Introduction
Do you see your body in the mirror and see the downslide your body has taken due to poor eating habits and lack of exercise? Or do you avoid the mirror all-together?
Maybe you just haven’t found the time or have been too busy to do any real kind of anything to maintain your body’s fitness.
During the writing of my second novel, I didn’t do any exercising–and I LOVE exercising. But I allowed myself to sacrifice the time I would spend exercising, and use it to work on my book.
The four years it took for the initial writing were four years spent allowing my body to remain in sedentary confinement.
What I did
After the first draft of my book was completed I realized I had to get back into exercising. So one dark day I hit the floor to do ten push-ups. I did one – barely.
Severely crest-fallen, I devised a plan which seems to be working. And I want to share it with everyone.
It’s not a new miracle technique, or a secret system or diet a scientist in Norway discovered. There are trillions of sites on the internet instructing you how to get fit. And probably the only way you found this blog was from word of mouth, not from any Google search results!
But read on, check out what I am doing to keep my body in shape, and if you get nothing out of it, not even a chuckle, then that’s okay, I understand.
About Me
I grew up in the California redwoods, reading comic books and practising Kung Fu. I also read my brother’s muscle mags and became very interested in exercise and nutrition. We had a plastic, sand-filled weight set I’d exercise with.
About a decade later I joined a gym. I was 6’2″ and in a few months I weighed, 195 lbs, with 10% bodyfat, and was feeling good.
It was in May or June in 1985 when I became sick. I couldn’t eat or drink without feeling I was going to vomit. My mom fed me Similac, a teaspoon at a time, to keep me nourished. This went on for two weeks before she insisted on taking me to the hospital.
They rehydrated me and ran blood tests … Five hours later, they released me, advising me to see a neurologist.
Over a period of a month, the neurologist ran more tests, finding nothing wrong. And I was beginning to feel better. Maybe there was nothing wrong with me. Or maybe it was a fluke that fixed itself.
Eventually, my neurologist opted to attempt an MRI scan (an emerging technology at the time).
My neurologist looked at the scans but wasn’t sure what he was looking at, so he sent me to a neurosurgeon for a second opinion.
The neurosurgeon examined the scans … shifting them this way and that, as I sat patiently waiting, knowing he’d find nothing wrong. Then he said: “There is definitely something here, and I want to operate next week.”
Two weeks after my surgery, my weight dropped from 195 lbs to 145 lbs. The steroid they gave me to keep my brain from swelling deteriorated 50 lbs of muscle tissue.
I could barely walk. Other side-effects were, an acne rash on my face and chest, and my face swelling up like a Cabbage Patch doll.
Also, they shaved the back and sides of my head, which made me look like the kid on Rush’s Power Windows album, which just so happened to have been released at that same time. Perfect!
When I saw myself in the mirror, I had quite a shock. I looked as if I had aged 50 years!
After a long, grueling recovery, all I wanted was to get back to exercising again. I thought of going back to my gym (Family Fitness) but it had closed down, dissolving my lifetime membership.
I felt too embarrassed to join a new gym, with the way I looked, so I did some research and purchased a SoloFlex. 
Do you remember that fine piece of work? No, no … that’s not me on the machine … or is it!?
So I exercised on the Soloflex for a few years before finally deciding on joining a gym.
I think it was the gym environment that appealed to me: being around the rhythmic clanking of steel, the ease of those grab and go pre-set free-weights…
Even the ritual of wiping down my sweat from the equipment, or someone else’s – or not. Somehow those things appealed to me then. I enjoyed hitting the gym in the wee hours of the morning, when noo-body but a few of us, was there.
The bug had bit me, and I was back in my environment. Over the years, I would quit then join other gyms for various reasons, mostly for all the social nonsense going on. I didn’t like the social posturing and showing off … waiting to use equipment … showering with strangers and on and on. I was there to exercise.
It was around 2009 when I purchased a more flexible and portable exercise system, and began exercising at home exclusively. I haven’t been back to a gym since. (More about that equipment at a later date).
During the writing of my second novel, I didn’t exercise at all and grew lazy. Now I’m over sixty, and have adopted my own “system” of exercise that suits me where I am.
