Weekend Challenge: The Get Up From The Floor Trio

I’m thrilled to start off the weekend with a different kind of challenge that is very important for your bone health and peace of mind.

This Weekend Challenge consists of three different moves, each necessary for getting up off the floor easily – a concern for many of us in the community, whether we want to play with grandchildren, do household chores, or get up from a fall.

Why:

You’ve seen some of today’s exercises in previous weekend challenges, but I’ve compiled them into one session,so you can use them for more than increasing bone density and improving posture. Practiced together, these three moves strengthen the specific muscle groups that enable you to get up off the floor easily – even if there is nothing to hold on to.

My concern about this issue was heightened recently when my cousin’s mother-in-law, who lives in Connecticut, tripped and fell in her kitchen. She was unable to get up, and had to lie on her back all night. It was not until the next morning, when her son got very worried because he hadn’t been able to contact her, that he went to her house and found her completely helpless, on the kitchen floor.

This, of course, is not intended to instill fear. Far from it! Today’s challenge is all about taking action to prevent such a scenario, and providing you with the assurance and peace of mind you need.

How:

The first of these exercises is called The Reach And Roll. If you are not sure of your ability to get up, please have someone with you or something to grab a hold of the first time you try this exercise. The Reach And Roll involves the core muscles, so it’s a good idea to pair it with The Upper Body Strengthener that works the core.

1. Lie on your back on a mat or carpeted floor.
2. Keep one leg straight (we will say the left leg for the sake of clarity) and bring the right leg up toward your chest.
3. Roll toward the left and reach forward with your right hand and come up on your left elbow.
4. Lie back down and repeat 10 times (or as many as you feel comfortable with).
5. Switch sides for another set of 10.

The next move is actually part of The Reach And Roll, and is called The Oblique Sit. You can easily go into it from The Reach And Roll (you will already be in the right position). This is more of a posture than an actual exercise, and strong back muscles are necessary to perform it. So it’s a good idea to do The Vertebrae And Rib Protector along with this one.

Here is how to do The Oblique Sit:

1. Lie on your side, supporting yourself on your elbow (if you are on your left side, you will be up on your left elbow).
2. Push up with your supporting arm until you are pushing with the palm of your hand rather than your elbow. You will now be sitting up.

The second exercise is called The Crawl or Bear Crawl. Savers will recognize it as The Spine And Core Solidifier from an earlier challenge. Here are the instructions for it:

1. You begin on your hands and feet rather than your hands and knees (you may find it helpful to get on your hands and knees first, and then raise your knees off the floor as you go on to your toes).
2. Use your alternate hands and feet to crawl forward (right hand, left foot), keeping your back level.
3. Go 10 yards if you can; if not, simply do more reps or go around the room rather than in a straight line.
4. Reverse directions and go backwards the same distance without turning around.

This helps awaken those muscles you used when you were a baby, and crawling was second nature.

The third exercise is The Squat, an exercise that can’t be overemphasized when it comes to getting up from the floor. It is essential that you have the leg strength to get yourself upright again.

Many of you will remember it from our very first Weekend Challenge, The All In One Bone Building Squat.

Instructions on how you can do this with or without weights:

1. Stand with your feet about 18 inches apart, pointing your toes slightly outward.
2. Put your hand on the inside of your thighs with your palms facing each other.
3. Keeping your back straight, bend your knees (but not beyond the ends of your toes).
4. When you come back up, squeeze your glutes (buttocks muscles) and raise your hands up over your head.
5. Bring your arms back between your thighs and repeat 10 times (as you feel comfortable).

The Right Bone Health Exercises Go Beyond Bone Density And Posture

The benefits of exercise are incredibly numerous; there is no way to list them all here! They are both general and specific, and today’s challenge shows how you can “fine tune” exercises to target key muscle groups for specific purposes – in this case, being able to get up off the floor.

So you can add “builds confidence and self-assurance” to the list of things exercise provides. It also gives you a sense of safety to know you won’t end up like my cousin’s mother-in-law, waiting until someone finds you if you fall and can’t get up.

If you have the Densercise™ Epidensity Training System, then you can browse through and pick out exercises that help a particular area of your body or movement that you want to enhance, like we did with the Weekend Challenges.

While Densercise™ is the only exercise program specifically designed to increase bone density, its positive effects go far beyond density to provide stronger muscles, better balance, improved posture, and all the myriad benefits of a regular exercise regimen.

Densercise™ is highly customizable; you can tailor it easily to suit your needs. It’s a wonderful way to start the New Year, so if you didn’t get it yet, please take a few minutes to learn more about the Densercise™ Epidensity Training System.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend,