Try some “functional fitness” exercises

March 9, 2007 by admin.

I recently heard about another aspect to fitness.  While I suggest to my clients that they should pay attention to aerobic exercise to build stamina and heart strength, resistance exercises to build muscle, and flexibility exercises to, what else, build flexibility (and, in turn, decrease risk of falling), this new aspect is called functional fitness.  It’s mimicking activities of daily life to make particular movements stronger and more efficient.

Think of functional fitness in terms of improving balance and strengthening your core muscles (those in the abdomen).  One exercise would be to stand on a balance board and do bicep curls with dumbbells.  If you don’t feel steady, best to get someone to do it with you and act as spotter.  Instead of doing bicep curls, try standing on one foot and looking up at the ceiling.

Strengthening your core muscles is a good idea because you need those muscles to do everyday activities such as carrying groceries from the car to the house.  If your core is weak, you’ll be depending upon your back muscles, which isn’t a good idea.  Think about housework or picking up a child.  Almost everything you do should be using strong core muscles.  Even just sitting.  Right now you’re probably slouching in your chair as your read this and your core muscles are not being used.  So try straightening up, shoulders back and stomach pulled in.  See how much stronger they feel already!

Just remember that exercise is just part of the full health package.  Good nutrition and stress management are every bit as vital.  If you want more information about good nutrition, go to my website at www.advantagediets.com .  You might even want to check out my “connect-the-dots” approach to healthy eating using Drawing the Line on Calories, Carbs, and Fat (the food, exercise, and activity tracker - diary that lets you eat your favorite foods without guilt!).

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