Following the warm-up, you are now ready to exercise.
This exercise programme for the upper body consists of a variety of movements and positions that are suitable for both men and women. A mixture of sitting and standing, these are moderate exercises designed to help you maintain your physical independence and keep your body and bones strong. Keep your movements smooth and rhythmic. Doing any exercise to music of a medium speed can make it more enjoyable, so why not pop the radio on?
Poor posture can lead to difficulties with breathing, and the amount of air inhaled is less. So for this reason it’s important to maintain both the strength and mobility of the chest and back. Be aware of your posture and try to maintain a good position throughout these exercises.
You will need a firm, upright chair (preferably without arms) and a small towel (or exercise band) for some of these exercises. Exercise bands can be purchased from sports stores.
If you are ready, let’s begin!
Upper body, shoulders and back
Windmills
This exercise mobilises shoulders and releases tension.
Stand and place your fingertips on your shoulders. Bring your elbows together in front of your chest, then take them up and back, pulling the shoulder blades together. Continue circling, taking the arms down and back up again, drawing imaginary circles with your elbows. Circle 10 times clockwise.
Repeat 10 times anticlockwise.
Side Reach
This exercise mobilises the sides of your body.
Sit or stand with your feet apart and knees relaxed. With your right arm, reach up and over your head, bending your left knee and placing your left hand on your hip. Bring your right arm down, transfer your weight onto your right leg, and reach up and over with your left hand (as if you’re climbing up a rope), placing your right hand on your hip.
Repeat 10 times to alternate sides.
Side Twist
This exercise mobilises your upper body.
Sit or stand with your feet apart, then lift your arms up to shoulder level, bend your elbows and bring your fingertips together in front of your chest. Keep your hips facing forward, and twist only your upper body and head around to the right side. Come back to face the centre, then take your upper body around and look to the left.
Repeat 10 times.
Flings
This exercise tones up the arms and expands the chest.
Raise your arms up to shoulder level in front of the chest, then bring your fingertips together, with palms down and elbows bent.
Part the fingertips, then push the arms and shoulders back once with a strong firm movement, expanding the chest.
Now open the arms wide and fling the hands back once, with palms down, working the upper back, bringing the shoulder blades together and expanding the chest.
Repeat 10 times.
Bend the elbows again and push back once, then fling the arms open, turning palms uppermost and pushing hands back once.
Repeat 10 times.
Towel exercises
You will need a small towel or exercise band for the following two exercises.
Towel Up
This exercise strengthens bones and keeps the upper body supple.
Stand with feet comfortably apart, and hold both ends of a small hand towel or exercise band out in front of you at shoulder level. Pull both ends, and keeping the towel taut, lift up and over behind your head. Return up and over to the front.
Repeat 10 times, pulling hard on both ends.
Towel Rub
This exercise keeps the back supple.
Hold one end of the towel or band with your right hand and drop the other end down behind your back. With the left hand, reach behind you to grasp the other end and pull the towel taut. Extend your right hand up high, then pull the towel back down again with your left, in a sawing motion. Repeat 10 times.
Reverse hands and continue 10 times on the other side.
Stretches
Our muscles are now warm, so it’s a good and safe time to stretch them out to improve our suppleness.
Upper Back Stretch
Sit or stand to stretch out your upper back. Bend your elbows and bring your arms up to shoulder level, then place your hands on your elbows. Drop your head forward and round out your back and stretch. Hold for 10 seconds.
Tricep Stretch
Sit or stand to stretch out the triceps muscle (the back of your upper arm). Take your right arm up, then bend your elbow and place your right hand behind your head on your middle upper back. Take your left hand across your chest and push back your right upper arm and shoulder as far as possible. Hold for 10 seconds.
Repeat with the left arm.
Chest Stretch
Sit or stand to stretch out your chest. Take both arms behind you and place your hands on your bottom. Pull back your shoulders and elbows. Lift up your ribcage and feel the stretch across your chest. Hold for 10 seconds.
Back Stretch
This exercise stretches out your upper back and relieves backache.
Sit comfortably back in your chair with your feet flat on the floor. Place both hands around your left knee and lift your left foot up off the floor. Bend forward from your waist, bringing your forehead towards your knee as far as comfortable. Keep this position and lift your elbows up out to the sides and round out your back. Feel the stretch and hold for 10 seconds. Return your left foot to the floor.
