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Time to Get Fit
Exercises for the Home, Office
and Car
and Car
By Charlene Torkelson
Knees If you are feeling stiffness in your knee joints, this is a perfect exercise to begin working out the kinks. With your feet flat on the floor and slightly apart, raise your right foot until it is in a straight line with your knee and thigh – about a foot above the floor. Now lower the foot and repeat 20 times with each leg.
This is a great exercise to rebuild muscle strength in your thighs. With your feet flat on the floor and about a foot apart, pretend you have a full leg cast preventing you from moving your leg out of this starting position. Now lift from the thigh (knee still flexed – remember it is in an immovable cast), bringing the foot about 6 to 12 inches above the ground. Repeat with each leg 20 times.
This exercise may be done in a chair or standing. In fact, you might even do this one while standing in the checkout line at the supermarket or while waiting for the bus. Relax your body. Now tighten just your buttocks. Hold that squeeze for 10 seconds, then release. Repeat the squeeze and release 10 times.
The same exercise can be done with the stomach. Relax your body placing your hands on your abdomen to feel the squeeze and release of the muscles. Tighten the stomach muscles and hold for 10 seconds. You should feel the contraction of the muscle as it tightens. Now release and repeat 10 times.