Four-time caregiver Val Halloway shares two simple fitness routines she's learned and asks motivational questions to see if these routines will work for the listener. Audio of both workouts with excellent music from Sammy Wags playing in the background is provided at the end.
This episode provides instruction for doing two exercise routines: the Nitric Oxide Dump, created by Dr. Zach Bush, https://www.zachbushmd.com/ and four common balance exercises Val has learned while doing physical therapy.
The Nitric Oxide Dump involves doing 10-20 repetitions of the 4 exercise movements 3 times a day, every day. It will be more effective to wait 2 hours between sets, giving the body time to rebuild the supply of Nitric Oxide. The Nitric Oxide Dump is explained here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwJCJToQmps
Important Time Stamps for Nitric Oxide Dump:
3:50 How to do the Squat
4:33 How to do the Tin Soldier or Tin Man arm movements
4:53 How to do the Snow Angel Arm movements
5:22 How to do the Fist Pump
The balance exercises include standing on one foot, placing feet heel to toe, heel and toe lifts, and standing leg lifts to the side. It's recommended to do balancing exercises every other day without going more that two days. Val does balance exercises on even numbered days and rests on the odd days.
Progress from 10-30 seconds on the balancing exercises and 10-30 repetitions on the standing exercises, resting after 10 or 15 repetitions.
Important Time Stamps for the balance exercises:
6:27 How to balance on each leg and heel to toe
6:53: How to do heal and toe lifts
7:22 How to do standing leg lifts
Val asks motivational questions, leading the listener to determine if doing these exercises is the right thing to do at this time. She suggests getting pen or pencil and paper and writing down the answers.
9:18 Do you have any physical symptoms that bother you?
10:26 On a scale of one to ten, rate yourself as to how likely you are to do something about it.
11:22 What would need to change in my life in order to have a higher number?
If you want to share your story, please email Val at val.bmtcare gmail.com
Val's special message to you: "This is the good news: that where you are now is exactly where you need to be!"
Val's cheer for today: "I will do what I need to do!"
Audio workout with Val:
14:07 Nitric Oxide Dump, 3 cycles
17:43 Four Balancing Exercises (Have chair ready, if needed)
Hello caregivers and friends. We are in season two of caregiver tea time and it's all about our physical bodies. Today's episode is about exercising to improve physical fitness.
This will help us get through these challenging days of caregiving and beyond. I'm going to give you two simple and easy -to -do exercise routines that,
when done regularly, will improve both your health and stamina. I have always enjoyed moving my body, walking, dancing, gardening, not so much housework,
I'm still a work in progress in that area, but still, deciding on what exercises to do to keep my body strong and fit, it's just not that easy for me.
I wear a fitness device to give me information about my body and right now it's telling me that my heart health is aligned with my age but my cardio capacity is slightly below average, or just fair.
I know I get very out of breath when I go up a flight of stairs or walk up a long hill, so I can agree that this is true. Another decline I've noticed is, loss of balance.
I shouldn't be surprised about this because losing muscle mass and balance is very common at my age but when I realized I can't even stand on one foot for much more than 10 seconds without reaching for a wall or chair...
Well, I have another thing I want to work on. So today I will share with you two exercise routines I've discovered. One to improve cardio capacity and one to improve balance.
I like that I have specific things I can measure around these two issues. This gives me the opportunity to measure my progress and success. So, if you're interested in learning about these exercises, listen on!
My first exercise routine is called a nitric oxide dump.
I like that you can do this routine anytime, anywhere. The movements take up very little space and the whole thing lasts about four minutes. So what is a nitric oxide dump?
Why do we do it and where did it come from? This routine consists of four movements that engage all of our major muscle groups. This is great because after doing just three cycles of these movements, our muscles release something called nitric oxide. These molecules circulate in our system and deliver oxygen to where it's needed. The routine was created by Dr. Zach Bush, a medical doctor with a specialization in endocrinology and functional medicine. He recommends doing the cycles three times a day, every day.
It's important to wait at least 2 hours between doing the cycles because it takes about that much time for the muscles to build up the nitric oxide again. So I highly recommend looking up his YouTube videos where he gives the details on the health benefits.
