Safe Beginner Workout at Home for Seniors: Who Should Exercise? YOU

By Doug Jones

Safe Beginner Workout at Home for Seniors: Who Should Exercise? YOU

What's In This Article

• Who Should Exercise? A Few Questions First
• Why Out-of-Shape Beginners Get the Fastest Results
• What Happens in 7 Seconds, 7 Minutes, and 7 Days
• How to Start a Safe Beginner Workout at Home
• Beginner Mistakes That Stop Seniors Cold
• Beginner Workout Questions I Get Asked Most

Aloha from Kaua'i. If you have been searching for a safe beginner workout at home for seniors, the first thing you need is not a program. It is permission. Permission to start badly, start small, and start today. Here is the column that launched my newspaper Q&A, and it answers the very first question anyone should ask.

Who Should Exercise? Who's on First??? YOU!!!

As an introduction to my inaugural Q & A column about exercise and eating & fitness and fat loss, I'd like to begin by taking the lead and first asking you a few: Are you often more interested in pigging out than in working out? Does going to a gym seem to be an endless exercise in futility? Has the proverbial (wo)man in the mirror recently made you reflect upon your own image of health and happiness? Do you want to know the secrets of how to get fit fast (and forever), and perhaps even laugh a little as you learn a lot?

Most importantly… are you sincerely seeking the Smartest, Simplest, Speediest, and Safest Secrets and Scientific Solutions to Strength, Stamina, Stretching, and Sustenance?

If so, then we're definitely on the same page, in reading and in writing, because… WHO's on first… and YOU are my perfect audience.

If I'm preaching to the choir, GREAT! Stay tuned. Kudos goes to those of you already working out on a regular basis… becoming lean, toned, flexible, and fit. There is nothing more amazing than a finely tuned body. Hmmm? Or is there? Actually, to me, its unhealthy counterpart is even more of a magnificent marvel.

If you haven't exercised for years, or forever, then YOU are the miracle in the making. If you are fit-less and frustrated, my new Garden Islander friend, then YOU are my inspiration.

Why Out-of-Shape Beginners Get the Fastest Results

So… why is being overweight, weak, out of breath, and inflexible such a wonderful thing? Why are you a phenomenon because you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or smoke two packs a day?

Well, for one thing, I am always amazed at the capacity for misuse and abuse that our bodies are designed to handle, albeit even if temporarily. This alone is an absolute wonder… at least to me. You and your body are remarkably resilient, regardless of whether or not your current state of "health" is compromised by years of deconditioning or disease. It often takes decades of hard work (and hardly working) to destroy your body.

For many people, a very forgiving body is something for which to be extremely thankful.

And what is truly miraculous is that when you finally decide to switch gears, it doesn't take decades, years, or even months to change directions and reverse the aging process. Within reason, anything that you want to change physically can change immediately. IMMEDIATELY!!! Decades and decades of neglect and abuse can stop instantaneously.

And do you want some really good news? Do you want to know what you can do to transform your body and your life as phenomenally fast as humanly possible? Be in bad shape. Period! Circular, oval, or even square shapes qualify. The more "out-of-shape" that you are today can elicit the greatest relative transformation toward your own personal ideal shape of tomorrow, externally and, most importantly, internally.

Furthermore, you hardly have to do anything to get significant results initially. Consequently, it's not only super simple to shape up, but also super-duper easy. Why? Because the difference between doing nothing and next-to-nothing is tremendous, and your body will respond rapidly and adapt accordingly.

Long-term goal setting is great, but what if you could actually see and feel changes this week? How about this very day?

What Happens in 7 Seconds, 7 Minutes, and 7 Days

When exercise is performed correctly and, at the very least, consistently inconsistently, the effects affect everything. The following paybacks from proper exercise aren't only possible, but always probable. Health is wealth, so invest in yourself and expect change:

• Increase your flexibility... in only 7 secs.
• Lower your blood pressure... in only 7 mins.
• Stabilize your blood sugar level... in only 7 hours.
• Enhance cardiovascular stamina... in less than 7 days.
• Boost muscular strength and tone... in less than a week.
• Decrease a multiple of clothing sizes... in less than a month.

