All posts by Georgina Naylor

3 low impact, at home exercise ball movements for people with mobility issues

We know that getting older can take its toll on your muscles and joints, in a time such as 2021 when getting out might be harder than expected, having a quick, low impact exercise session is perfect for getting yourself moving. Using equipment available on our website, here are 3 low impact movements you can do at home with an exercise ball.

1. Sit ups

As someone that has never been great at sit ups, using an exercise ball to provide that extra bounce and support underneath your back can really help you to do a few more sit ups than just one on the ground. Here is an image showing how to position yourself properly and maintain a good sit up with balancing on the exercise ball.

You can also try this type of movement when you are laid in bed, and instead of trying to do a full sit up just trying lifting slightly and pushing your hands forward. From there only lift your body a little until you feel your core tighten and hold for 5 seconds, longer if you can, but any hold is good. Doing this each day will drastically improve your overall core and back strength and support you even if you’re just sitting around.

2. Hip thrust

This movement is great for increasing motion in your hips and ultimately strengthening the bottom of your back. Along with the sit ups, the hip thrust movement in great for engaging your core, strengthening your back and increasing mobility.

 

To do this movement correctly, position your shoulder blades on the middle of the ball and ensure you have your balance. If you can’t balance properly right away, use a sofa or a chair to support you while getting into position. From the position, with or without an added weight, if you slowly lift your hips from the lower position and push your hips up until your legs are straight across. Hold the position for at least 5 seconds and slowly lower. It might not seem like it’s doing much but every little move you make and hold is gradually adding to your internal strength, and by doing so it is increasing your overall fitness.

You can also try this similar movement, in which you stay in the raised hip position and roll the ball underneath your body and roll back again to work your hamstrings.

3. Upper body raises

Okay, while I don’t know the actual term for this exercise movement it is most simply like a reverse sit up. For example, while the first sit up movement is raising your body chest first to your knees, this second movement is raising your back. Lay your stomach on the ball with your legs straight behind you, hands on your head and raise your body up until you’re facing forward.

If you are struggling, here is a video of Davina McCall demonstrating this movement with this exercise ball.

These exercises may seem difficult at first, but a little effort into each movement helps you!

3 steps to manage exercise as a young person with a chronic illness

As broad a range that chronic illnesses can be, and with long term conditions such asthma and diabetes as the highest rates amongst young people it can be difficult to find any motivation to exercise.

Despite young people dealing with these long term conditions and navigating poor mental health because of them, and while we know a chronic illness might never go away, we can definitely try to offset some of the symptoms.

Here’s 3 things you can try:

1. Any movement is better than nothing

We all know it can be difficult to wanna stop watching Netflix and actually go and exercise but navigating this fitness lifestyle with a chronic illness is hard. But even just getting up after one episode, putting on a good song and dancing wildly for those 3 minutes is better than a binge on Netflix. Trust me.

Check our post on making an exercise playlist to dance to!

Even if your chronic illness keeps you from dancing energetically for those  minutes, you can try walking up and down stairs a few times at a quicker pace than you usually do. It might seem simple, but getting your heart pumping, blood circulating and your body moving really does make a simple difference.

 

2. Stretching is surprisingly helpful

Stretching, yoga, pilates… call it what you want but stretching and flexing your body is crucial. Maybe you can’t touch your toes and that’s okay!

But if you make it your goal for the next 30 days, start by placing your hands on top of your knees. Then, try a little further and place your hands just under your knees, then halfway down your shins… see where I’m going?  Even if it is the slightest movement each day and just a tiny bit further than the last it’s going to help blood flow around your body, loosen up your muscles and joints and allow your body to adjust. 

If stretching is good enough for cats, you can do it too!

3. Fresh air is your friend

While it might seem trivial that breathing can help anything, it really can wake you up to your surroundings, internally and externally. It could be standing on your garden, closing your eyes and breathing in until your chest puffs up or even just opening a window. The action of letting your space be freed up from the stuffy feeling of being unwell or trapped in a room can momentarily stop you in your tracks.

A few breathing exercises you can try with this fresh air is holding for 4 seconds, inhale for 8, hold for 4 and exhaling for 8. It can take a minute to get used to but doing this for five minutes regulates your breathing intake and the deeper your breaths, the better your blood flow. So, next time you take your dog for a walk, or open the window to let the sun in, or even when you’re struggling with pain from your illness just try focussing on your breathing for five minutes and see how you feel.