This web page is not for the purpose of creating elite athletes, or musclebound "beefcakes".
This web page has the aim of helping to achieve basic improved health and fitness, and, for the exercising and fitness training, to be sustainable - nothing more, nothing less.
The content of this web page is not, and, does not purport to be, "the be all and end all" of health and fitness. This web page is only to provide some advice and suggestions, which, if implemented, should, as described below, help to improve a person's basic health and fitness, and, should help to achieve and maintain a basic level of health and fitness, which should be better than if the advice and suggestions are not implemented.
I seek to add to it, as time goes on.
My name is Bret Busby, and I am an unqualified layman. So, you can take my advice, or leave it. I make no guarantees, as every person is different. However, I believe that, unless a person has some extreme handicap or highly unusual medical condition, my advice would, if implemented, help improve a person's health and fitness, at the basic level. My suggestion is to read all of the content of this web page, and, if you have any concerns, and/or if you have any medical conditions that may affect your participation, get qualified medical advice from a physician, before implementing (or, disregarding) my advice.
In reading the content of this web page, you would notice that most of the exercises described on this web page, can be done within a room in a house, apartment, flat, or in a caravan or cell - prison or otherwise, or, in your yard, if you have a yard in which you can do these exercises, or, anywhere where you have an area of about eight feet (about 2.5 metres) by five feet (about 1.5 metres), of clear, level ground or floor space, and so, should be able to be done without leaving your residence, during this time of lockdowns, apart from the walking, and, whether you are allowed to do that (other than by using a walking machine or elliptical training machine within your residence), by leaving your residence to go for a walk, for the sake of exercise, depends on the restrictions imposed where you are living. So, most of the exercises on this web page, can be regarded as cell workouts or cell exercising, or prison workouts or prison exercising, or room exercising, or, home exercising, and, do not need any equipment, and so, these exercises are exercises without equipment, or, simple and small workouts without equipment, unless, if you are restricted from leaving your residence, to go for a walk, you use a walking machine, or elliptical training machine, for the walking.
The work required to achieve and maintain a basic level of reasonable (not outstanding; just reasonable) health and fitness, is not a once-off, or short-term thing - is is a thing that requires daily commitment for the rest of a person's life, and, if a person does make the commitment, and, does put in the required time and effort, the life that is remaining, should be longer, and, of better quality, than if the person does not put in the required time and effort.
As I read in a cartoon, many years ago, that showed a doctor advising a businessman, who had gone to the doctor for a consultation;
"You have a choice - you can fit an hour a day, for exercise, into your busy schedule, or, you can fit in being dead, for 24 hours a day".
It is that simple. Reasonably good (not perfect) health and fitness, require a daily commitment - both time and effort, and, at least an hour each day, to get adequate benefit.
This is not about trying to compete with anyone else, or, about trying to prove that you are better than anyone else, and, it is not about trying to forever increase the speed or distance that you can achieve - it is about seeking to achieve realistic goals, that you can maintain for the rest of your life, so that, instead of one day, getting to the stage where you say "This is too hard - I have had enough - I will not do it any more", you instead say "I can do this, and, I can keep doing this, so I will keep doing this.".
My aim, here, is a commitment of an hour to an hour and a half, each day - for the rest of your life.
And, I suggest and recommend keeping a journal of the exercising that is performed. And, it would be a good idea, to keep, in that journal, a record of the ratio of your waist to height measurements, measured every 28 days; for example, on every fourth Saturday, at about the same time (for example, at about an hour after breakfast, or, immediately before breakfast), for consistency. Amongst other reasons, the waist to height ratio is now regarded as a better indication of obesity (or, being conversely underweight), than the BMI (Body Mass Index).
The first component that I mention, here, is walking.
The aim is to go for a sustained walk, for a minimum of one hour each day, walking 2-3 miles, or, in kilometres, 3.2 to 5 kilometres. I do not suggest walking at a brisk pace - I suggest walking at a comfortable pace - not dawdling, but, maintaining a comfortable pace. For this, you need comfortable walking shoes - I use what I regard as reasonably good "track shoes" or "joggers" (although I do not regard them as shoes appropriate for jogging), with cushioning inserts, to make the walking more comfortable, and, clothes that are comfortable for walking. If you are walking during daylight, I recommend wearing a long sleeved shirt or shirt and jacket combination, trousers or trackpants that cover all of your legs, and, a hat that shades the top of your head, your ears, and, your neck. Sunburn and skin cancer are not healthy. Also, in daylight, sunglasses that protect the eyes from ultraviolet radiation, and thence from cancers, are good.