I wanted to start a blog and share my story with others in my predicament, who realize they need to exercise, or get back to becoming fit again.
And, like me, has limited mobility or space, and would benefit from how I altered my exercise routine to help improve their muscle strength, flexibility, and even bone density. Stuff like that. So here I am!
Enough about me, what about you?
Who Can Benefit from this Exercise Routine?
Are you someone who doesn’t like to exercise but realizes that they should (hey, where have I heard that before??).
- Maybe you are a young kid like I was, interested in exercise and getting in shape.
- Perhaps you are an older person, like I am now, and want to improve your fitness and get back to a more active lifestyle.
Whoever you are, I hope you enjoy your time here and are encouraged to start exercising—whether you like it or not!—
and become a little, or a lot more fit.
Now then … let’s get to it!
Understanding Exercise: What Is It?
You think that’s a dumb question.
The word ‘Exercise’ has many definitions, interpretations, and uses. However, Exercise, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is:
“Bodily exertion for the sake of developing and maintaining physical fitness.”
Exercise, as defined by Roger Maxwell, is, and will always be:
“Focused bodily exertion for the sake of developing and maintaining physical fitness.”
It involves targeted movements and strict form, distinct from everyday activities like the following:
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gardening,
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working on the pool,
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chopping wood,
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moving furniture,
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taking care of the kids …
These fall into the category of Exertion. Can we consider these activities as exercise? Certainly. As long as we perform them in a focused manner using strict form which targets a specific muscle group. Otherwise, I’d say … NO!
The Mental Aspect of Exercise
Exercise is 75% mental and 25% physical. Some say the ratio is 80/20 or 60/40. And if you identify as someone who matches the title of this blog, who hates exercising but know they need it, then the ratio may be more like 90/10 for you.
So What Does This Mean?
In later years, the gym felt more like a social club than anything else. Everybody checking out each other, grabbing heavy weights, using improper form – swinging the weight, arching their back. If it wasn’t to impress, it was because they didn’t know what they were doing, while showing off how much they can lift.
By neglecting proper form and concentration, their minds weren’t focused on the exercise, or exercising. I could only imagine how much damage they were doing to their body – and the issues they’d be having in the coming years.
Focused Exercise
Here is where the mental aspect comes in:
By zoning out distractions and visualizing the targeted muscle group during each exercise, you can maximize the efficiency of your workouts and reach your goals more effectively – getting the best results in the shortest amount of time.
It may not be easy at first, but over time, as the muscle develops, it will become easier. I’ll go more in-depth when we discuss the actual exercises.
So What does Focused Exercise Feel Like?
I know that this has been a lot of chit chat thus far, with no application, but if you can master this concept it will be a huge benefit, and not just for excersizing. My Kung Fu training when I was a kid has helped me through diffilcult times in my life. And that’s where I began to learn about focusing.
NOW
Go get a can of soup, or a can of beans, tomato paste … or something that has some weight that you can hold comfortably in one hand. Go get that right now, then come back. I’ll wait……….
OKAY!
Now, hold the can (or whatever you’re using) at your side, arm straight, palm facing your body.
Keeping your arm straight, raise the can laterally (at your side) to shoulder height, parallel to the floor, then lower it back to your side. This exercise strengthens the middle head of your shoulder muscle, the deltoid.
But what other muscles were being used?
You gripped the can with your hand, so the muscles in your hand and forearm were being used, as well as your biceps, which attaches to the shoulder joint.
But we only want to exercise the shoulder. So we must focus.
Let’s try it again – focusing this time.
Loosen your grip on the can, without dropping it of course. Relax your whole arm: Tense, then release the forearm, then the biceps—tense, then release. This is to help relax your arm.
Now, stand straight, shoulders back, and look forward. Now close your eyes (actually, keep your eyes open until you finish reading the following). Pretend that you have a string connected to the top of your hand – as if you were a marionette.
With your arm hanging fully extended at your side, relaxed, palm facing your body. Now raise the can as if the string was lifting it, until parallel to the ground. Hold for a couple of seconds, then lower it to your side.
Did you feel a difference?
