 Hello, welcome to healthy bones and balance. This is an exercise class sponsored by the Amherst Senior Center and taught live on Monday and Wednesday mornings at 10 a.m. on Zoom. You can check with the Amherst Senior Center for the link. My name is Jamie Chernoff. My partner Betsy Howlett teaches and there are more of us who teach in the classes when we're at home at the bank center. But right now we're moving on Zoom. Movement is what it's all about. It's what we need at every age, different kinds of movement. And particularly for people who have some osteopenia, osteoporosis, we offer a safe place to do the exercise. And exercise, movement, actually weight-bearing exercise is the only natural way to increase bone density as we grow older. It's natural to lose some bone density, but it takes effort to build it back. The only natural way to increase bone density is increase the pull of muscle on bone. So we work our muscles to pull on the bone, to grow bones, and it's got all the other benefits of exercise too. And in the live class, we really have a sense of being together in a group of 40, 50, of your neighbors and friends who are making a commitment to keep moving, keep building strengths through pandemics and blizzards and whatever comes. So let's just get started. This class can be done completely seated if and I'll be demonstrating. We do two sets of each exercise and I'm going to do the first set in the chair and the second set standing. You could mix and match as you like. We do use weights when we're ready. So if it's your first class, just use your own fist and your own resistance. No weights. You might add after that a one or two pound weight. You could hold on. Just can and begin to add effort to your work. And we also have leg weights. You'll see I'll be using them at the class and you can contact us for more information about what kinds of weights and so forth. So enough with the talking. Let's get moving. I see it warm up and you can adapt the standing. I'm just going to march in place, lifting my knees. I have to lean back a little bit and try to keep my back straight. Be going slower. I'm going to just adapt it by left foot down and tapping out to the side with the first one foot. The kind of way you're moving your legs is good. You're Broadway kicks and bring it down. I'll be my chair just so you can see it holding onto the side of the chair, lifting the chest, deepening the curve in my lower back and taking my shoulders back and down might keep the arms up and cactus and breathe and sentry myself on the chair, left hand, upright hand, holding onto chair seat, moving my sit bones and reaching to the side. I've got to press down with my left tip as I reach away. Inhale up, right arm up, lengthen, hip bone press, sit bone press down, fingers reach up and then to the other side use your legs to add stability as you're pressing into the floor. Your neck be free and inhale up and now we'll begin with the bicep curls. So I'm picking up weights and as I said first step I'll do seated, sitting comfortably away from the chair back, knees right over my ankles, feet about hip distance apart, arms are long. I inhale to prepare and I exhale bend at the elbow, raising the weights up or toward my shoulders and then slowly down, palms up and that's one. So the upper arms really stay right where they are. Two, three, inhale, four, inhale, inhale, six. We move slowly because it's more work and more work is good for us. Seven, inhale, eight, inhale, nine, inhale, ten. I'm trying to keep my back and torso still, 11 and 12 and end by going slowly, slowly down and that rest your weight on your legs. If they're secure, shake the hands up for a minute. We'll go on to the second set. You can continue in a seated position. You could also alternate. Do one and then two for the second set and go through to modify your effort if you're just doing, if you're just joining us. So now we'll do the second set. As you stand, it takes a little more effort in the core to stabilize yourself with the weights but the exercise is the same. Inhale, turn the palms forward and exhale, bend at the elbow and inhale down. Exhale with the effort, inhale down. Three, inhale, four, inhale, five, six, inhale, seven, inhale, eight, inhale, nine, ten, eleven. And now the last one, the second set, 12. Don't rush it, even maybe slow it down a little more. Good work. Shake the hands out and actually add a hand exercise in interlacing my fingers and just loose like pulling, turning, stretching out and little thumb rubs. Now our next is strength building anaerobic. So stand up, sit down. So we'll begin at a chair and looking for my timer because this, we don't count it but we do the exercise for 30 seconds and you keep your own count. You might do however many. You keep track and you'll know over time whether you're gonna get more in to that 30 seconds or well you will get more. All right so the exercise is starting seated and you can, you're gonna stand up and sit down. That's it. So and you're gonna just do it again again until I call time and you can use your hands to help push off. You can rest your hands