My New Exercise Routine

1. STRETCHING EXERCISES
2. Do these approx. 10 minutes as a warm up:

3. On tiptoes, reach arms to the sky and stretch out with each arm reaching higher and higher
4. With arms up over head and feet 12” apart, bend down and touch floor in between feet. Raise back up to standing with hands on hips and then touch again, repeating this step until you can put hands flat on floor, if possible. Do in reps of 8.
5. Move feet further apart and do the same as above only this time touch your foot, alternating each time with the different foot. Do in reps of 8.
6. The chair exercise: Holding onto the back of a chair – keep body straight and on tiptoes bend knees slowly as you lower yourself into a squatting position. Do this slowly and rythmically to concentrate on stretching knee ligaments. Do 8 reps. Repeat with feet flat on floor to stretch out calves. Do 8 reps.
7. Still holding chair – With body erect, move one leg out behind you and hold it until you feel it stretching. Do this slowly and gracefully like a ballerina. Do each leg 8 times.
8. To finish the stretching: Reach hands for the sky, breathing very deeply as you do. Exhale as you bend down and nearly touch the floor. Do this 8 times.
9. Rest 30 seconds before continuing to next steps.
   

1. FLOOR EXERCISES
2. Do 8 sissy pushups (with knees on floor) Concentrate on pulling in
3. abdomen while doing these. Try to keep upper body as straight as possible.
4. Lying on back, raise legs up and lower them, almost touching the
5. floor. Bring legs up to chest and then up again, repeating this process until you have done 8 reps.
6. Still lying on back, raise one leg at a time and lower slowly to floor, not touching floor, and raise back up slowly. Do each leg 8 reps.
7. Do 10 regular situps touching toes each time
8. Rest 30 seconds before continuing to next steps.

1. STANDING AND JUMPING EXERCISES
   
2. Do 8 jumping jacks
3. Hop up and down in place 8 times ( Do this 3 times stopping for a couple of secs between each 8 reps.)
4. Run in place 50 steps
5. Rest 30 seconds before continuing to next step.

1. FINAL STRETCH
   
2. Do the “Ballerina Stretch”. This consists of beginning with 8 reaches to the front with arms outstretch, reaching further each time, then left arm overhead and right arm reaching down stretching 8 times, each time reaching further down. Repeat with left arm. Then reduce to 7 times reaching out in front and continue process until you have done only one each.

1. BARBELL EXERCISES
   
2. Doing reps of 8 while standing, do forward, sideward and curling movements with 2 lb weights. Be creative. Stop when you feel you are overdoing it.

* Now I know this doesn't seem like a lot but it's a start and I don't want to overdo it. I keep the little barbells handy and work with them several times a day. As for the other, sometimes I do more reps than on this page. I will be adjusting it upward as soon as I feel I am getting stronger.