I also tend to carry a compact camera with a substantial zoom lens, to photograph any sights that interest me (I like photographing birds, and unusual motor vehicles), and, a cellphone.
If you have a cellphone that is a smartphone (mine is too smart for me), that is an Android phone, and that is GPS enabled, I recommend getting someone to install and configure the application named FitzeeWalk.
I use an application named FitzeeWalk - in the Google Play Store on my Android smartphone, it is also named "Pedometer And Walking For Weight Loss", so, the name that it shows under the icon to run it; FitzeeWalk, is a more convenient name. It is simple (like me), and, easy to use, and, it keeps a record of the distance walked, the date, and, the time taken. At the completion of a walk, it shows more information, which can be saved, using the Save Screenshot.functionality of the smartphone.
When installed and configured, it will, at the end of a walk, display the walk distance, the date and time of commencement of the walk, the time taken for the walk, the pace (speed) of the walk, the route of the walk, and, an estimate of the "calories burned" by having performed the walk. For me, I log the data other than the "calories burned" - the walk itself - the distance covered, is the important part, for me.
If you live in a city or other built up area, go for a drive (or a bike ride, on a bicycle that has a speedometer with an odometer), and look for a route from your home, going around a block or two, that covers the required distance to walk.
Depending on your circumstances, you may find it more convenient to walk half the distance in the morning, and, half the distance in the afternoon/evening. When I started primary, or, elementary, school, the distance from home to the bus stop, was a mile, and, if we missed the bus, the distance from the bus stop to the primary school, was a further two miles. When I went to secondary school, it was the same bus stop, and, if we missed the bus, the distance from the bus stop to the school, was a further six miles.
If you live on a farm, if you have a cellphone with GPS, and Runkeeper installed, walk around the fence line of a paddock close to your house (depending on the size of the paddocks), or along a road, to find a route of a suitable distance.
If you believe that a 2 mile walk is too far for you, try walking for a mile, each day, for the first month, then, after the first month, if you are comfortable with walking a mile at a time, try walking for two miles at a time.
If you have, and, need to use, a walking frame, for walking more than a couple of metres, then I suggest, for the first attempt, walking a hundred metres and back, with the walking frame, and, if you are comfortable with that, do that each day that you can, for a month, then, try increasing the distance by a hundred metres, each month, walking daily, for as long as you are comfortable doing this.If you can do this, and, get up to walking two kilometres at a time, comfortably, then I suggest that you do not increase the distance beyond two kilometres, but, try to maintain walking the two kilometres, each day, as much as you can
I believe that walking, providing the posture and motion are good, is a far better overall exercise, than riding a bicycle, as it keeps more of the body in motion, and, exercises more of the body through continuous movement.
Walking is good for the posture, good for the lungs, good for the heart, is said to be good for reducing stress and for reducing risks of various cancers, including but not limited to bowel cancer, and, because walking involves a degree of impact as each foot lands on the ground, is good for maintaining bone density, so reducing the risks of such conditions as osteopoenia and osteoarthritis. I do not claim that walking will provide absolute protection from such harmful conditions - I say that regular walking, as described, will result in a lower risk of these conditions, than if a person does not do the walking. Also, such walking can help improve the body's metabolism, and, reduce the risks of diabetes.
If your available times exclude you from walking during daylight, and it is unsafe for you to walk at night, or, if you have too many days of rainfall, so that you would otherwise be walking in the rain, then I recommend getting and using a treadmill for the walking - not a motorised treadmill, but a treadmill where the person walking, is what turns the rollers and the belt on which the walking is done - and one that can provide you with information including the distance walked, the time taken, and, the walking speed. Then, you can walk on the treadmill, while watching television, if you are inclined to so do.
This is quite simple, and takes only a few minutes.
Stand up straight, where you have sufficient room to perform this exercise without hindrance.
With your arms straight, and, your hands at your sides, with the palms facing backward, slowly raise your left arm, as far as you can, until it is straight up from your shoulder, if you can raise it that far. Slowly lower that arm, until it is returned to its starting position, while similarly raising the right arm.Then, slowly lower the right arm to its starting position, while again raising the left arm. Continue this until the right arm has been raised and lowered ten times, so that both arms will have been raised and lowered ten times.
This should help stretch and loosen the shoulders.
