One practical reason for strength training

As we get older, we sometimes find that little activities like cleaning up or being on our feet for long periods of time harder than it used to be. This is no surprise to anyone. But there are exercises that you can do to make the everyday chores a little easier.

We use our hands in most everything we do. Whether it is simply picking something up and holding it, or cooking. Your hands like your arms and legs need exercise so it wouldn’t be so hard to open a jar or even open a door. The good thing is there is hand exercises that you can do that wouldn’t take much of your time and you wouldn’t have to buy a lot of expensive equipment.

If you are on your feet during the day or if you occasionally have to pick up things at work, arm exercises will help build your forearms and biceps. There are also exercises that strengthen the shoulder muscles which is vital to lifting.

And of course any lifting needs to have strong legs. Not only for raising your body up but also for balance which can be a concern for older people. A strained back at any age isn’t very fun, so avoid it with some strength exercises.

You will be surprised how a little exercise will help you do things around the house and at work.

The curl

the curl

The Arm Curl

One of the most popular strength training exercises is the curl. This exercise can be done with dumbbells or a barbell. If you don’t feel that you are ready for a light dumbbell then use a book to curl with.

Stand with your legs shoulder length apart and hold the dumbbell at your side with the gripped hand facing forward. Bring the dumbbell up to as close to your shoulder as possible, do it slowly. Now bring it back down again.  Do this 8 to 10 times with each arm.

As with any exercise you should start out slowly and gradually build up the number of repetitions before you go on to a higher weight.