Everyone knows that those over 40 need to sustain muscle / avoid atrophy, keep joints limber, and, most important, MOVE. That means exercise regularly. With the sporadic golf, bike riding and walking I got part of this done, but not enough and not consistently enough. But standard “Drive to a gym or pool” exercise regimes did not hook me — too much time and hassle.
I needed an exercise routine that required no driving (do it at home), took 30 minutes or less, and helped my golf game.
Enter the PBS pledge documentary featuring Miranda Esmonde-White who described her ‘Aging Backwards’ program of Essentrics or Classical Stretch. After watching the program I felt convinced and thought it worth a try. We got the book and the tape with the pledge to WGBH Boston.
And we found the 30 minute sessions pretty amazing to do — very different and somewhat easier and more doable than Pilates or my standard physical therapy work.
As Wikipedia describes, the exercise regimen includes “….elements of ballet, tai chi, and physiotherapy.[1] Classical Stretch was designed to relieve pain, increase athletes’ speed, and lengthen the muscles of the full body.[6] The technique is continuous movement, usually standing. Barre work can be done using a chair or counter top. Floor work requires a yoga mat and optionally a resistance band and/or a yoga block. Esmonde-White’s technique includes no weight-bearing exercises that can stress the wrist like yoga. Her movements are easy to do, unlike Pilates where people try for technically correct moves.[1] She realized that her technique emphasized essentric movement, something that was known to sports medicine but had been sometimes considered wasted effort.[11] It took a while for the idea of strengthening the muscular system by lengthening muscles to catch on in fitness circles, but eventually she prevailed, asking her students to exercise for about 22 minutes every day.”
The Montreal Canadiens are followers.
After a while I could see why. It took years of off-and-on inconsistency for me to finally find a way to insure I spent the 30 minutes a day consistently. I credit the Atomic Habits approach, by James Clear with that victory (a topic for another post!) Also, with laptops and mobility you can take the exercises with you wherever you go. Here I am continuing the workouts poolside in Maui, Hawaii!
For now I cycle through this collection of about 36 different episodes on CDs.
Simple, old video but it works.
But with that habit in place I honestly can credit it with improving my ability to move and play golf and I definitely notice when I do not keep it up.
My wife got me this series of 30 22-minute workouts and I recommend it.
I hope you give it a try and find it helpful.
Here's What I Found 