Developing Your Own Exercise Program
Every body is different, so why not develop your own exercise routine?
A variety of exercise routines can be stimulating and enjoyable. I exercise to addressing my different physical and psycho/social needs. During the Pandemic, when I trained with Sherri Baptiste in an initial yoga with weights program, I created a slow yoga with weight routine, synchronized with Dan Brown’s Wild Symphony children’s book (great for adults, too). I also took an faster-paced online Conductorcise training with Conductor David Dworkin, now in his ninth decade, and earned two yoga for children certificates.
I participate daily in several different kinds of exercise routines, from stretch and strength to yoga to gyrokinesis to walking and sometimes swimming. Each routine addresses a different set of muscles.
It’s not enough to focus on strengthening my arm, back, and chest muscles. To strengthen and protect my wrists, I use weighted gloves with wrist-wrap supports with soft silica gel, instead of free hand weights in both a stretch and strength class and in a yoga with weights training. Those experiencing hand tremors, Parkinsons, carpel tunnel, and kids on up, might consider using weighted gloves. The gloves are much safer than dumbbell hand weights if you drop them; also if you want to protect your wrists.
Swimming
Swimming is one of the best ways to exercise because it is non weight-bearing. To develop swimming skills, identify what muscles you need to develop and how to develop them. Muscles developed by swimmers include the following:
Core abdominal and lower back
Deltoid and shoulder
Forearm
Upper back
Glutes and hamstring
Consider why you want to become stronger.
Following are a few possible reasons: (Source)
Improve breathing
Improve endurance and strength
Keep heart rate up
Keep stress down
Get full body workout
Engage in swimming competitions
Qualify for the Olympics
Socialize
Have fun
Other reasons?
Why Include Stretch to Build Strength
Stretching and breathing go hand in hand with strength.
The goal of a stretching exercise is to lengthen the muscle tissue to improve how far you can move a body part. The goal of a strengthening exercise is to increase the bulk of the muscle so that you can move that body part with more force.Source.
Why Include Breathing to Build Strength
Muscles in your chest and abdomen tighten or contract to create a slight vacuum around the lungs. This causes air to flow in. When you exhale, the muscles relax and the lungs deflate on their own, much like an elastic balloon will deflate if left open to the air.
Breathing muscles include the following:
The diaphragm
The muscles between your ribs
Abdominal muscles
The muscles of the face, mouth, and pharynx
Muscles in the neck and collarbone area
Personal Exercise Program
Following are the exercise programs that I participate in:
stretch and strength with weights,
gyrokinesis
yoga
walking in nature
sometimes swimming)
Where:
online through live and recorded zoom
onsite
How
with a partner
with a group
by myself
Other
mostly slow movements
usually with music (classical, upbeat preferred)
Something to think about
Do you want to become stronger? If so, why?
What kinds of strength-building exercises do you enjoy or might you want to try?
How do/could you include stretching with strength-building exercises?
How do/could you exercise online or onsite? with a partner or others or by yourself?