A popular recent lunchtime discussion among rehabilitation professionals has been our perception of a markedly increased degree of overlapping health problems and associated difficulty in returning our patients to their prior health and functional abilities.
We are in the middle of a chronic disease epidemic—one where the singular-diagnosis patients of the past are being replaced by patients with multiple active major diagnoses, and where youth no longer seems to be the hedge against disease it once was.
The sharply declining health being noted all around the world is a growing problem. In many areas, there is a concerted effort underway to understand why and what we can collectively do about it. The recent appointment of Robert Kennedy Jr. to the Department of Health and Human Services has been accompanied by calls to make America healthy again—abbreviated as MAHA.
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In my humble opinion, the best health you can possess and carry forward is predicated on healthy habits, among which regular exercise is “king”—hence the rajas! As such, I provide a handful of everyday-accessible exercises to help you nudge yourselves toward better health and an improved quality of life.
These exercises work well for my patients, as I believe they will for you, too. I suggest discussing them with your medical provider to ensure they are right for you.
6 Exercises to Keep Yourself Healthy
Making America healthy again is, first and foremost, our personal responsibility. Here are a few exercises you can add to your efforts:1. Walking
Walking may be the king of all exercise and one of the best things you can do to preserve your health. It’s one of the most universally available exercises and is as natural to perform as—well—walking.Step 1: Start walking at your normal pace and maintain this speed for five minutes to warm up.
Step 2: Speed up to a faster walking pace or simply maintain your current pace, depending on how you feel.
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Step 3: Continue walking for at least 15 minutes.
Step 4: Slow down to your regular walking pace for five minutes (if you’ve been walking fast) to allow your body to cool down.
Modifications: Feel free to increase your walking speed as desired. If needed, you can use a stabilizing device like a walking stick.
Why I like it: Walking provides small, repetitive, beneficial movements for almost every joint in your body and is easily scalable depending on your abilities and goals.
2. Squat Jumps
Walking is a great low-stress exercise. Additionally, we need something to get our heart rates up, and squat jumps fit the bill perfectly. This small-space activity is excellent for revving up your body in a short period.Story continues below advertisement
Step 1: Stand with your arms by your sides and your feet hip-width apart.
Step 2: Squat down until your knees are bent to 90 degrees. Simultaneously, move both arms backward until your hands are behind your body.
Step 3: Quickly jump up as you swing your arms forward for balance and to magnify the height of the jump. This should feel like one smooth movement.
Step 4: As soon as your feet touch back down on the floor, squat down and repeat the movement. Each jump counts as 1 repetition. Try to perform 3 sets of 12 repetitions, modifying sets and counts to suit your needs.
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Modifications:
- If lowering to 90 degrees of knee flexion is too much, lower as far as you can before rising back up.
- If the jump at the end of the squat is difficult, try a hop instead.
- If you can’t hop, try rising onto your tiptoes.
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3. Jumping Jacks
The jumping jacks exercise is a classic that works on strength, endurance, and balance. It’s easy to perform and modify, and you can do it anywhere.Step 1: Stand with your feet side-by-side and arms by your sides, maintaining an upright posture.
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Step 2: Jump both feet out to the sides, approximately three feet apart, while swinging your arms overhead until your hands touch.
Step 3: Immediately hop back to the starting position—many people lightly slap their hips with their hands when they make contact.
Step 4: Touching your hands together overhead counts as 1 repetition. Try to perform 3 sets of 12 repetitions to start, increasing as you grow stronger.
Modifications:
- If your hands don’t touch overhead, just move them as high as you can.
- If a jumping jack is too much, try a stepping jack instead. Step to the right with your right foot while lifting your arms, then bring your left foot over to touch the right foot. Repeat on the other side.
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Why I like it: Jumping jacks are a whole-body movement that works on practically every joint in your body while getting your heart rate up with ease.
Ceridwen Hunter/The Epoch Times
4. Running in Place
You know you should exercise—but aren’t in the mood to. Running in place can serve as a “gateway endorphin” that gets you in the mood for more exercise goodness. It’s also great if you don’t have much space and a “no-excuse” exercise if you planned to blame the weather.Step 1: Stand with your arms by your sides and feet side-by-side.
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Step 2: Start running in place, moving your arms in sync with your legs.
Step 3: This is a time-based exercise, so try to perform it for 1 minute per set, attempting 3 sets.
Modifications:
- Can’t go very fast? Move at your own pace.
- Can’t lift your feet very high? Lift as high as you can and build up when you get stronger.
- Can’t sustain the run for a minute? Do what you can while using good form.
Ceridwen Hunter/The Epoch Times
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5. Arm Windmills
Good shoulder mobility is a blessing many take for granted. But when you start to lose even a little bit of it you can be presented with a distinct feeling of limitation, which can affect your overall quality of life and happiness.Practice Tip: Pace this exercise so that each takes approximately one second. Don’t move too fast because you might stress your shoulders or take off like a helicopter.
Step 1: Stand with your arms by your sides and feet approximately hip-width apart for stability.
Step 2: Slowly rotate one arm in a large circle, reaching up as high as you can overhead. Visualize drawing two perfect circles vertically at your sides. Move both arms together or in opposite directions.
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Step 3: This is a flexible exercise that can be approached using a specified time or by using counts. Here, let’s focus on counts. Each time a hand passes overhead is considered 1 count. Try to perform 3 sets of 20 repetitions.
Modifications: If full-sized circles are too difficult, start with smaller ones and gradually increase their size.
Why I like it: This exercise maximizes and preserves your shoulder range of motion, one of the most important things you can do for your upper body.
Ceridwen Hunter/The Epoch Times
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6. Ski Hops
Ski hops are the younger sibling of ski jumps, easier and safer to perform but still challenging in their own right.Step 1: Stand with your feet close together and your hands clasped against your chest.
Step 2: Hop approximately one foot to the right.
Step 3: Hop the same distance back to the left.
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Step 4: Hopping in one direction counts as 1 repetition. Try to complete 3 sets of 20 repetitions.
Modifications: Use your arms to help complete the hops if you want to involve your upper body more.
Challenge Time: Hop further to each side, even to the point of turning the “hops” into “jumps.”
Why I like it: Ski hops are great for building strength and endurance, but lateral hopping also helps with balance, which is always good.
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Ceridwen Hunter/The Epoch Times
Together, these exercises can support your journey toward a stronger, healthier future and do your part to make America healthy again. Although improving national health is important, your individual journey into the best health you can attain is the most significant contribution of all.
When it comes to exercise, power really is in the hands of the people. Perform these exercises at least three times per week—preferably five—and I hope you enjoy the MAHA Raja routine!
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here.
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