Move Your Body

In the first article of this series, I told you to stand up and twist. That was about one thing only – getting off the couch.

In the next two, I showed you how to stop falling and how to get back up when you fall anyway.

This one is about what comes next. Moving your body for longer than two minutes. Getting your heart rate up. Building the engine that powers everything else.

I’m not going to call it “aerobic exercise” or “cardio” or any other word that sounds like something a personal trainer would yell at you. Let’s just call it moving your body for a while without stopping.

Why it matters

Your muscles are like a car engine. The toe lean and the chair push train the parts that start the car and get you out of a ditch. But you also need to drive the car. Regularly. Not fast, not far – just enough that the engine doesn’t seize up.

Moving continuously for 20-30 minutes strengthens your heart. It improves your circulation. It helps your balance more than any single exercise can, because you’re practicing the thing itself – staying upright while in motion.

And it does something else that’s harder to measure. It convinces your brain that you’re still capable. That you’re not someone who needs to sit down all day.

The options

There are really four ways to do this. Each one works. Pick the one that doesn’t make you miserable.

Walking

This is the best option for almost everyone. You already know how to do it. You don’t need equipment beyond a pair of shoes that don’t hurt. You can do it anywhere.

Start with five minutes. Not twenty. Not thirty. Five minutes out, turn around, five minutes back. If that’s all you do for a week, that’s a win.

As Scott Adams said though, if the most you can do is put on your walking shoes, that’s better than nothing. Tomorrow, put them on and go to the door. The third day, go outside. You’ll get there.

After a week, make it seven minutes. Then ten. Your body will tell you when you’re ready to go further.

The ideal is eventually doing 20-30 minutes at a pace where you’re breathing harder than normal but can still hold a conversation. You definitely shouldn’t be able to sing though.

That pace is called “zone 2” by people who like labels. I call it “walking like you’re late for a bus but not running for it.”

I have to declare an interest. I love walking, especially in Australia where I was before, and now when visiting Vietnam. I even enjoyed it back home, though not so much in the rain. It gets my personal recommendation. I have friends though who can’t walk, either due to arthritis or issues with their back and/or feet. That’s OK. We have options.

Swimming

If your knees or hips hurt when you walk, this is your answer. Water takes the weight off your joints. You can move in ways that hurt on land.

You don’t need to know proper strokes. You can walk in the shallow end. You can hold the edge and kick. You can do any slow, nonsense movement that keeps you moving for 15 minutes. The water provides resistance naturally. You’re working harder than you think.

I love going to the beach here in Vietnam. The water is warm, the sun is bright and the cafe is 10 feet away. You might not be so lucky, but swimming in a pool is safer anyway.

Cycling

A stationary bike is the most forgiving option for bad knees. You’re seated. There’s no impact. You control the resistance.

If you have a real bike and the weather cooperates, great. But there’s a reason I mention the stationary version first – many people over 60 are nervous about balancing on two wheels, and I don’t blame them. A cheap exercise bike in front of the TV works just as well.

YouTube has 20-minute cycling videos that tell you when to speed up and slow down. Follow along. It’s less boring than staring at a wall.

The Scott Adams advice applies here too. Start slow. There’s no rush.

Rowing

This is the one most people overlook. A rowing machine works your legs, your back, your arms, and your core all at once. It’s seated, so no joint impact. And because it uses so many muscles, you get more benefit in less time.

The catch is technique. Bad form on a rower can hurt your lower back. Watch one video on proper form before you start. The motion is: legs push first, then lean back, then pull your arms in. Reverse on the way forward. It’s not about speed – it’s about the sequence.

If you join a gym, the rowing machine is usually the least popular piece of equipment. That means it’s available. Take advantage.

I once rowed on a machine next to Duncan Goodhew, who was an Olympic swimmer. He was amazing fit. Real athletes are from another planet.

The one we left out

Running. You were wondering when I’d get to it.

Running is excellent exercise. It’s also hard on your knees, your hips, and your lower back – especially if you’re over 50, especially if you’re carrying extra weight, if you do it on tarmac or concrete and especially if you haven’t been active for a while.

I’m not going to tell you never to run. Some people love it and their bodies handle it fine. But I’m not going to recommend it as a starting point for the people I’m writing for. The risk of injury is higher than the reward for most beginners. Walking briskly gives you almost the same benefit with almost none of the risk.

If you want to run eventually, build up to it. Walk first for several months. Then try jogging for 30 seconds at a time during your walk. See how your body feels the next day. If it hurts, you’re not ready. If it doesn’t, add a little more. Slow progression is the only safe progression.

How to pick

You don’t need to decide today. Try one. If you hate it, try another. The best exercise is the one you’ll actually do.

The goal is not to become an athlete. The goal is to move your body for 20 minutes, a few times a week, in a way that doesn’t feel like punishment. That’s it. Everything else is details.

At first, or when you increase the effort, you might feel muscle ache the next day. That’s OK, you can go out that day but take it easy. Only if the pain continues for more than a couple of days do you need to see a doctor. You’ll probably be just fine.

Next time: we’ll talk about strength – why you need it, and the two exercises that cover almost everything.

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor. I’m someone who has had to figure this out the hard way. Check with your doctor before starting anything new, especially if you have existing health conditions.