Chapter Four: The 28-Day Immunity Boosting Workout

CHAPTER FOUR

The 28-Day Immunity Boosting Workout

This workout has been devised for one reason only, and that is to help us manage our way through these unprecedented times both physically and mentally. As mature people, we have seen a lot of things happen in our lives, but nothing quite like this.

Because the older generation is considered to be more ‘at risk’ than some other sectors of society, we are likely to be socially restricted for longer than the general population, so it is vital that we stay active, upbeat and positive. Exercise is particularly important in helping us to cope as it boosts our happy hormones as well as our immune system. Exercise plays a vital role.

This exercise programme is designed to gradually increase your fitness over a period of 28 days with the end result, hopefully, amazing you at your progress. We are encouraging you to invest some time on a daily basis into building and maintaining a stronger body and a more resilient immune system.

Mary and I both teach many people over 65, with most of them in their 70s and some in their 80s. Mary has studied and specialised in this sector. She says:

I see first-hand the enormous improvement in all aspects of my members’ physical and mental health and I am excited that I now have the opportunity to transform the health and fitness of many more through this 28-day immunity booster plan at this challenging time. I have designed this programme to steadily build up your stamina, strength and suppleness in a way which is safe, effective and appropriate to your age. It will really work.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF THIS PROGRAMME?

Fighting off infection and disease becomes foremost in our minds the older we become. But it doesn’t happen on its own. We need to invest effort if we are going to build and maintain a strong immune system. So how do we do that?

A secret army!

Most of us understand that our heart provides a very efficient circulatory system, which pumps blood around our body. We are less aware of our lymphatic system. This is a clever process where our lymphatic system provides a vital role for our immune system. It works by draining excess fluid from bodily tissues and carrying immunity-boosting white blood cells around the body to fight infection. But there is a problem. The lymphatic system does not have a pump and this is where exercise plays such an important role. The movement of our muscles through exercise automatically creates a pump to spread those white blood cells that are so vital in protecting us from infection – like a secret army that’s fighting for us. This fact alone should highly motivate us to exercise regularly at any age, but particularly as we get older. This exercise programme is designed to stimulate that system and engage your ‘army’ to boost your body’s ability to fight infection and disease.

Stronger muscles and bones

This workout also works to strengthen your muscles and your bones. Sadly, both muscles and bones will degenerate to a significant degree as we age unless we take affirmative action. In someone who does not exercise, the reduction in muscle strength can drop by as much as 40 percent by the age of 70. In addition, lack of exercise can lead to bones becoming more brittle and less dense, so they are more liable to fracture. Let’s arrest that decline right now and start doing exercises that will give you the most benefit.

Strengthen your muscles. For the muscles we are putting special emphasis on the legs so that you can stand up from a chair without assistance, be able to walk upstairs and enjoy going for a walk comfortably and safely. These are vital activities. Also, we will work on building strength in the upper body so you can continue with everyday tasks that help to maintain your independence into your long-term future. There is training for the ‘carrying’ muscles of the arms and shoulders, the ‘pushing’ muscles of the chest and the back of the upper arms so you can get out of the bath and get up from the floor in case you fall. All of these activities are important for our everyday lifestyle, but particularly vital if you have grandchildren and you need to get on and off the floor with them!
Bones respond well to gentle impact. By ‘impact’ we mean a little jump when you land on your feet with more force, for instance like a gentle pretend-skip. Some of the exercises in this programme include controlled impact exercises that encourage you to land with some force and this effectively strengthens your leg and hip bones. This is not necessarily jumping, which not everyone can manage, but there is encouragement to land heavily to help maintain, or even improve, your bone density.

Boosting stamina

Aerobic exercise is activity that helps you to breathe more deeply and stimulates your heart and lungs. It also burns fat and boosts overall fitness. There is a walking element to the programme that encourages you to exercise every day. Significant scientific research recommends that we build up to 150 minutes of aerobic activity a week – that’s just 30 minutes a day on 5 days each week. This recommendation is seen as being the optimum amount to maintain health in older age.

Improving posture and balance

As we get older sadly our posture can deteriorate. Unfortunately, postural changes can also present physical problems, which you may have never considered. In extreme cases, breathing is affected and the risk of falling is increased. This workout is designed to strengthen those muscles that have become weak because of an altered posture, and to stretch those muscles that have shortened. For example, round shoulders and a forward head position shorten and tighten the muscles of the chest, whilst the upper back muscles become weak and stretched. The solution is to lengthen the chest muscles through stretching and to strengthen the upper back muscles with resistance training. This programme also includes the medical ‘balance test’ of being able to stand on one leg, which is very challenging at first, but it is a trainable activity that significantly improves with practice. The aim is to balance for 30 seconds on each leg. All of these exercises are covered in this programme.

Safety tips
Never exercise if you feel unwell.
Keep drinking water to stay well hydrated.
Doing the walk, followed by the strength exercises, ensures that the body is warm before applying ‘resistance’ to strengthen your muscles.
Wear loose and comfortable clothing with good walking shoes when walking outdoors and comfortable trainers or similar when exercising indoors.
Always check with your doctor if you have any underlying health issues or doubts about your ability to undertake this or any other exercise programme.

