Exercises You Can Do From the Comfort of Your Home

Whether you are currently receiving physical therapy or simply looking to strengthen your body, exercising at home is a great way to prevent future injury and retain your mobility. Here are four exercises you can try at home:

Squats (Lower Extremity Exercise)

Squats are a type of low-intensity exercise that will help strengthen your legs and help promote muscle growth throughout the body. This leg exercise will put stress on your knees, so technique is important to ensure the stress is not destructive and instead improving knee stability. Here is how to do the exercise at home:

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
• Grab onto a stable surface, like a chair or couch.
• Bend knees as if you are sitting in a chair.
• Keeping your back straight, raise and lower body until it becomes too strenuous.
• NOTE: Do not allow your knees to extend past your toes.

Wall Pushups (Shoulder Exercise)

Wall pushups are a great way to strengthen your chest and shoulders. The level of intensity of this exercise can vary depending on how far your feet are from the wall. The farther your feet, the more strenuous the exercise will be. Here is how to do the exercise at home:

• Ensure you have plenty of open space around and are not standing on anything that could slide (such as a rug).
• Face a wall and raise your arms in front of you.
• Make your arms even with the ground and stand a little farther than arm’s length from the wall.
• Make your feet shoulder width apart and lean your body forward.
• Push against the wall by straightening your arms in a slow, controlled motion.
• Slowly repeat leaning in and pushing away from the wall until the activity becomes too strenuous.

Towel Grips (Upper Extremity Exercise)

To strengthen your grip in a controlled, low impact way, try this easy home exercise – all you need is a dish towel that has been rolled up. This exercise is particularly effective if you are recovering from a hand injury and looking to regain grip strength. Here is how you can do this exercise at home:

• Grab a rolled up towel in your hand.
• Squeeze the towel as hard as you can for 10 seconds.
• The towel should be thick enough to prevent you from making a fist.
• To increase difficulty, try squeezing for longer periods of time.

Prone Press Ups (Back Exercise)

This low-impact exercise resembles a push-up, but is less strenuous and focuses on your lower back muscles. This will help stretch your lumbar spine and help relieve pain from a pinched nerve. Here is how to do this exercise at home:

• Lay flat on your stomach in a “push-up” position.
• Push up with your arms.
• Keep your hips pressed against the ground and lower back relaxed.
• Slowly lower your body back to the starting position.
• Repeat several times until activity becomes too strenuous.

Home exercises yield many health benefits, but if you are suffering from serious pain, it’s time to talk to a professional. At Premier Physical Therapy, we provide you with effective exercises and physical therapy to help you get back to life and what you love. Call us today at 573-335-7868.