Did you feel more strain in your shoulder? It may take some practice before you can isolate that muscle. When you can feel that, it will make a difference in your muscle and strength development.
When your exercise is focused like this, not merely going through the motions, your exercise time will be spent more efficiently, and you will reach your goals sooner.
Let’s try one more exercise to set the mark.
Hold the can at your side, turn your hand so your palm is facing forward. Now do an arm curl. Bring the can up to your shoulder, then lower it back down. Great!
Now, focus this time. Relax your grip, as well as your forearm, biceps and shoulder. Now, become that marionette – this time the string is attached to the palm of your hand.
Pin your elbow to your side so it doesn’t move. With eyes closed, raise the can as if the string was lifting your hand toward your shoulder – focusing on your biceps throughout the movement.
Did you feel the difference? You may even have felt a little burn this time.
Focusing like this when you exercise can be applied to every exercise. However, the less developed the muscle, the harder it may be to feel the muscle during the movement, especially for those muscles which aren’t as developed as others. But that’s okay, muscle awareness will come over time.
The Exercises
Disclaimer: I am in no way or shape a doctor – nor do I play one on TV. I am not a physical trainer, nutritionist, neurologist, physiologist, family or marriage councelor. I hold no certifications in health or exercise or anything else that may get me sued should you get hurt following my instructions!
So I urge you to check with your doctor(s) first before embarking on any form of exercise no matter how tame it may seem, or from anyone – especially me. :0)
However, the exercises described in this blog should not cause any adverse affects to your health or wellbeing if you follow my instuctions.
Where and Wear?
I’m assuming that you are like me and don’t have a gym to go to, or want to go to a gym at this stage of the game, and want to start at home. And that’s fine – you are the person I’m writing this for.
Where? You need to find an open space where you are free to move about, with a non-slip floor, like carpet!
Wear? Wear nothing that restricts your movement. Shorts and a T-shirt generally work for most people, or whatever suits your fashion preference.
Exercise Equipment
What equipment will you need? None!
Really? Yes.
It may be helpful to have a chair, a wall, and perhaps your bed nearby for support. If you have those, you’re good!
Later on when your strength and mobility improves you will want to set some goals which may mean investing in some equipment. More on that later.
My Return to Exercise
From here on, I’ll be inter-mixing the path I took, trying to get back into shape, and making exercise an integral part of my life again. With it I’ll introduce struggles I experienced, things I learned and finally an exercise to get you started on your way to better health.
Starting With Legs
Why am I starting with legs? Strong legs provide support and help prevent injuries, particularly as we age. I began my return to exercise by focusing on leg exercises. Your legs are an important part of your body’s overall health and well-being. 
They are the pillars that support you, the movers that transport you from room to room, inside to outside, and around the block. They are your founding members, and provide the foundation for your body’s movement and support.
I learned years ago when I first started bodybuilding: If you don’t have strong legs you won’t be able to lift the heavy weights to help your muscles strengthen and grow. And whether that means dumbbells, barbells, or even your own body weight, you need strong legs to provide support and stability—especially as we grow older.
And I AM older!
So I try to throw in some leg exercises throughout my day: Marching down the hall with high knees, getting off the couch and doing four or eight short squats, maybe a few minutes of Kung Fu kicks … something to let my body know that I’m still up here and need them to keep me going.
The Importance of Leg Strength
Falls are a significant concern, especially for older adults, as they can lead to severe injuries and even fatalities. By building leg strength, you enhance stability and minimize the risk of falling.
Some stats to consider
- About 36 million falls are reported among older adults each year—resulting in more than 32,000 deaths.
- Each year, about 3 million older adults are treated in emergency departments for a fall injury.”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide.
- Each year an estimated 684,000 individuals die from falls globally of which over 80% are in low- and middle-income countries.
- Adults older than 60 years of age (That’s me!) suffer the greatest number of fatal falls.
37.3 million falls that are severe enough to require medical attention occur each year.
So after I decided to get back to exercising, the legs were the first muscle group I started with. Well, ah, perhaps I did do a few bicep curls and presses, just because.
