Everyday activities

Boomer columnist Wina Sturgeon writes that people don’t have to join a gym or hire a personal trainer to condition their bodies. She recommends making it part of everyday life:

• Balance: Don’t sit down to put on your socks or pants. Do it while standing up. This, of course, means you’ll have to balance while standing on one foot, then the other. Learning to balance on each foot while the rest of the body is actively moving to put on clothing is extremely functional. • Weight-bearing exercises: These movements can be as simple as lying down on the floor and doing pushups, or holding dumbbells on your shoulders and doing squats.

• “Couch crunches”: These strengthen the abdominals, and are easy to do. Simply place your lower legs on a couch, cross your arms over your chest, and lift your upper body.

• Be specific: Choose a program that eliminates your weaknesses. If your muscles are stiff and inflexible, as they often become when you don’t move around a lot, look for a routine that explains how to warm up and stretch. Purchase several pairs of dumbbells of different weights, and search for “dumbbell exercises” online. Put together a routine that works major muscle groups such as the front and back of arms and thighs.