This exercise can be done indoors on carpet, tile, or bare wood floors (but not on loose mats, or, is best not done on them), and, can be done in underwear, with or without shoes. This exercise can also be done outside, in which case, I recommend wearing the same types of clothing and footwear, as for walking.
This is quite simple, and, does not need to be done fast, or, involving raising the knees high.
Simply stand upright, with the arms straight, and the hands by the sides. Then, start by raising the left foot off the floor, while raising the right arm as if walking. Then return the left foot and the right arm, to their starting positions, and raise the right foot off the floor, while raising the left arm as if walking. Then, return the right foot and the left arm, to their starting positions. The arms should be kept straight, and, the feet should be lifted at least six inches (15cm) off the floor. Each time that the second foot (in this case, the right foot) is returned to the floor, increase the pace count by one.
Start with 50 paces for the first month, and, increase the number of paces by 50 each month, until 300 paces are achieved in each session, then, maintain 300 paces for each session, for the first year, then, after one year, increase the number of paces to 400, and, maintain the number of paces per session, at 400, for as long as it can be maintained.
Amongst other benefits of this exercise, I have found that it keeps the lower back more flexible or free of pain. In that, I do not guarantee that it will ensure that the lower back is free of pain, only that any pain in the lower back, should be less, for having done the exercise.
This exercise is, I believe, regarded as a full body workout, and, as described below, is relatively easy to complete. If you are unfit, and have not exercised for a while, try walking a mile (1.6km) a day for a month, before starting this exercise, then, try doing one pair, as described below, and, if you can do that, try continuing the walking a mile a day, and, doing one pair, as described below, of this exercise, for a month, then, increasing the number of repetitions of this exercise, by one pair, each month.
This exercise can be done indoors on carpet, tile, or bare wood floors (but not on loose mats, or, is best not done on them), and, can be done in underwear, with or without shoes. Or, this can be done outside (in which case, it is better to be clothed, in comfortable clothes that allow freedom of movement). It is better done on a flat surface, rather than an uneven and/or sloping surface.
I have found this exercise to be best done wearing loose fitting shorts and a tee shirt, and with bare feet (to avoid damaging footwear from the bending at the line where the toes join the main body of the foot), and doing the exercise on a yoga mat, so that the soft surface of the yoga mat, protects the skin on the hands and toes, from being damaged by friction.
This is quite simple, and, does not need to be done fast. While the description may seem complicated, once you have done the exercise, and understand how to do it, according to my description, it does not seem so complicated, and, is simpler and easier than it might seem.
(a) Start standing straight, in the upright position, with your feet hip-width, or, shoulder-width, apart, with your arms and hands, lowered by your sides,
(b) Bend your legs and squat down, putting your hands on the ground slightly in front of your feet, with your arms straight, but not locked.
(c) With your shoulders directly over your hands, step your feet back one at a time, leading with the left foot. You should now be in a plank position, or, the high position of a pushup.
(d) Then, step your feet forward one at a time, again, leading with the left foot .
(e) Use your glute muscles, or, the muscles in your backside/"bottom", in squat position to push yourself back up to the standing straight upright position.
(f) Push the hands up above the head, with the thumb tips touching each other, and, the index fingers tips touching each other, to straighten the arms, to form a triangle with the thumbs and index fingers, as high as possible above the head, with the tips of the thumbs and index fingers of the two hands together, with the palms facing forward and the arms straight, stretching upward, with the feet staying flat on the ground.
(g) Lower your hands and arms to your sides, returning to the starting position.
(h) Repeat steps (a) through (g), changing the leading foot for stepping back and forward, from the left foot to the right foot.
(i) Counting steps (a) through (h) as one pair, repeat steps (a) through (h), as many times as scheduled.
The scheduling of the number of repetitions of this exercise, I suggest, to be as per what I name as the Bret Busby Exercising Repetitions Progression, described below, up to a maximum of ten instances. You could go beyond ten repetitions, and, keep increasing the number, to as higher number as you want, but, I believe that ten repetitions is sufficient, to sustain the activity, and, to provide ongoing benefits, by maintaining that number of repetitions, when it is reached.
If doing this exercise as described, is too difficult for you, you could try the "Incline Bench Burpee" version - instead of lowering yourself to put your hands on the floor, or, ground, use a stable, sufficiently strong support, at about knee height, such as an "incline bench", or, a fixed single plank wooden bench that is set in the ground, outside, such as at a park, or, a sufficiently firm and stable divan bed with a firm innerspring mattress, if you have sufficient room around the bed, to perform the exercise, with, in step (b) above, instead of putting your hands on the ground, putting your hands on the support device - be it the incline bench, single plank outside park bench, or, divan bed.