I started out with some basic warm-ups: high knee raises (marching in place), to get the synovial fluid flowing in my joints. Then 12 repetitions of deep knee bends – not too deep though.
Not too deep at all—barely a squat—barely a knee bend for the last few reps.
My posture was horrible. I was in bad shape. But I did it. That’s what was most important to me, that I actually did it!
Then I stopped. Waited a minute or so, then 10 more reps, and I was done.
And I felt it. And my breathing was labored, which was good, and I thought:
Hey, I’m Exercising!
I sat on the edge of my bed for a couple of minutes and thought: Gotta do more! Push-ups. Gotta drop and do some push-ups!
I slid down to the floor, got on my hands and knees, and tried to do ten sissy push-ups.
I stopped after 8 reps, waited a few seconds, then 2 more. I rolled over onto my back —ashamed of the poor condition I was in, and closed my eyes. After a few moments I rolled back over and completed another 5 reps, then went to bed and slept like a log.
The Floor Challenge
Now that I mentioned the Floor… Another important thing for me was being able to get up from the floor without assistance. This takes core strength and balance, another couple of areas I was lacking in.
When I was active in the martial arts I could rise from a sitting cross-legged position like a ballerina. So I tried it.
Not a pretty sight.
I crawled to my bed and wormed my way up until I was standing. A moment of triumph passed before I fell back onto the bed.
If I wound up on the floor I wanted to be able to get back on my feet with nobody’s help.
Because let’s face it, accidents happen, as the CDC and WHO reported. And they can happen anywhere – not just at home where there’s a cozy carpet and soft pillows to cushion the fall. I could be at a park, taking a stroll in the woods, or simply walking around my neighborhood. And in times like these, relying on others for help isn’t something we should be putting our hopes in.
Besides, even if someone were to lend a hand, my pride would suffer more damage than my body from the fall.
I refuse to be another statistic among the thousands who suffer from hips fractures, or those who are tethered to a device in case they’ve fallen and can’t get up!
So I prioritize exercising my legs. Paying attention to my hips, my thighs (quads and hamstrings), calves, ankles and feet. We’ll dive into the specific exercises in the future, but for now, let’s start with the basics, and build our foundation.
The Knee Bend: A Foundational Exercise for Building a Strong Base.
Start with a couple of warm-ups. Hold on to something if your balance is poor, and perform some high stepping (marching in place), 10-12 reps. You want to warm up the muscles, get the blood flowing.
1. Stand,
- Arms at sides
- Shoulders back
- Feet shoulder-width apart
2. Keeping your back straight,
- bend your knees while raising your arms shoulder height.
3. Then,
- straighten your knees while lowering your arms, and return to a standing position.
Questions?
How many repetitions (reps)?
How many can you do before feeling pain, while maintaining good form? Two, ten, five, twenty?
Personally, I aim for 10-12 reps, then push myself to do one or two more, or until I feel the burn in my muscles. In the beginning, all I could do was two sets of three reps, before feeling fatigued. Remember, it’s important to progress gradually, but be cautious not to push yourself too hard and risk injury.
How far should I bend my knees?
Some recommend lowering yourself until your thighs are parallel with the floor, simulating a sitting position.
I don’t follow that advise, and here’s why:
It places a LOT of strain on your knee joints, which is something us old folk need to avoid. But not for old folks only!
Instead, stop just before reaching parallel. How far, you ask? At this juncture, if you’re not accustomed to this exercise or haven’t done it in a while, go as far down as you can until you start feeling mild discomfort, especially if it’s in your knees.
As your legs grow stronger you can gradually lower the depth of the knee bend. Ideally, for me, I want to go beyong parallel, surpassing that sticking point, into a deep squat. This way, I engage the whole quadriceps muscle (thigh).
Tension and range of motion
During an exercise like the bicep curl, strain or tension moves along the bicep, utilizing different areas of the muscle.
At the beginning of the curl, tension is focused where the bicep connects to the elbow. As the curl continues, the tension shifts along the muscle until uou reach the top of the curl. When lowering the arm, the tension reverses in the opposite direction.
Place your hand on the muscle and you will feel the tension travel from bottom to top.