here if you feel stronger. You can reach your hands up or fold the hands. All right ready and go. Let your weight really calm down in that chair. Halfway down, more than 30. Good going. That gets us warmed up. Make hands out, reach up, maybe hold on to the forearms and reach it kind of squiggles to the side a little bit and float down. That'll be well put on our leg weights if you're using them. And to get with ham curls which is a standing exercise. Some of our leg exercises are need to be done in stand while standing. And your leg weights can start in half that weights or one, two, three and go up from there gradually adding effort. Because when your body gets used to a movement and a certain weight over time, it doesn't serve to prompt bone building. We always want to surprise the bones. That's our goal. Surprise it with a little more effort each time. So, ham curls facing the chair back or it could be a wall. And I'm going to lift my right foot slightly, flex the foot, curl the toes, keeping my thighs even and down working this big hamstring muscle at the back of my thigh. Three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Squeeze your belly in as you go up to nine, ten, eleven, and twelve. We'll continue on. Second set. Okay, then one leg up on the toes, roll back on the heels up and down and stand steady. Put the weight on the right foot as you begin to lift the left, bend the knee, flex the foot, curl the toes, and press that knee back so it's not here, it's right there. And continue. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, and twelve. So, that's our first set. Now, even without strapping on weights, you can add weight with digitalizing something as we begin the second set. Oh, no. Think of a hand or a heavy, big, heavy weighted pillow resting on your back of your ankle. There we press up three or move from molasses four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, and last one is twelve. Roll up, maybe bend the knees and do a little hip circle, release those hamstrings, and we'll go to the next arm exercise, which is triceps, working the muscle at the back of the arm. I'm going to do the first set in the seated position. It's really the same exercise, and I begin holding the waist, holding the weight in my right hand at the right hip, and I roll my shoulders back, and you'll see my upper arm should stay still while I extend the lower arm. Two, inhale, exhale, three, inhale, four, inhale, five, my back is straight, six, seven, nine, ten, feel your whole body working to support you, eleven, and twelve. And return first set on the right side, shake the hand for a minute, and quick pick up again, en français, un, trois, quatre, cinq. Remember you can be doing every other one, six, five, six, seven, eight, enough, ease, two more, almost, and do, hold, hold, hold, the hand groups, and shoulders are both feel good right here, and now we'll switch to the second side, and I'm demonstrating standing, taking the seat in for standing. So now I'm on the left side and right leg further in front, and I'm going to bend that front leg, I'm still keeping a straight line, left hand to left hip, roll the shoulder back, and ready to leave the upper arm still while I extend for one, press two, three, five, lift up nine, extend, lift, down, eleven, twelve, and pause for a moment, maybe shoulders up to the ears and melt down, shoulders up, melt down, shoulders up, melt down. You can do every other one, or you can push on second set, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, four, and that's triceps, put the weight down, shake them out, you can give a little squeeze until this muscle feels good, go all the way up the shoulders, and back leg raise, we move throughout the whole body, everything that's worked in this simple set, so let's keep moving, back leg raise is going to really work our glutes, our back of our legs power us for walking, still walking, and begin by shifting the weight to the left foot, and slide the right foot back, and you might, and then we'll lift up and really feel that full, strong muscle engagement. If you're beginning and it's too much to lift up, you'll get the effort right here, just visualize yourself, energetically lift up, even without it moving. Okay, let's do one, inhale, two, and really squeeze at the top there, squeeze that back muscle, three, inhale, four, trying to keep our torso straight, five, six, seven, eight, nine, can work on balance at the same time, the 11, and 12, pause, stretch our ankles, we'll lift them back on our feet, second set, inna, vio, tria, tessera, pende, exzi, etos, squeeze, octo, enera, recta, endeca, and take a break that's two sets on the right to spend your knees kind of hanging there with a little calf stretch belly in so regular we often count the second set in another language so we remember it was the second set and to get in a little variety all right now the same thing with the left leg standing on the right lifting up the left leg and pressing back slowly so I really feel the action of engagement and lift and power there return to slow return slide lift four belly goes in right