I've seen these results (and more than these results) in my own clients… and in my own mirror. Do you want proof? Do you need proof? Unfortunately, I have definitely "been there and done that" a couple of times myself. Fortunately, I have also been able to help a couple of thousand people do the same thing.

If you'd like a little more reassurance about the possibilities of a true metamorphosis, please visit Super7System.com to witness my personal physique transformation story and video. And, yes, it's totally free to watch and to begin learning about the best way to exercise and the best way to eat.

How to Start a Safe Beginner Workout at Home

Here is the part folks always ask for after they read that column: what do I actually do on day one? Keep it embarrassingly small. Small is what you repeat.

• Pick your spot and your time. Same place, same time of day. The decision itself is half the work.
• Warm up with stamina. Two or three minutes of easy walking, in the hallway or around the yard, until you feel warm and your breathing picks up slightly.
• Do a little strength. Stand up and sit down from a firm seat a few times, slowly. Do a few wall push-ups. Slow beats heavy every single time.
• Finish with stretching. A gentle reach overhead, a calf stretch against the wall, a slow neck turn each way. Seven seconds each is enough to feel a change.
• Stop while you still feel good. Beginners should finish thinking "I could have done more." That is exactly how you come back tomorrow.
• Write down that you did it. One check mark a day beats a perfect plan you abandon in a week.

That is a complete beginner workout. It takes about seven minutes, needs nothing you have to buy, and hits every pillar I teach: strength, stamina, stretching, and sustenance. If you want the whole thing laid out day by day, it is free at Super7System.com.

Beginner Mistakes That Stop Seniors Cold

• Going too hard on day one. Soreness that lasts four days is not proof of progress; it is proof of poor pacing.
• Waiting for a perfect week. There is no perfect week. There is only this afternoon.
• Copying a younger person's routine. Programs built for a 30-year-old athlete are a poor fit and often an injury waiting to happen.
• Skipping the warm-up. Cold joints and quick movements are a bad pair, especially first thing in the morning.
• Measuring only the scale. Blood pressure, energy, sleep, stairs, and how your clothes fit all move before the scale does.
• Quitting after a missed day. Consistently inconsistent still wins. Just start again.

If you're excited about the notion of a transformative experience, the good news is that your body is ready when you are. And the best news is that it's ready AS you are! If you're currently doing nothing, it's time to learn the right way to do next-to-nothing. And I'm here to help!

So, if WHO sounds like YOU, then who are you NOT to exercise?

Beginner Workout Questions I Get Asked Most

What is a safe beginner workout at home for seniors?

A few minutes of easy walking to warm up, a handful of slow sit-to-stands and wall push-ups for strength, and two or three gentle stretches to finish. About seven minutes, no equipment, no floor work.

How often should a senior beginner exercise?

Aim for most days, but train each muscle group no more than two or three times a week. Rest days are when the improvements actually get built.

Is it too late to start exercising at 70 or 80?

No. The longer you have gone without, the bigger and faster your relative improvement. Strength, balance, blood pressure, and stamina all respond at every age.

Do I need to see a doctor before starting?

If you have been sedentary for months or years, or you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, a family history of heart disease, or you smoke, get a physical before you get physical. Better safe than sorry.

In the meantime, please submit any questions that you may have about health and fitness, and I'll do my best to answer them in upcoming columns.

Ready to put this to work today? Try SUPER 7 FREE for a Smart-Simple-Speedy-Safe daily starting point: no gym, no equipment, no downloads - just open and go.

In Health & With Hope,

Doug :-)

About the Author: Douglas Jones, BS, MA, CSCS

Douglas Jones earned his Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Maryland and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. As an Exercise Physiologist and Concierge Fitness Professional based in Kaua'i, he has helped thousands of clients in person and millions online build simple, science-based habits for strength, stamina, stretching, and sustenance.

Doug is the founder of the Super 7 System — a complete training system you can do at home in as little as 7 minutes a day.

Watch his free intro and start free at Super7System.com.

Try Super 7 Free →