Likewise, during a knee bend, tension originates at your knee and travels up along your thigh through the movement. Try placing your hand on your thigh and perform a knee bend. Can you feel it?
I, personally, want to get to the place where I’m exercising along the whole length of the muscle, through its full range of motion.
Perhaps you can only lower yourself a little, before you stand again. That’s fine. The object is to strengthen your legs, however gradually, so they can serve you best.
Alternate ways to perform the knee bend
- If your balance is a bit unsteady, hold on to the back of a chair, or the wall for support.
- If you are having a very hard time, sit at the edge of your bed and try to stand, then sit back down, then raise yourself up again.
- When it comes to raising your arms, you can just raise them slightly or to a level that feels comforable to perform the movement.
- For an extra challeng, keep your hands on your hips through the exercise, raise them at your sides, or hold your hands in front of you.
- For Variety: Once you’ve performed this exercise several times, and you legs are strenghening, try angling your feet outward a few degrees, or widen your stance a bit. You’ll find the inside of your thighs will be getting some attention.
Find a method that suits you best, but always remember to focus on the targeted muscle group (thighs/quadriceps) and maintain good posture (shoulders back, back straight, facing forward…). Once you start to feel your focus and posture faltering, stop the movement, pause, regroup … then continue.
NOTE: There are always secondary, and other supportive muscles involved in a movement. For instance, during a knee bend your butt, calves, ankles and feet come into play. And there are exercises that target these specific areas as well.
Since we’re on the topic, if you want to firm up that butt, set your focus on your butt (gluteous maximus) for the last couple of reps and tighten your gluts as you finish the movement to a standing position, and hold for a couple of seconds.
Before I wrap up I'd like to address the topic of stretching
Stretching is an activity you should engage in daily to improve flexibility and overall well-being. Here are a couple of stretches to start with:
Start while still in bed:
- Lean forward, stretch out your arms and grab your feet. If you can’t reach them, draw in your legs until you can grab on to those beasts.
- Relax your arms, legs, feet and back, allowing the tension melt away. If you’re experiencing a lot of pain, back off a bit.
- After the tension has lessened, press your feet forward until you feel your muscles tighten. Hold, and try to relax your back and legs, arms … as you did before. Then repeat.
Again, don’t go crazy, be gentle. But remember to focus! Focus on the muscles and joints that are being stretched.
Picture them in your minds eye and visualize your biceps streching as you’re holding on. Picture your hamstrings and your back muscles – close your eyes and visualize them and “see” them relax.
Take it slow. This is personal time with your body.
Another stretch:
- Stand straight, legs shoulder apart, and relaxed.
- Slowly bend over, letting your arms hang down at your feet.
- Carefully stand back up, pause, then slowly bend over and reach for the floor.
Again, focus! Concentrate on the muscles in your back and arms and legs. Feel them. Visualize your back and legs stretch and loosen.
For an extra challenge, try reaching a little in front of you, then to the middle, then reach behind your feet. Do this 1-3 times before returning to standing position.
Perform this stretch a couple of more times during the day. Take advantage of opportunities like when your feet are up, to lean forward for a quick stretch, or while standing, bend over and stretch.
These little actions will improve your mobility and inject a bit of variety into your daily routine. And you’ll be sacrificing – what? A few minutes of your day? A small investment for a better, healthier existence. And you’ll feel better, not just your body, but you’ll feel better about yourself – I don’t need to elaborate, I know.
Summing Up
Proper exercise is a focused, mentally engaging activity that contributes to improving your body’s fitness and overall wellbeing.
It improves brain function, bone, muscle and mental health. For me, personally, it encompasses all these things, but the mental health aspect is especially significant for me these days.
So if I can help another human being feel a bit better, a bit fitter, by giving them a peek into what is working for me, that makes me feel great.
I’ll be introducing more exercises and sharing more of what is working for me in my following posts. And I will be going a bit deeper into stretching exercises as well.
If you enjoyed this, or have been helped in any way, or have questions, please drop me a note. I’ll do my best to get back to you.
Meanwhile, take care of yourself, love the ones you’re with, and I’ll see you in my next communique!
Ciao for now.
Roger
