright and to safely handle and move objects.
Tip: Try standing on one leg from time to time without losing your balance. If that is easy, then try closing your eyes at the same time! Just a little exercise you can do every day.
4. The spine – The backbone of your health
The spine is the cornerstone of every move you make! It must be exercised and stabilised regularly to stay healthy. That is why this session focuses on maintaining or regaining flexibility in the spine and strengthening the muscles in your torso.
Make sure you move as much as possible, and try and do as many errands as you can on foot. Attempt tasks that seem at first too difficult – having others help you won’t make you more agile!
5. Mastering everyday tasks successfully
This session focuses on the promotion of physical skills and abilities that will help us to successfully master everyday tasks like shopping, getting dressed, gardening and more.
The more frequently you repeat this session, the more comfortable these movements will become, and the easier it will be to master your everyday tasks!
6. Power & stability
Our muscles begin losing their strength by the time we turn 30! This session focuses on strengthening our muscles and therefore enhancing our overall physical fitness! This is an intensive and mildly difficult session – take the challenge and train with us!
15 minutes of physical exercise a day is perfect for your body. Don’t worry if you can’t do that and don’t give it up altogether. Why not start with one or two times a week instead?
7. Train the veins!
Do you sometimes feel like your legs weigh a ton?
This session presents some exercises that can be easily integrated into your everyday life. Pressure from the muscles promotes the return of the blood into the systemic circulation, which alleviates the tired feeling in the legs!
A little tip for every day: If your legs feel heavy, simply activate your calf muscles (roll first one foot, then the other and repeat).
8. Active relaxation
When your body relaxes, your soul does too! In this session, we will concentrate on tension, followed by relaxation by consciously “letting go”.
Maybe you could fit some brief relaxation phases into your everyday life! You might use the time waiting for something by doing a quick relaxation exercise.
8 sessions of 15 minutes training each; the DVD will be available for purchase as of November 2013.
