Benjamin Button is Fiction But You Can Grow Older Healthier

Many of us have wondered what it might be like to live backward lives, or to have the wisdom of age with the body of youth. This is exactly that mechanism present in the excellent David Fincher film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

The title character of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is born in 1860, without explanation, as a man of 70, complete with wrinkles, long beard and cantankerous attitude. From then on, he grows younger each year, until, seven decades later, he passes on peacefully as an infant.

I thought this might be a good time to delve into many of the myths that surround aging and anti-aging and to detail some exercise routines specifically for older people. I also covered the topic of strength training for seniors in an earlier post. Read more

Exercises for Stress Relief

Most people deal with stress in a vareity of ways. Some are healthy, like taking a day off or getting a massage, and some are not so healthy, like eating junk food or drinking too much. It’s a good idea to have a variety of ways to reduce tension so you always have something to reach for (besides sweets or a bottle of wine) that offers relief. Exercise is a great way to ease stress and anxiety while giving you a sense of confidence and empowerment when other parts of your life feel they are out of your control. Here are some workouts that offer you a variety of healthy ways to reduce your stress levels.

Walking

When you’re stressed, or overbooked, the last thing you need is a workout that requires packing a bag, driving to the gym and slogging through a routine you’re not enjoying.
Walking is a great way to enjoy your surroundings, simplify your workouts and reduce stress. You can get away from your problems, breathe fresh air, and move your body all at the same time.

How to do it:

1. Put on a comfortable pair of athletic, or walking shoes
2. Put on appropriate clothes for the time of year and weather
3. Go outside and begin walking briskly
4. Relax your shoulders, let your arms move in a natural rhythm and breathe deeply
5. Keep walking for as long as you can
6. Don’t forget to allow time (and energy) for your return trip back home

Office (At Work) Stretches

When you’re at the office listening to a client complaining, or having to deal with hard drive that has just crashed and lost a days worth of work, you might feel like strangling someone, especially when the idea of calming down seems out of reach. But taking the time to stretch may be just what you need to relax your mind and body.

How to do it:
Find a few minutes of time and try each of the At Work video exercises below, follow the instructions and remember to breath deeply. Focus on what you’re doing and enjoy how the exercises feel.

1. Hamstring Stretch
2. Foot Circles
3. Balancing Exercise
4. Centering with the Breath
5. Hand and Wrist Excercises

Yoga

While sweating it out is great for stress, slowing down with yoga is another option simply because it combines so many stress-reduction techniques in one activity. Yoga is relaxing, like stretching workouts, but it takes you further with a focus on breathing, mind-body connection, meditating and, of course, stretching tight muscles. All you need is a few minutes and a few basic exercises.

How to do it:
Perform one, or all of our Yoga videos listed below.

1. Sun Salutation A
2. Sun Salutation B
3. Hero and Reclining Hero
4. Bridge and Upward Bow Posture
5. Introduction to Yogic Breathing

Pilates

Pilates helps you to focus on your breathing, connect you to your body and improve your posture, making it a great choice for stress relief. Pilates also strengthens the core and the pelvic floor, which makes you stronger for other activities in your busy day. Just a few minutes with some fundamental exercises offers a distraction from daily worries and a chance to focus on your body.

How to do it:
Start with these basic Pilates moves from our selection of Pilates Videos. Mastering these moves will strengthen your core and give you a strong foundation for more difficult exercises:

1. Eight Principles of Pilates
2. Pilates Beginners Class 1
3. Pilates Beginners Class 2
4. The Oyster (The Clam)
5. Pilates Essential Core
6. Pilates Essential Core 2 - The Obliques

Tai Chi

Tai Chi is often described as “meditation in motion” because it promotes serenity through gentle movements helping to connect the mind and body.

How to do it:
Start with these basic Tai Chi moves from our selection of Tai Chi Videos. Tai chi emphasizes technique over strength and it is by concentrating on form that the mind finds relaxation:

1. Tai Chi Warmup
2. Seated Tai Chi

Energy Healing

Bring your own body into balance by working with your own energy system. Energy medicine works with the subtle energies that have a direct effect on our health and happiness.

How to do it:
Try this Hands On Healing Video. Energy healing restores our natural flow of energy increasing the ability of the body to heal itself and allowing the mind to relax:

1. Hands On Healing

Interval Training

Higher intensity cardio is great for stress reduction because your body releases endorphins, feel-good hormones that boost your energy and mood. Interval training helps relieve stress by allowing you to work at higher intensities for shorter periods of time, making the workout effective and efficient.

How to do it:

1. Choose any activity you like (running, walking, etc.)
2. Warm up for 5-10 minutes
3. Increase intensity (adding hills, incline, resistance and/or speed) so that you’re working at Level 7-8 on this perceived exertion scale for 30-60 seconds.
4. Reduce intensity and recover for 2 or more minutes
5. Repeat intervals for 20 or more minutes

Circuit Training

What’s the one thing that causes the most stress in your life? Okay, maybe your mother-in-law is on your list, but being too busy is probably at the top.
Circuit training can help you save time in your workouts. By combining exercises and moving quickly, you get fit and get more done in less time. As a bonus, the variety of exercises keeps your mind and body engaged, making your workouts more fun.

How to do it:

1. Choose 8-10 exercises, mixing compound moves, like squats and pushups with cardio moves, like jogging in place or power jacks
2. Perform each exercise, one after the other, for 30-60 seconds
3. Repeat for 1-3 circuits
4. End with a Cool down

Strength Training

Lifting weights may not seem like the ideal way to reduce stress, but it’s another form of exercise that gives you an outlet for a buildup of tension and stress. When you lift weights, you not only strengthen your body, you build confidence and self-worth. That mental and physical strength makes life easier and that alone eases stress.

How to do it:

1. Choose about 8-10 exercises (one per muscle group
2. Choose a weight you can lift 10-16 times for each exercise
3. Do each exercise for 1-2 sets of 10-16 reps, focusing on your form
4. Lift weights at least twice a week for best results

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