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Last week I promised I would provide some simple core and abdominal movements with pictures.  So I decided to produce a short Ebook on the subject.  Click right here to view and download the Ebook, 10 Beginning Core and Abdominal Exercises for Seniors. This little Ebook give you a short series of 10 simple movements for the beginning exerciser or for someone who hasn’t exercised their core and abs in a long time.  These movements can easily be incorporated into an advanced program as well. They are about as simple as you can get and still be exercising.

One thing important to note.  Most of these movements are done on the floor.  If you have difficulty getting down to, or up from the floor, then please use a chair or some other inanimate stable object to support you as you move to the floor.  Making Friends With the Floor will be the topic of a future article.  Unless your are way beyond the  guidelines for healthy weight, or have a debilitating disability or injury,  you should be able to get up and from the floor with little effort (well, maybe with some effort).

Remember your core and your abdominal area is the center of any movement.  Use these exercises to strengthen it.

Thank You for reading.

You hear a lot about your “core” and how important it is for strength and mobility. Most seniors have lost much of the strength in their core many years past. In fact it’s right up there with your legs as one of the first areas of your body to go as you age. In Part one of this two part series, I’ll discuss the importance and the value of developing and maintaining a strong core.

First of all, let’s be sure we are of a common mind as to what the core really consists of. Technically, it’s called the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex, and consists of 29 individual muscles. It consists of the area generally from your butt to just below your arm pits, and includes many internal stabilization and support muscle structures as well as those you can see.

Strengthening the core is much more than being able to do sit-ups and crunches. Seniors need a strong, stable and flexible core for their bodies to be able to function in the way they are intended to function. Many of us just look at core strength as abdominal strength. But our core is really our center of everything. What do I mean by that? Your core is your center of motion, center of gravity (standing or at rest), center of energy (I’ll talk about this in a minute). A strong and stable core area allows you to push, pull, lift, carry, bend and twist, balance and move in general with comfort and ease.

Every movement you make with your body begins in the core, most particularly in the abdominal area. Years ago, I was sharing a speaking platform with GrandMaster Jhoon Rhee, the man who brought Tae Kwon Do to the United States in the 1950’s. I was speaking about speaking, and he was speaking about human performance. He performed his usual demonstration of a hundred push-ups in 60 seconds, and other physical miracles (at around 70 years old at the time). He also demonstrated how he could anticipate and intercept any movement by an opponent, before the opponent actually executed the movement. When I asked him how he was able to anticipate the opponent’s movement before he even got started, GrandMaster Rhee told me that he watched the area of the opponent’s body about two inches below the navel and he could determine not only when, but where and how the opponent was going to move or strike. Of course he had years of intense training in this practice but his ability to anticipate was uncanny. Every movement in any direction that a person makes, starts from the core.

Test it yourself. Start to make a forceful move (even minuscule moves are noticeable with a trained eye). Put one hand just below your navel and push in slightly. You will feel tension in your abdominal area just as you begin the move. Exercise physiologists, Physical Therapists and Personal Trainers will instruct you to “brace” your abdominal area just before you start an exercise movement. You’ll even notice the influence of your abdominal muscles when you put your hand to your abdominal area as you laugh and when you cough.

Your abdominal area is also known as your center or energy, or Chi (Chinese) or Ki (Japanese), the Universal Life Energy that is within us all, and that Eastern Philosophy stresses so heavily. In fact, we are instructed to be aware of and focus on our “center” when we begin to meditate, if we are so inclined. And you can feel the powerful effects of focusing on your “center” through an increased sense of strength and balance.

How do you strengthen your core area?  Yes, sit-ups and crunches are great exercises for seniors to strengthen the core. Side bends, planks either on one elbow (side planks), or both elbows, and various lower back exercises are also good exercises for your core. The more you bend and twist the more your core will be energized. Lie on your back and lift your legs off the floor like you did in PE class in Junior High School. If you do this, make sure there is little or no space between your lower back and the floor. Otherwise there is the potential for injury to your lower back. There are any number of variations on these and other core exercises. A strong core is necessary for just about any movement you make as a senior. The stronger your core, the easier for you to move and the more mobility you will experience. You will be doing yourself a huge favor by doing some of the many core exercises available.

Next week, in Part 2 of this series on the core, I’ll include pictures of some simple and basic core exercises that you should be able to do. This is assuming I can figure out how to insert pictures into the blog. I’ve never done it. Look for Part 2 next week.

Thanks for reading.

“Know your limits.” “You have no limits.” You hear these statements all the time. Do you have limits? Are they real limitations? These are important questions and can be answered in different ways. While there may not be any limits in the world of motivational speaking or the field of human development, there are real limits on what your physical body can do.

Let’s explore the topic of limits: What they are. Whether or not they are real, and . . . Can we ever get back the effortless and unrestricted movement that we seemingly once had? Chances are we can’t get it all back, but I’ll bet we can regain a lot more than we think we can. It takes time and work, but we can do it.

What causes some of the limits? Rusty Joints mostly. Atrophied muscles (loss of muscle elasticity). Degenerated bones. Pessimistic attitude.

While all too often our limits are self-created and self-imposed, there are real physical limits to what we can do at any given time or place.

As you age, the capacities of your body decrease without movement and proper fuel . . . that is . . . natural movement and nature’s best fuel.

Let’s say you have a difficult time getting down onto the floor and getting back up again. This is typically a self-imposed limitation that can be a real problem if not addressed. There may be any number of reasons but the most prevalent are:

• Overweight
• Weak leg and core muscles
• Poor joints
• Negative attitude

All four can be overcome or worked around if you really want to get down and up from the floor. Here’s how: Lose weight, strengthen your legs and core muscles, rejuvenate your joints, and be determined to do it. There are a number of trainers and physical therapists that can help you. Go find them, or find an exercise method that addresses strength, mobility and is easy on the joints.

The same applies to any physical limitation you may think you have. Most limitations are self-imposed, created and perpetuated by our minds. But it still takes physical effort to expand them. It all starts with the way you’re thinking. For example, we often limit what we can do simply by saying, and often believing, our own excuses:

• I’m too old
• My bones aren’t strong enough
• My doctor told me not to (huh?)
• I’ll never be able to do that.
• There’s no way I could ever do that.
• I just don’t have the energy.

Who was it that said: “Whether you believe you can, or believe you can’t, you’re right.” Too many people look at these excuses as valid and the physical limits as permanent. They are neither.

How do you extend your physical limits? Time. Work. And a good method of exercise. It won’t happen overnight but by following a good exercise method, you’ll see a big improvement right at the beginning. Then, of course, a plateau, and then another round of improvement. Your own body will tell you when you have reached your real physical limits.

Don’t expect to get the flexibility, mobility, joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles of a Cirque de Soleil performer or a Chinese Acrobat. This is well beyond the scope of anything I want to suggest. But you can steadily increase your own strength, mobility, flexibility, range of motion and reach what nature intended your body to be able to do.

Will you ever get back to the flexibility and mobility of your youth. Probably not completely, but, with the proper approach you can come close.

In the words of Nicolai Amosov, the famous Ukrainian Surgeon, Scientist, Fitness author, and Exercise Physiologist: “So, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the experiment continues! We are pushing pessimism back. Limits for old men [and women] are abolished. Life is a pretty good thing after all.”

Thanks for reading.