here five you really need it to power that up six seven eight nine ten eleven and twelve hold squeeze squeeze squeeze rock hard butt and down maybe then one knee than the other let me do our second set left leg Spanish again 1 2 3 no advantage in hurrying 4 5 all the advantage comes from going slow 6 7 8 9 10 11 last one make it good make it good those it and that and bend the knees put your hands on your knees to lift your set bones up or right here as we share go into kind of elbows bend the knees again and then slowly take the thighs back it's still a soft bend in the knee but you have a nice delicious pull on those gluteus maximus muscles and the strong stronger hamstrings and bend the knees and come up flick our fingers just like a fist that goes out January February March April May June July August September November December January February March April May June July August fake and now we will all sit for this arm exercise take your hand rates if you're using them and this is the seated row so I'm sitting away from the chair back as almost always feet hip distance apart 90 degree bend in the knee inhale taking my weights and reaching forward with so am I torso this is no strain on the back because I'm going hinging right at the hip crease and there's nothing rounded never rounded the back in our exercises and take the weights forward so they're near the calf and then take a big inhale power up and then exhale bend the elbows and lift them up and they carry the weights of them and down two inhale three inhale four inhale five six eight eleven and twelve hold and cause rest maybe shoulder blades up to the ears and drop down maybe take the right ear to the right shoulder a little stretch in the left side of the neck just release it to gravity inhale up and take left ear to left shoulder and try to keep tension out of your neck in the exercise inhale second set beginning point inhale your power and lift or one or take 12 come back with 11 10 9 8 6 3 2 and let's hold when we get up there 1 1 and release weight resting rates on your legs and put them down all stay seated for the next exercise but let's do a twist for a variety in the middle inhale lengthen up just like visualizing my armpits lifting away from my hips shoulders dropping down and pressing my feet into the floor I turn towards the right rest my hands and really visualizing your spine just in a staying a perfect straight line with the vertebrae just twisting around it it's healthy it's safe for people with osteoporosis osteopenia and it's a great way to exercise the spine to give a relief to give movement joint movement to the to the vertebrae in a different way than usual up again and that's the inhaling and likely creating space and then moving into the twist and as you create more length pressing down on your sit bones reaching up with the crown of the head you're creating more space for the discs and everything can breathe better power of our visualization in activating our body in different ways is is great so visualizing the energetic action that we're about to take is is a tool for athletes before they do the high jump they're rehearsing it they're feeling it the muscles are going through their readiness and we do it too almost naturally if you allow it and add your awareness so next knee extension leg extension so it's some of us like to hold rubber balls if you have them it's not really a weight thing it's just get more squeeze hand exercise so I'm going to sit at if I sit back a little more so not touching the back of chair I'm gonna extend my right leg and point flex and that'll be one the if you're building up your strength you maybe won't leave the foot off the ground might just go forward or it might go forward and up a couple inches and you're gonna be I mean I'm feeling that right there in my front of my thigh the quad muscles which is our target so when it was slowly you know use momentum we use our own muscle strength so we'll do 12 to 12 rep sets on each side inhale and reach out with the heel point flex and return to point flex three point flex return for point flex return reach for the heel for five six seven eight inhale nine inhale ten inhale eleven inhale and twelve and back and now one of the reasons the balls agreed to tap on my with but also now we'll do essentially the same thing simple circle angles for right at the apex of the movement inhale your power exhale out reach for the heel circle and return eleven try to keep your torso erect nine that's a good core for the exercise seven reach circle six three two and one and kind of feels good to me to have that go up on the ball of my foot and just kind of swing the knee in and out as a release the right knee so now left legs ready to go 90 degrees inhale and reach to the left heel press towards straight point flex and return to point flex return three point flex return torso stays upright four five six ten eleven and twelve tap tap now a key strategy if you start to feel tired you're saying I can't get through this whole set modify change take it down to that slide your foot out with a tiny left avoid it at all possible not stopping