Seated Exercise
Series: Flexabands
Kristina Sandstedt, MS, Clinical Exercise Physiologist,
Diabetes Educator
Part Two: Exercises with A
Flexaband
Resistance
exercises help strengthen muscle groups and improve muscular
endurance during calisthenics. Building lean muscle tissue through
resistance training helps us burn more calories as rest, which
is essential in successful weight loss. In addition, increased
lean tissue will improve your functional capacity. Specifically,
the activities of daily living (e.g. carrying groceries, lifting
pots and pans, carrying laundry) will become easier. Our lean
muscle tissue is precious and each year that passes puts us
at greater risk of losing our muscle tissue. The saying, “If
you don’t use it you will lose it,” is a true one
when it comes to muscles. Keep in mind it is never too late
to start rebuilding muscle tissue. Maintaining lean muscle tissue
will also help to reduce your risk of osteoporosis.
You need not do all the exercises
each time. Avoid holding your breath, exhale during the more
difficult part of an exercise and inhale as you return to the
starting position.
As your conditioning level improves, make the flexaband shorter
by holding onto a greater length of the band. Don’t strain
to do an exercise. Progress gradually toward the more difficult
exercises. Try to do 10-12 repetitions of each exercise you
choose. Start with one set of 10-12 repetitions and progress
to three sets of 10-12 repetitions.
Legs:
As I discussed in part one of
this three part series:
If you feel you cannot complete
all of the exercises in one session, then break up the exercises
into 2-3 sessions. You know your body better than anyone, therefore
a realistic outlook will foster success. By starting slowly
and gradually increasing your exercise sessions, you will have
a more enjoyable and successful experience. This particular
method will help you to feel more energy after the activity
rather than completely worn out. In addition, you will feel
refreshed when you are done rather than relieved that the task
is over. Most importantly, you will feel proud and satisfied
because you have accomplished the goal. It is the successes
that motivate us to continue striving towards the long-term
goal. You will have to decide what your long-term goal is, keeping
in mind that the long-term goal is not usually achieved in one
or two weeks, but perhaps in one or two months.
Along with goal setting comes
a few other important tools for success. Specifically, positive
self-talk which is the inner conversation that we all have with
ourselves. This conversation is not only a reflection of our
thoughts and emotions, it also has a strong influence on how
successful we are at making lifestyle changes. Self-talk that
is positive and upbeat leads to success as those inner messages
are clearer and easier to listen to. Self-talk that is negative
and distorted can get in our way and act as a barrier. In addition,
weighing out the cost and benefit of participating in the exercise
routine can be a useful tool for success. Every day we make
several cost/benefit decisions, particularly when we think about
making lifestyle changes. If we see the cost as being reasonable
and the benefit of what we’ll get in return as being worth
it, we tend to buy into the idea of making changes. But if the
cost seems to high and the benefits are uncertain, we usually
are not as likely to make the effort. Therefore, doing a cost/benefit
analysis, which really allows us to more clearly define the
pros and cons of our respective situations, help us make an
informed decision about whether or not the effort is worth the
result before you make a particular lifestyle change.
Remember that you have to be
motivated to pursue a new habit or to change an old one. Your
motivations will changes from time to time. Most individuals
who have been recently diagnosed with diabetes report that fear
is their motivator. Others who have been managing diabetes for
quite some time report family, significant others and avoiding
complications as their motivator.
My next article will provide
chair aerobic exercises. These types of exercises will help
to improve your functional capacity and activities of daily
living.
References:
Diabetes Management Therapies, a core curriculum for Diabetes
Education, Fourth Edition. The American Association of Diabetes
Educators, 2001.
The “I hate to exercise book” for people with diabetes.
Charlotte Hayes, MMSc, MS, RD, CDE. American Diabetes Association,
2000.
The Best is yet to come, an exercise handbook.. D. Bruckerhoff,
RN, Certified Exercise Specialist. Boone Hospital Center, WELLAWARE.
Because of the number of photos,
this will take a while to download on slower internet connections
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