After I teach you each movement, we will do the entire routine together, each movement 10 times for 3 sets. As you build up stamina, you can increase the number of repetitions from 10 to 20,
but we will stick with just 10 today. So movement one is a squat. Stand with your feet shoulder -width apart and then bend your knees like you're going to sit down,
but instead of sitting down, you stand up again very quickly. This engages the large muscle groups in your thighs, the back of your legs, and your rear end. The proper way to do this is to stick your rear end out and your arms will come up in front of you for balance.
You don't need to do a deep squat, especially if you're having problems with your hips or lower back. You just need to move up and down at a good clip.
The second movement uses arms like a tin soldier.
You alternate each arm, putting your arms straight out in front of you, parallel to the floor, and then bring it back to your side. You don't want to have loose flapping arms when you do this.
You want the muscles to be engaged with a tight form and distinct movement. I put my hands into a fist when I do it.
The third movement works your shoulders by making a big circle with your arms, kind of like a snow angel, but you tap your fists in front and then up over your head. With this movement, try to keep your shoulders back and your chest out and bend your arms as you need to.
If you have problems or pain in your shoulders, you can do a movement that's similar like a breaststroke. Just put your palms together at chest level, then up over your head and around.
The fourth movement is hands straight over your head. It's like pumping in the air, both hands at the same time. Sort of like the cheer I do at the end of caregiver tea time.
You can listen to a recording I've made at the end of the podcast. where we can do the entire routine together And you'll also be able to find that recording on my caregiver tea time website
The next exercise routine is for your balance.
When I was a caregiver I did a lot of sitting, working on the computer, waiting in waiting rooms, waiting in exam rooms, driving, watching TV, all this sitting without getting up to move and it contributed to my loss of muscle and balance.
So, this little routine has four exercises too. The first one is standing on one foot, then the other, next to a chair, if you need it to regain your balance.
Aim to hold your balance on each leg, first for 10 seconds, then 20, then 30. The second exercise is standing with one foot in front of the other,
heel to toe, like standing on a tightrope. Again, keep a chair close by if you need it and hold for 10 to 30 seconds, first with one foot in the front and then the other.
The third exercise is heel and toe raises. I need a chair for balance with this one, even though I only need to lightly rest my hand on it.
Raise up on your heels, fast up to the count of one, and then slowly down to the count of four. Do this 10 times, and then raise your toes up fast, and then down to the count of two, three, four.
The fourth is for your hips. Stand behind a chair and use it as you need it to lift one leg to the side with a gentle movement, not too hard or fast. Just up, hold, and down. 10 on one side and then 10 on the other. How fast you progress with the heel toe and the hip exercises is up to you.
We'll start with 10 of each, but as you get stronger you can work up to a total of 30 on each side with resting after 10 or 15 repetitions. But please do only what you can do without pain. A little tightness or discomfort is okay, but if you feel stabbing pain or pain that is at a level greater than three out of ten, then stop right away.
Check to see if there's a similar movement you can do without pain, and if you can't find one, then probably it's time to make an appointment with a physical therapist.
These exercises are not ones to do every day, but three or so times a week. Give your legs the day's rest before doing them again. But avoid going more than two days without them. My goal is to rest on the odd days and work on the even days.
Before I go, let's take this time to find out if these exercises will be helpful for you. I'm going to ask you a few questions to help you understand your readiness to include exercises in your life.
We all need motivation now and then to do the things that aren't easy. So first, find a pen or pencil and a scrap piece of paper to take notes.
Or if you're driving, pull over to a parking lot and if you're like me there's probably a napkin somewhere in the car, or best of all, if you have a small notebook, then you can designate it to be your let's get physical journal.
So here we go. Do you have any physical symptoms that bother you? If the answer is no, you can stop right here. You're doing great. Keep it up.
But if the answer is yes, write down what comes to mind. It could be a nervous stomach, a sore shoulder, a stiff neck, lower back pain, a bum knee. Mine is how easily I get out of breath. This really bothers me. Also that my balance is so poor, especially on my left leg, where the tendon and my heel can get very sore.
I'll give you a few seconds to think about it and write something down. (Pause with music)
So now on a scale of One to ten, rate yourself as to how likely you are to do something about it. If you're ready to do something about it, it could be an eight, nine, or ten. Or if you're not ready or you feel like there's nothing you can really do about it, you'll probably give yourself a zero, or maybe up to three. And if this is where you are, that's okay. It seems like it just won't work for you at this time.
