Haven’t Exercised In A While? Start Here!

Dr. Alyssa Kuhn, the arthritis specialist physio, gets us back into it:

First steps

The important thing is to get your body back in habit of exerting strength, without over-exerting yourself such that you find yourself aching (or worse, injured) and unable to continue/progress.

So, with that in mind, the following are very unexciting and/but very useful:

• Seated leg extensions: sit towards the edge of a firm chair and alternate straightening each leg to strengthen your thigh muscles and support your knees, or progress to controlled sit-to-stands, keeping your knees aligned with your toes.
• Side steps: hold a stable support, shift your weight to one side, and step sideways with the other foot to strengthen your outer glute muscles and support your hips and knees, or progress to alternating side steps with a resistance band, keeping your knees relaxed and maintaining tension in the band.
• Wall or counter push-ups: place your hands against a wall, bend your elbows to bring your face towards it, and press away while keeping your body straight and your elbows relatively close to your sides, or progress to push-ups against a lower surface to strengthen your upper body and core.
• Balance exercise: stand with one foot in front of the other, add gentle alternating arm swings, and hold the position, or progress to a modified single-leg stance with your back toes touching the floor, reaching diagonally forward without twisting your shoulders, and eventually lifting your back foot.

As for how often, a regular schedule is considered best, with a popular option being three times per week on non-consecutive days, such as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, allowing a recovery day between sessions.

And of course, it’s recommended to progress to harder versions (and/or harder exercises entirely) once you’re safely able.

For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

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7 Tips To Start Back In The Gym After A Break

Take care!