HOW TO USE THIS PROGRAMME

There are just eight strengthening exercises that over the 4 weeks will become progressively more challenging and increasingly effective.
If the first week’s programme is too gentle for you, increase the number of repetitions according to your level of fitness or begin with Week Two.
If the first week is too challenging for you, see how much you can do and try to progress your workout each day.

Ideally, the walking (Stamina Training) is to be done every day and the Strength Programme 4 times per week for best results.

WEEK ONE: GENTLE START

Stamina Training

Walk for 15 minutes per day every day this week.

CALF STRETCH and FRONT THIGH STRETCH

On completing every walk, stretch your calf muscles by standing, taking one foot in front of the other. Keep your back leg straight, feet parallel and bend the knee of your front leg. Feel the stretch in the calf of your back leg. Repeat with the other leg forward. Hold the stretch for 6–8 seconds on each leg.
To stretch your quads, bend your left leg and with your left hand take hold of your left ankle (or trouser leg) and bring the thighs close together in line with each other, then stand upright to stretch the front of your left thigh. Hold for 6–8 seconds, then change legs. Hold on for support if necessary.

Strength Programme

Repeat this workout (exercises and stretches) 4 times a week.

Equipment: a sturdy dining chair and light weights, such as 2 x 500ml water bottles, tins of beans or 1kg hand weights

Exercise 1 THIGH STRENGTHENER

Sit to stand: sit on a sturdy chair in the front third of the seat with feet flat on the floor, hip width apart. Bring the feet back a little and lean forward slightly with arms by your side. Now, without using your hands to assist you, stand up in one swift movement, then lower back to the seat more slowly and gently return to the start position. Repeat 8 times.

Exercise 2 SHOULDER STRENGTHENER

Stand upright with a weight in each hand and holding your core tight. Now, lift the weights out to the side, but only to shoulder height. Lower again under control. Keep the shoulders pulling down as the arms lift and make sure your arms are in your peripheral vision when at shoulder height. Repeat 8 times slowly.

Exercise 3 CORE STRENGTHENER

Sit upright in the front third of the chair seat with a weight in each hand down by your sides. Pull the tummy in firmly and keep it held in tight as you bend to the side, allowing your weight to lower, keeping your spine from leaning forward or back. Lift back to the upright position, then bend to the other side. Do 12 repetitions (6 to each side).

Exercise 4 POSTURE IMPROVER

Sitting upright with a weight in each hand, hold them in front of you with elbows close to the waist (bent at a 90-degree angle) and palms up. Keeping the elbows close to the waist, separate the hands to take them out to the side, drawing the shoulder blades together behind you. Hold for a slow count of 2 and then release. Repeat 10 times slowly.

Exercise 5 BONE STRENGTHENER

Stand behind the chair with hands on the top of the chair back. Now bend both knees in preparation to jump. With tummy held tight for support, jump with both feet only just leaving the floor and use the back of the chair to aid you. Land softly, bending the knees. If you hardly lift that is fine, but feel a solid landing onto the floor to strengthen your bones. Do 12 mini-jumps.

Exercise 6 CHEST AND UPPER BODY STRENGTHENER

Wall press-ups: stand half a metre away from a clear wall. Place your hands flat on the wall, slightly wider than shoulder width apart and at shoulder height. Holding the tummy in tight for support and keeping the body straight, bend the elbows, taking the forehead towards the wall. Push back, keeping the hands fully connected to the wall. Repeat 10 times slowly.

Exercise 7 OUTER HIP STRENGTHENER

Holding onto the back of a chair with both feet parallel and hip width apart, bend both knees and, as you straighten again, lift the right leg out to the side. Return to the middle and then lift the left leg out. Keep the body upright throughout. Repeat 16 times (8 each leg).

Exercise 8 BALANCE TRAINER

With the chair ready for support if necessary, stand tall and in a good posture without shoes. Pull the tummy in and take one foot slowly off the floor to balance. If you start losing your balance, then touch the chair for support. Keep letting go, trying to reach 5 seconds without seeking support. Change legs and repeat. Focusing on a static object straight in front of you whilst you balance will help.

Stretches

BACK THIGH STRETCH

Sit on the edge of a chair seat and extend one leg out on the floor in line with the hip. Now, keeping the back straight and hands on your thighs, lean forward to feel a stretch at the back of that thigh. Pull the toes of that foot towards you and hold for 10 seconds. Change legs.

POSTURE STRETCH

Sit upright and take both arms behind you, clasping the hands. Keeping the shoulders down, feel the shoulder blades drawn together behind you as you stretch your chest. Hold for 10 seconds.

FRONT THIGH STRETCH

Stand behind a chair, holding on with one hand for support. Now lift one foot off the floor and hold the ankle (or your sock or trouser leg). The thighs need to be together and the body upright. Hold for 10 seconds then change legs.