just reduce the effort to something that you can tolerate and when you're ready come back again second set inhale reach your height sit bones are down front of the head reaching tall creating more space uno inhale dos circle the ankle three four three four five six seven ten one say let's welcome twelve in any language I put my knees wide press my forearms lift my sit bone so my back is straight and come down a little bit I'm pressing my elbows against my inner knees and vice versa and allows my chest maybe drop a little further and inhale up just to view this important point back lower back ease you ever feel stress strain pulling there just stop because you can change your position so as I hinge forward for anything what I mean is like a piece of paper right at the hip creases and the sit bones have to lift the back of my sit bones are off the chair now and that allows me to keep natural lower back curve and come forward with a straight and safely moving spine you'll hear that again and again so let's see falls away and take up our hand weights or overhead press this one we advise everyone to do seated because we're taking the weights up and it's hard to maintain our stability so we lift the weights out to the side elbows are out to the side and press up like those big left lift weight lifters that you see with a big long you know what I mean too and we just press up it goes up but it doesn't go back like here or that's unstable it's right it's at an angle press three inhale how you get the kayak up on my car four inhale five for us in the box up on the shelves for six seven eight remember can alternate nine ten eleven twelve and rest first up so that's a healthy modification keep moving keep effort going but you just take it down the notch and if you've been away from class for a while you need to step back and you know take those modifications before you catch up with where you were before and start moving ahead second step don't say oh inhale good inhale twirl inhale the weight slightly in front got sink cease set wait rest these bones and that feels good it feels good to stop I mean even if you like exercising it always feels good to stop no doubt about that all right let's stand up for a moment and bend our knees and take a hula hoop hip circle and other side and then standing feet reach up interlace the fingers and press up and reach up and feel your leg feel it pull up on your belly and hips out of your thighs waist out of your hips make your out of your waist and so on reach and now we'll do side leg raise our lateral movement and the muscles on our side are really important to us something you can do at home is just walk sideways along your kitchen counter or around the island or but we do it more intensely here with weights in our side leg raise so using the chair just for balance shifting my weight to my left but lift the right foot turn the toe really it's a very pigeon toad right now as you lift it out to the side that targets the right muscles that were after and then slowly squeeze back so there's no swinging swings for kids inhale turn and then lift feel your pressing a big weight out and then here you got a big balloon you're starting to squeeze the air out up to bring back yet three squeeze four squeeze five squeeze six seven squeeze it back eight nine ten yeah 11 12 pause roll the feet make the knees hang there the cap stretch second set oh no no rush exhale inhale for those three squeeze back four five six seven eight nine ten 11 press into the standing like a laptop don't say don't say here we are just came upon us so I'm bending one knee then the other fill it pulling on those side lateral leg muscles so good now left leg standing on the right and really pressed into the floor with the right lifting up pull in your right hip so you're not sagging here up press left foot toad turns in and lift see it got straight when it's out there but two inhale three inhale you can give a small bend in the standing knee standing leg four inhale five inhale six inhale seven eight nine ten 11 and 12 back okay one more step this is our last leg exercise enjoy it one two three four Cinque Antonio's pizzas say set the auto no bae don't rush don't rush get every dollop the edge all right one that she and all that she if you got an extra one consider yourself lucky if you missed one take it do it right now and we can take off our leg weights so we have one more arm hand exercise balance work so feel this feel a vibration of your body in heat we're building muscles but we're also moving the fascia of all the the the wrapping of the organs and inside the skin all the places that sticky with lack of movement they're fluid and to stop speaking of fluid drink water before class drink water during class I'm not been modeling it because thinking about things but I'm talking to so I really need to drink just think bathing all the all the internal parts move better with fluid with lubrication so our next last weighted exercises with hands weights and we've come to call it the marionette exercise but showing it without weights for a moment so we're series of 90 degree angles angles