Two minutes a day of each of the exercises below may just help you stay afloat this festive season:

• Squats
• Plank
• Push-Ups
• Walking & Dancing

SQUATS

STEPS

1. Keep feet shoulder width apart
2. Back should be straight (standing posture)
3. Bend knees and lower your rear till your thighs are horizontal.
4. Return to the standing position
5. Repeat steps 1-4
6. Remember to stretch the muscles used after the exercise.

If you have difficulty following the steps above, place a chair behind you and with your back straight try to sit on it. Do not let your buttocks touch the seat, then return to the standing position and repeat. As your technique improves, you may remove the chair.

As one gets stronger you may even carry some weights while doing squats but as always start with caution. You may do only 3 reps at a time (properly). Gradually add some more.

WHEN TO AVOID SQUATS

• Severe knee pain irrespective of cause
• Knee injury even if no longer painful ( you will need professional supervision)
• Acute back pain ( you will later do back slides which is similar to squats and helps strengthen back muscles)

This exercise benefits almost everyone with a lifestyle disease. Hypertensives (those with high blood pressure) even get a bonus since it causes peripheral pooling of blood and helps to lower the blood pressure over time.

PLANK

Arguably the safest exercise for strengthening abdominal muscles and also has the added benefit of strengthening lower back muscles. Especially for people who sit for long hours (you shouldn’t anyway) this is great news for helping your back.

1. Start by getting into a push-up position
2. Bend your elbows and rest your weight on your forearms and not on your hands
3. Support your lower body on your toes
4. Your body should form a straight line from shoulders to ankles just like a plank of wood
5. Engage your core (midsection) by sucking your belly button into your spine
6. Hold this position for the prescribed time. This may vary from 5 seconds to 1 minute. Repeat.

PUSH-UPS (PRESS-UPS)

This is probably the first exercise most people try out; well apart from laughter and walking I presume and everyone is familiar with it.

Go ahead and squeeze a minute or more a day in there.

WALKING & DANCING

Before you set out to exercise your muscles remember to walk at least two minutes before you start and a minute after you are done.

You may even walk while in one place, what matters is moving your legs and arms and getting your heart to pump.

Use every opportunity during the day to:

• use the stairs instead of the elevator
• walk while you talk on your cell phone
• Walk to a colleague’s desk at the office instead of using the phone or sending someone else.
• Pick your own stuff for cooking instead of sitting and getting people to assist with even the trivial errands
• Dance with your heart whenever you have a chance; during work, while watching TV and even while you take a shower.

It appears we do not have many “home-made” Christmas songs to truly create a Made-In-Ghana Christmas. Our musicians should be looking at this as Ghana is fast becoming a preferred destination at Christmas. Many of us may be used to songs like Jingle Bells that starts with “..Dashing through the snow…” I am not sure many people associate themselves with snow on this side of the globe and does it not sound weird when you visit the Motherland and most of the Christmas carols are about snow and Santa. Maybe this is just another of my discussions about “much ado about nothing.”

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO MY DEAR READERS AND MAY 2020 BE OUR BEST YEAR EVER!!

AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)

Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel

Health Essentials Ltd/Mobissel/St. Andrews Clinic

(www.healthessentialsgh.com)

*Dr. Essel is a medical doctor, holds an MBA and is ISSA certified in exercise therapy, fitness nutrition and corrective exercise.

Thought for the week – “The launch of my maiden book, UNRAVELLING THE ESSENTIALS OF HEALTH & WEALTH comes off on Saturday 21^st December 2019 at the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel, Accra from 4pm to 7pm.”

References:

• The Gym Bible
• www.webmd.com
• 30dayfitnesschallenges.com