If you start with the "Incline Bench Burpee" version, I suggest that, with starting at one pair, and, increasing the number of pairs, at the rate of one extra pair per month, when you get to five pairs, in a set, then you could try to start with instead, doing one pair, with putting your hands on the floor, and, starting again in increasing by one as described in the repetitions progression below, starting with one pair, putting your hands on the floor.
This progression may be otherwise named, but, as I am not aware of it being otherwise named, I name it the "Bret Busby exercise progression", here.
This mathematical progression, requires the use of a journal, or, diary, and/or an activity planner, to record and schedule the exercise scheduling routine.
This is for the weekly version, but, if a person wants, the progression can be applied, using months, instead of weeks.
The progression works like this;
the pattern for this progression, is, starting with one repetition, perform the number of repetitions, every day, for the same number of weeks, as the number of repetitions.
Perform the single repetition, every day, for one week.
Perform the next step; two repetitions, every day, for two weeks.
Perform the next step; three repetitions, every day, for three weeks.
Perform the next step; four repetitions, every day, for four weeks.
Perform the next step; five repetitions, for five weeks.
And so on.
Instead of weeks, if you ind the weekly schedule too difficult, and, are inclined, you can use calendar month periods - using the first day of each month, as the start of a new period.
And, one thing to try - when you reach 7 pairs in a set, after doing that for your period of doing a number of pairs before increasing - be it a week or a month, split the set, and, instead of doing one set of 7 pairs, try two sets of 5 pairs, at least a few hours apart, and, if you can manage that okay, then, after your period of doing a number of pairs, increase the number of pairs in each set, so that you do 2 sets of 5 pairs for one period, then try increasing it to 2 sets of 6 pairs, for a period, then, 2 sets of 7 pairs, for a period, and, so on.
Remember - it is more important, to find a pace that you can sustain, than to try a pace that is too fast and too difficult, that causes you to give up.
This is the heavy duty version of the above burpee version, and, is a bit more intensive.
Can you do pushups, keeping your back straight? If so, how many can you comfortably complete?
If you can comfortably complete two pushups, try this.
Do one pushup, and, be aware of each step that you do in doing the pushup. When you lower yourself, so that the palms of your hands are on the floor, with your legs extended behind you, ready to lower yourself, to do the pushup, which leg do you extend first, and, when you contract your legs, when you have completed the pushup, so that you are in the crouching position, to raise yourself to the standing position, which leg do you contract first, from the extended position? Is it the same leg as the one that you extended first, when you extended your legs, into the raised position to lower yourself, to do the pushup? Is it the left leg?
Assuming that it is the left leg, that is extended first, and then contracted first, and, even if it is not, try this.
From the standing position, as with the procedure descrbed above for the burpee described in exercise number 4, above, form the standing position, lower yourself, as described up to and inclkuding step (c), above. Then lower yourself, and raise yourself, to perform a single pushup. Then, follow steps (d) to (i), above, counting that as one pair of Bret Busby pushup burpees (they may have another name, but, if they do, I am not aware of it, so, here, without me knowing otherwise, I name them "Bret Busby pushup burpees").
Now, if you can, and, maybe regularly, do, more than two pushups, divide the number that you can comfortably do, by two, and, try doing that number of Bret Busby pushup burpee pairs.
I suggest that this exercise, if you can complete it, should be done daily, and, if you can comfortably complete it, the number of pairs should be increased, according to the Bret Busby exercise progression.
As I have explicitly said above, I am an unqualified layman, and, I make no guarantees regarding my advice above.
However, ...
If you have followed my advice, and, have regularly performed the exercises that I have suggested, and, if you feel that you are better for having implemented my advice, and, if you are therefore, inclined to offer me reward for this, .... I am a kind of socialist, so believe in the socialist principle "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs", and, here, I apply the "honesty box principle" - so, if you are inclined, .... if you want to send to me, one Australian dollar, per week, or, per month, by Paypal, to my email address bret@bretbusby.net, it would be gratefully received, and, would help pay for this web site. If you do not send me the money, it is not of great concern - I would rather that you continue with the exercising, so that you can get the benefits of the exercising.
Live long, and be (reasonably) fit and healthy.
I can be contacted by email at Bret
This web page was last updated on 16 October 2021