Repeat the movement, lifting your right foot and knee up and holding the stretch for a further 10 seconds.
Strength exercises for wrists and arms
The following exercises concentrate on strengthening and maintaining mobility in our shoulders, arms and wrists in order to perform everyday upper body activities such as lifting and carrying.
For some of the exercises you will need two small hand weights, or cans, or small water bottles. Also, a 30-cm (12-inch) stick or ruler plus a piece of string about 60 cm (2 ft) long.
Wrist Curl
This exercise helps maintain bone and muscle strength in the wrists and forearms.
Sit with your forearms on your thighs, wrists just beyond your knees, and hold small weights, cans or water bottles in an underhand grip with palms facing up. With one movement, curl fingers and wrists up, then hold for 5 seconds and slowly uncurl.
Repeat 10 times.
Palm Press
This exercise is small but effective, strengthening muscles in the wrists and arms.
Sit or stand and bend your elbows, bringing your arms up to shoulder level, with the palms together in prayer position. Keep your fingertips touching but open out the palms of your hands. Now close your palms by pushing your wrists together hard. Open and close 10 times.
Cuff Ups
This exercise works the upper arms and chest muscles.
Stand or sit, then raise arms up to shoulder level. Bend the elbows and, turning your hands, grasp the opposite arms firmly at wrist level. With short, firm movements, ‘push up’ imaginary cuffs from each wrist. Feel the chest muscle jump and the underarm muscle working.
Repeat 10 times. This is an effective isometric exercise – muscles are tensed but not by contraction.
Wind Ups
This exercise strengthens the wrists.
You need a stick or ruler about 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick. Tie one end of a piece of string about 60 cm (2 ft) long securely in the middle of it, and tie a small heavy object (plastic water bottle or stone) to the other end of the string.
Sit or stand. Hold both ends of the stick with the palms of the hands facing downwards, and wind up with a twisting action. Reverse the action by holding the stick palms upwards and unwind with control. Repeat 5 times in each direction.
Push Offs
This exercise strengthens your wrists and arms.
Sit forward on your chair. Extend your legs straight out in front, with your heels to the ground and toes pointing upwards. Place your hands, with the fingers facing forward, flat onto the seat of the chair. Incline your chest forward (this corrects your centre of gravity) and lift your bottom off the seat, taking your body weight on your hands. Only a small lift is required. Keep your legs straight and continue to lift and lower your bottom back down 10 times.
(If you are unable to do this small lift, sit back in the chair, bend your knees and with your feet flat on the floor, lift and lower your bottom off the seat a little as described above. Move on to the full exercise once your wrists become stronger.)
Three of a Kind
This exercise strengthens front arm muscles (biceps).
Sit or stand with feet shoulder-width apart and tuck your elbows tightly into your waist. With palms uppermost, hold hand weights or small, filled plastic bottles out in front of you at waist level. Keep your elbows tucked in tight throughout the exercise and simply lift the weights to your shoulders and then lower back down. Repeat 10 times, with control.
Now take the weights to your shoulders and lift up high and back down to shoulders. Repeat 10 times.
Finally, take weights to shoulders and straighten your arms out to the front. Repeat 10 times.
The triceps muscles in the backs of your arms work with the biceps muscles in the front of arms to produce strength and movement. Arms are prone to flabbiness as the years advance and if you have had a dramatic weight loss.
Batwings
This exercise strengthens the triceps muscles (and tightens up flabby ‘batwings’).
Sit or stand holding weights or bottles as before. Pull in your tummy to maintain good posture. Bend your elbows, holding the weights up at chest level, then pull your shoulders back together and tuck your elbows into your waist. Hold your upper arms in this position throughout the exercise.
Now straighten the lower arms only, taking them down and back behind your body, then bend your elbows and bring the weights back up to chest level. Keep your upper arms steady with the elbows tucked in throughout the exercise and feel the muscles in the backs of your arms working. Repeat 10 times.
Push aways
This exercise strengthens the wrists and forearms.
Stand with your feet apart about 50 cm (1½ ft) away from a wall. Place your hands flat on the wall at shoulder level with your fingers inclined inwards. Pull in your tummy, then keep your head, neck and back straight. Bend your elbows out and lower yourself towards the wall, taking the body weight on your wrists and hands. (Don’t allow your body to sag.) Keep your heels down and stretch out your calf muscles at the same time! Push yourself back upright and then repeat 10 times.