If you're in the middle somewhere between a four and a seven, that can be described as ambivalent. You can't decide or you don't know. So what made you choose that number?
Maybe you want to do it but you can't imagine finding the time or energy or you just aren't sure and you don't want to make another resolution you can't keep. So now's a good time to ask yourself,
"What would I need to change in my life in order to have a higher number?"
It might be I need someone to be accountable to, or I need someone to do this with me, or I need a clear goal as to what I can reasonably do and then I'll decide. It might be, "I need the pain to get so bad that I can't get out of bed before I'll change." I'll give you a moment to think about this one, too.
Here's the part that only you know.
What can you do to make this number higher? Mine is I'm going to put a sticky note on the bathroom mirror and on the dresser next to my bed that says I'm doing three nitric oxide dumps today and another one that says,
"odd days rest, even days work on my balance. That way I'll do what my body needs, not too much or not too little."
So I'm just wondering, how do you feel about thinking about this? If you want to share your story, please email me at val.bmtcare@gmail.com
And here's my special message to you, this is the good news that "where you are now is exactly where you need to be."
it's time to close this episode It's been a longer one, but I hope it's one that will help you take another step towards calm energy and a healthier you. So for our cheer today, let's say, "I will do what I need to do."
Sometimes doing what we need to do is nothing.
And other times it's one little thing that makes all the difference.
So on the count of three, let's say "I will do what I need to do."
One, two, three, "I will do what I need to do! Cheers!"
And now here are the two exercise routines we talked about in the podcast.
Squat, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
T man, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Now snow angel, two, three, four, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Then fist pump, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten.
Let's do it again. Okay,
Now we're ready for round two.
Let's squat. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Then tin man. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Now snow angel. Tap. two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
and Fist pump, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
and just one more. Are you ready? Let's go, and
squat, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
and Tin man, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, and
snow angel, tap, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, and t
Fist pump, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten!
Whoo! We did it!
That's fantastic. Okay, let's take a little break, take a breath, shake out your hands, and notice what do your fingertips feel like?
Do they feel tingly? Well, this is the nitric oxide, which is bringing oxygen to all of your cells, even your brain, your heart, your kidneys, and more.
So, are you with me on this one? I'm all in. I'll be doing this exercise regularly and I'll report back on my cardiac results on the caregiver t -time website.
And now for our four balancing exercises.
First, balancing on each foot, then balancing as though standing on a tightrope, then heel lifts and toe lifts, and finally standing leg lifts to the side.
Have your chair ready in case you need it.
We'll start with our right foot, so stand on your right foot. and I'll count off the seconds. Ready?
Let's go. That's 10 seconds.
Now we're 20 seconds, three, two, one, there's 30 seconds.
Now let's go to the other foot. And here We go.
There's 10 seconds, 20 seconds. and there's 30. Okay, let's move on to our next exercise. It's where we will put our feet toe to heel with the right foot in front.
And I'll count the seconds with this one as well. Ready? Let's go!
That's 10 seconds. That's 20 seconds, and there's 30.
Now let's put the other foot in front. And ready? Let's go!
There's 10 seconds. There's 20 seconds. And there you are. You've made it to 30.
Okay, are you ready for the third exercise? Our heel lifts. Ready? Let's go.
Lift your heel. Two, three, four. Up, two, three, four. Up, two, three, four.
Up, two, three, four. Up, two, three, four.
Up, two, three, four, up, two, three, four. Two more, up, two, three, four,
and up, two, three, four. Now let's raise our toes. Ready, let's go. And up,
two, three, four. Up, two, 3, 4, up, 2, 3, 4, up,
2, 3, 4, up, 2, 3, 4, up, 2, 3, 4, up,
2, 3, 4, up, 2, 3, 4, four, up, two, three, four, and one more.
Up, two, three, four. Very good.
Now for our last exercise, it's a side leg lift. And so let's start with our right leg, and we'll do each side 10 times. Okay, Ready? Let's go!
And up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, and the last one, down. So then, let's do the left side.
Ready? Ready? Let's go. And one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten. Well, you did it. I hope you enjoyed this balancing routine.
Caregiver T -Time was recorded at the Coop Studio, Irvington, New York, engineered by Sammy Wags and produced by Bianca Groves.