under the knees shoulders right over the hips straight back and I'm going to hold the weights right here I'm going to lift elbows and forearms so that my wrist elbow and shoulder are approximately at one level and down so take it with the weights and already it's a work right here belly to the spine inhale power exhale lift or one two inhale three keep your shoulders down four six eleven well and down one more weighted set to this class of healthy bones and movement great in here and I in here deal in here three in here and they exit at the top of toe and there they come to learn and like a little like and calm down wow good work good work all of us squeeze that easiest muscle top of the shoulder whoo it's good workout but it's our job getting older this one comes with it can't take strength for granted we've got to go out meet it halfway so strength is checked off and balance being stronger already working on your balance because you've had to balance your torso while your weights are putting a new pressure on it but this is more direct your chair or wall shift away to left leg and left the right one you can have a balance experience even my toes are touching my toes are touching there but so lightly pressing the heel against the ankle and I can lift it up you know like a quarter of an inch and feel the wobble and find the balance I'm pressing that stick with the thigh hip my standing leg in and you might put your heel up further and we'll do 30 seconds approximately keep pressing into the midline feel all of your body energy moving to that golden line from the left heel to the crown of the head may take your top of her big side back side bone back a little bit so it's really right over the ankle that's supposed to be having to have over the arch of your foot and then stretch up your sternum and down and a little wiggle shaking release and other leg stand on the right so slouch into it first see what slouch remind yourself if you forgot what the slouch feels like oh feels good but it is a really good so press in press in live on back so it's right over the ankle not into or right there and find your place of balance and you want to reach up you can you can keep a hand one up one down it's a good idea belly in and just think about stacking the blocks of your bones and weight like a child builds the stack of blocks if they're aligned that's half the work of balance and you're not using as much muscle to do it and if you lose balance just find it again lose find that's the practice lose find reach reach climb maybe climb whole under ropes at the top of the gym and release now some of the best part is getting to stretch those work muscles so I'm sitting in the chair drop in my facing left knee is forward right knees back great thighs perpendicular to the floor back toes scroll under and pressing the back toes of the floor reaching towards the floor with the right knee I'm stretching this back by muscle I can have more support with the chair and move back until the point where you feel that's sufficient stretch sensation and you're keeping that foot the back leg active so you're not pulling by soft fine muscle you're pulling an engaged muscle like pressing into the back toes reaching with the knee and come up to feel pretty good and you may have a great stretch right here we're all so different which muscles are tight and worked so same principle pressing down left toes under left knee like reaching in here and inhale and pause take the right arm across reach and you can use the other arm to pull it in pull so the outside of your right shoulder right arm meets the ball socket gets a nice pull opposite to what we've been doing and short sides across reach you can pull back with that left shoulder finger flicks while you're here time's running out in our hour of power try that stretch reach up and bend the elbow and take the hand back it's staying a modified quad stretch even I'm reaching my hand walking up with the fingers down the back a little bit I'm noticing that my ribs are lifting up some more take my front lips down again lifts the backwards up a little bit and then press down take left hand press down on the right elbow maybe press it back a little bit to intensify the stretch as you need to we really should hold the stretch for like six seconds minimum to allow the muscles to respond you can do more when we finish together so again now left arm lift of elbow bends goes back reaches down and and loads up upper arm bone into the shoulder socket and so then it can safely press back more and reach and come down let's just shoulder circles so this is just our Monday Wednesday classes are 10 a.m. call senior center for zoom reverse and you'll find continual series of videos here but well it's good to keep moving whether you're seeing a recorded class or with us a lot pressing down with the feet inhale up it's going to take a moment to celebrate your commitment to movement and your vibration and energy that movement gives you yes I hope you're tired that would be a good workout but the energy internal energy is building thanks so much see you again healthy bones and balance