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Contents

Taking the first steps

How much exercise should you aim for?

Why bother to exercise?

Safety first

Do you need to see a doctor?

Posture, alignment, and angles: Striking the right pose

Equipment: Choosing the right stuff

Getting started

A simple cardio workout

Why weight matters

Dig deep for motivation

Planning worksheet

Using the workouts

What information is in each workout?

Answers to six common questions

Ankle workout

Ankles 101

Ankle exercises

Knee workout

Knees 101

Knee exercises

Hip workout

Hips 101

Hip exercises

Shoulder workout

Shoulders 101

Shoulder exercises

Wrist and elbow mini-workout

Resources

Glossary

Dear Reader,

Joint pain throbs, aches, and hurts. Quite likely, it makes you think twice about everyday tasks and pleasures like going for a brisk walk, lifting your grandchild or some grocery bags, chasing a tennis ball across the court, or driving a golf ball down the fairway. Sharp reminders of your limitations arrive thick and fast, practically every time you move.

Very often, the culprits behind joint pain are osteoarthritis, old injuries, repetitive or overly forceful movements during sports or work, posture problems, aging, or inactivity. Ignoring the pain won’t make it go away. Nor will avoiding all motions that spark discomfort. In fact, limiting your movements can weaken muscles, compounding joint trouble, and affect your posture, setting off a cascade of further problems. And while pain relievers and cold or hot packs may offer quick relief, fixes like these are merely temporary.

By contrast, the right set of exercises can be a long-lasting way to tame ankle, knee, hip, or shoulder pain. Practiced regularly, the workouts in this report might permit you to postpone—or even avoid—surgery on a problem joint that has been worsening for years, by strengthening key supportive muscles and restoring flexibility. Over time, you may find limitations you’ve learned to work around will begin to ease. Tasks and opportunities for fun that you’ve weeded out of your repertoire by necessity may come back into reach, too.

Beyond the benefits to your joints, becoming more active can help you stay independent long into your later years. Regular activity is good for your heart and sharpens the mind. It nudges blood pressure down and morale up, eases stress, and shaves off unwanted pounds. Perhaps most importantly, it lessens your risk of dying prematurely. All of this can be achieved at a comfortable pace and very low cost in money or time—in fact, this report will show you how to fold many activities into your daily routine.

So select the specific workout you need. Check our safety tips, and then get started. We’ve combined our expertise in physical medicine and rehabilitation as well as personal training to prescribe gentle, effective warm-ups, stretches, and strengthening moves that will help you regain flexibility and build up supportive muscles. For avid golf and tennis players, or office athletes wincing from work-related repetitive motions, we’ve written a special section on wrists and elbows to get you back in the game.

Sincerely,

Edward M. Phillips, M.D.

Medical Editor

Josie Gardiner

Master Trainer

Joy Prouty

Master Trainer

Taking the first steps

Maybe you love to exercise. Or maybe you don’t. Either way, we can show you how to set a course toward a healthier life by finding new ways to stay active. In this section, you’ll find the answers to two very important questions: How much exercise should you aim for if you wish to stay healthy and independent? And, why bother to exercise at all?

How much exercise should you aim for?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services physical guidelines urge all adults—including people with various disabilities—to accumulate a weekly total of 150 minutes or more of moderate aerobic activity, or 75 minutes or more of vigorous activity, or an equivalent mix of the two, spread throughout the week. That’s sufficient to gain all the health benefits described in “Why bother to exercise?”.

One way to attain this is engaging in 30 minutes of physical activity per day, five days a week, as the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association recommend in collaborative guidelines. Or you can tot up your weekly time in exercise sessions of various lengths throughout the week. Keep in mind:

• Ten minutes of vigorous activity equals approximately 20 minutes of moderate activity. (When doing moderate activity, you can talk, but not sing; during vigorous activity, you can say only a few words without pausing to breathe.)

• Activity should last at least 10 minutes at a time.

• Twice-weekly sessions of strength exercises focused on the legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms are recommended, too.