April healthy habit focus = Exercises to stretch & strengthen
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Established healthy habits. April averages -
Sleep - 7hr 42min
Hydration 120oz+
Cronometer - 286 days logging, 84 mineral/vitamins, 1359 calories, 40% protein
Move my body - 6411 steps, 10 hours with 250+ steps, AM walks=17, PM walks=9
Weight loss is at a pace of -1.04%
I started this month exercise focus by researching the top 12 exercises recommended for 70 year old women. I followed that exercise plan for a few days but it was BORING and it didn't take me long to start feeling dread and resistance to do them. I knew that exercise plan was not going to work long term for me.
So I started developing exercises routines that challenged me and attaching them to an existing habit. Once that habit stacking is accomplished the exercises are happening with almost no thought. It is still a work in progress ...
** Reach for the ceiling - while in the shower I touch my fingertip to the top edge of the shower drawing a imaginary line 360 around the ceiling
** Standing Forward Fold - while brushing hair I bend at the waist and hang head. My hands can touch the floor if I want but mostly I am gently stretching back and leg muscles while doing the 20 strokes (or so ) in brushing my hair.
** Single leg standing - while brushing teeth I stand on one leg at a time. Once I loose my balance I alternate leg.
** Kettle ball swing - while in the garden i do kettle ball swings between my legs.
** Kettle ball behind head - while in the garden I lift kettle ball over my head and let it hang behind head.
** Leg swings - while in the garden I swing leg up and back as far as can. Repeat and then switch to other leg.
** Heel to toe walking - while on morning walk I do heel to toe walking following the expansion line in the driveway. At first I was horrible at this and was off balance at almost every step. Now I can do heel-toe walking with no problem.
** Ball bouncing - Using a small ball, bounce and catch it while doing a variety of activities. At first it was a comedy act of me trying to bounce and catch the ball while standing still. Now my eye-hand coordination has improved, so I can bounce and catch the ball while walking.
I am not done yet but it takes time to match exercise to existing habits. The month is half over and I have 8 habits that feel almost fun and are accomplished with minimum thought. Other exercise habits I want to add are some sort of a squat, lunge, and twist. I need to find an existing habit that they can be attached to.
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