The Life Plan (35 page)

Side Lunge: strengthens your body’s lateral motion.

Benefits:
Improves balance, stability, and core strength.

To start:
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart in a slightly squatting position.

Pushing off with the left leg, jump to the right side, landing on the right leg, in a squatting position.

As you land softly, twist at the waist to touch your right toe with your left hand.

Repeat in a continuous motion for 20 to 30 seconds, alternating right and left legs.

Benefits:
Improves balance, stability, and core strength.

To start:
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. It’s a good idea to perform this exercise near a wall or piece of equipment in case you lose your balance.

Lift your right leg off the floor 6 inches.

Lean forward at the waist and touch your left foot with your right hand.

Return to starting position.

Repeat 10 to 20 times, switching legs each time.

The following is a list of simple ways to improve balance that you can do anytime, anywhere.

Walk through your house as if you were walking on a tightrope. Walk by placing the toe of one foot touching the heel of the other, then place the lagging foot at the toe of the front foot. Repeat until you reach your destination. You can also do this outside on a curb.

Figure 8 walking. Walk in a figure 8 more and more quickly, with the 8 getting smaller and smaller.

Stand on one foot for at least 30 seconds. A good goal is at least 60 seconds per foot. Keep track so you can see how you progress each month.

Balance on one leg while performing daily activities (brushing your teeth, cooking, showering, or combing your hair). Remember to keep your knee slightly bent.

Pick up objects (newspaper, shoes, pen, and so on) while standing on one leg. This may not sound very hard, but be sure to have something nearby to hold on to in case you fall.

Focus your strength-training program to include exercises for the muscles in the hips, glutes, low back, abdominals, and core if you are already experiencing problems with balance.

O
ur bodies tend to lose muscle mass and gain body fat as we get older. Resistance training is really the key to turning that trend around. It is the single most effective way to lose body fat and achieve a high level of strength, muscle mass, and physical fitness. Yet while many men are intrigued by resistance training, I find that they are fearful or hesitant at the same time. I can tell you firsthand that without resistance training I would never look or feel as good as I do. And while I do get sore from time to time after a good workout, I never train to the point of injury or lasting pain.

Nothing in the wide world of exercise can compare to resistance training when it comes to creating the body you want. It can be performed anywhere . . . without any equipment. Resistance training exercise generally involves lifting weights, but can be accomplished by using either all or part of your body weight as a resistance, or moving your body against some externally imposed resistance, such as elastic resistance bands, free weights, or a strength-training machine.

If you are adamant about achieving peak physical fitness and having a great body, resistance training must be an essential part of your training regimen. That’s because resistance training is the single best way to break down muscle tissue, which forces the body to adapt by adding more and bigger muscle cells during repair. Simply put, you tear down muscle during a workout, and your body builds it back up again. The best part is that building new muscle cells takes energy, in the form of calories. So you are not only getting bigger muscles, you’re burning calories at an increased rate and diminishing body fat.

Men who put resistance or strength training on the back burner are missing a golden opportunity to reap maximum benefits. Studies have shown the importance of strength training in the prevention and rehabilitation of many chronic disease problems, such as physical dysfunction, obesity/low metabolism, weight control, osteoporosis, lower back pain, and heart disease.