Theloopylululog

What are five simple exercises to do at home?

You have come to the right person buddy.

Move. Just move. Find any excuse to move and you are good to go! Your body will be grateful and your life will be thankful for all that movement.

I LOVE EXERCISE!

Yes. You heard it right. I love, absolutely love to exert my body in new and unique ways possible every single day.

Why?

Because my body is indeed a wonderland, and I am curious about what it can do, enamoured at the different ways it twists and turns and jumps and bends and bounces back after every fall and every hard knock.

I don’t remember a time in my life where I have been sedentary. I can’t imagine a sedentary life where I am tied to a desk or bed without the freedom to move in exciting ways.

I have always been a loner and ever since childhood, I had this deep desire for movement. I deciphered pretty early in life the connection between movement and happiness. A run, a walk and even the PT class in school left me overjoyed and bounding about like a monkey the whole day.

My need for privacy, solitude and silence meant I would never be inside a gym. It’s too claustrophobic for me to even think of, let alone be in working my ass out!

Needless to mention I have tried many forms of exercise. From Walking to Running, Yoga and Qigong, Pilates to Strength training with free weights; I have come to enjoy them all.

You will find advice on exercise everywhere, from the nosy neighbour to the kirana shop down the street, not to mention social media.

Ask me, I would only advice you to simply enjoy moving your body in any which way it loves to and wants to.

The more you move, the happier your mind, the stronger your heart and the longer you will live without having to depend on a person or a gadget to help you with the everydayness of life.

I am no one to advise you on what to do to keep your body active. I can only share with you what I do and what helps me keep fit, sane and healthy.

That said, here’s what I do everyday without fail. Consistently. No excuses.

1. A deep yogic squat/Malasana for as long as I want to.

Done first thing in the morning, it helps in easing not just bowel movement but opens the hips and hip flexors, straightens the spine and relieves the calf, foot and ankles of stiffness and pain. It opens the whole body to receive the goodness of whatever is awaiting next through the day. The yogic fact that it dissolves all your fears held in the hips is an added bous.

I have been doing this for a long time now. At first just because I could. Only later during perimenopause when my knees went for a toss and the pain around them became severe did I come to realise how effective this one exercise could really be for joint pain. Getting into the position with pain needed some work but using the help of blocks and pillows, I found to my surprise that it actually worked wonders to ease and even soften the areas around the knee to free it from debilitating pain.

It works. In all possible ways it works. Yes…you guessed it right. I have an Indian toilet at home.

2. A 10 minutes Qigong session to wake up the entire body, getting the blood to flow freely, loosening the fascia, limbs and joints.

I do this again the first thing in the morning after a litre of water and malasana has cleansed my system and a cup of herbal tea has refreshed it.

Always accompanied with my favorite chant set to ambient music in the background, I make sure I never fail to do this session. Especially on days when I don’t feel like doing anything else. Every part of the body gets a little bit of love in just 10 minutes and your body is ready to face the day.

Check the video and the link for more.

http://www.youtube.com/@TheNickLoffree

3. Meditation and Breathwork to calm the nervous system and balance the mind-body connection.

Nothing fancy. Just deep breathing. Breaths that go all the way down to the abdomen. With practice you can begin to notice the breath go all the way to the extremeties; the tips of the toes and fingers and coming all the way back in.

That in itself is a fascinating way to meditate. Just observing the beauty of breath as in invigotates the whole body with new energy, sparking the heart and mind to find synchronicity with each other. Trust a depression survivor; when your mind and heart are in sync, nothing and I mean NOTHING is impossible.

4. A good 30 minutes workout.

Choose any form you like. Just move your body. Find a quiet place for yourself and let go. Listen to your body. It always tells you what it needs.

At 45, I do 2 sessions of intermediate mat pilates on alternate days for core strength and mobility, a session of yoga for flexibility, 2 sessions of strength training with dumb bells and a long stretch session where I can relax and enjoy the entire week’s benefits by splaying myself on the floor.

Perimenopause is scary. Muscle strength seems to slip out of my body when I am not keeping a strict watch! There are days when I am barely able to lift anything at all. I simply substitute the heavier weights with a lighter one, even if it is just 1 kg and carry on. No guilt. No shame. Just a day’s work.

The most important thing is to show up and finish what I started without running away in the middle of it. It teaches my mind to be present and my body the awareness to keep moving without giving up on itself.

Here are the links to my go-to people in the web for my favorite movement therapy.

http://www.youtube.com/@yogawithadriene

http://www.youtube.com/@MoveWithNicole

http://www.youtube.com/@CharlieFollows

http://www.youtube.com/@fitbymik

http://www.youtube.com/@MoveWithJames

5. Household chores.

I don’t have a maid. So dusting, sweeping, mopping, cooking and cleaning up after my forgetful parents takes up a lot of time, giving my body a chance to move in ways my normal exercise might not allow me to.

Try unclogging a drain and cleaning the bathroom tiles and tell me we got it covered in our upper body only class! Tell you what? WE DIDN’T!

Nothing can beat household chores. A good spring cleaning session can leave my muscles sore for 4 days. Enough said.

To sum it up, I do nothing extraordinary to stay in shape and be nimble footed in body and mind.

I do what my ancestors did every day from squatting to deep breathing to household chores. What was normal for them in the form of farming or carpentry or hunting is something I try to cash in through a dedicated workout at home through free youtube videos.

Ultimately it’s about being there for my body, the way it has always been there for me. The only thing that will walk with me to my grave is my body. If I do not take good care of it now, it will fail me in painful ways in times to come.

It doesn’t ask for much. Just a little movement here and a movement there. Everyday. Consistently. That’s all.

A committed walk or workout, some crazy shimmying like no one is watching, cleaning utensils mindfully, mopping the floor crooning at full blast, some real deep breaths in silence and laughter that shakes the belly like jelly to release whatever has lost its purpose.

It’s as simple as that.