계단오르기 운동효과보신분Hip muscles… Climb the stairs for 5 minutes every day
As the amount of physical activity rapidly decreased due to Corona 19, even the amount of aerobic exercise that can be easily done in everyday life has decreased. According to the results of the investigation by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, aerobic exercise decreased by 4.9 percentage points from 24.7% in 2019 to 19.8% in 2020.
Aerobic exercise burns fat and improves lung function, so it is important to do it steadily. In particular, as long as you can easily try it in your daily life, it has the advantage that you can do it anytime if you set your mind to it. Furthermore, if you move your body lightly with aerobic exercise and then do strength training, you can further increase the health promotion effect. With the help of Shin Min-shik, director of Jamsil Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine, we introduce exercise methods that can be easily practiced in springtime.
‘Walking’ exercise using commuting time
The aerobic exercise you can try right away is definitely walking. If it is difficult to set aside time, it is also a good idea to get off the bus one stop (approximately 1km) before work and walk. Even when you walk, you have to maintain the correct posture to see the effect of the exercise.
Shin Min-sik, director of the hospital, said, “To increase the exercise effect, it is good to keep the foot in the order of the heel, sole, and big toe when the foot touches the ground, and keep the stride length minus 1m from the height.” You can injure the buttock muscles, so it is appropriate to take a natural step.”
The direction of the feet is also important. This is because knee cartilage can be damaged if the ends of both feet point outward when walking or if the feet are widened to the left and right. If eight-stepping is your habit, practice keeping your feet parallel to the figure 11 by walking along the line of the sidewalk block. Also, when walking, it is good to wear cushioned sneakers to reduce the shock transmitted to the knees and spine.
‘Core muscle strengthening’ exercise to correct body balance
If you have moved your body to some extent by walking, now is the time to gradually increase your muscles. Muscle accounts for about 40% of body weight and provides energy for organs to function properly. Among them, the core muscles that support the spine, pelvis, and abdomen are the basis for balance and stability of the body. Therefore, experts emphasize that it is good to do core exercises in a gap to maintain the ability of daily life even at an older age.
One of the core muscle strengthening exercises recommended by experts is the plank. A plank is an action in which you place your elbows on the floor while lying on your stomach and support the floor so that your shoulders and elbows form a 90 degree angle. At this time, it is important to keep the toes together and keep the hips from sagging so that the waist, hips, and thighs form a straight line. However, since it is an exercise that consumes a lot of energy, it is better not to overdo it from the beginning and gradually increase the time through steady practice with the goal of holding on for 3 minutes.
Shin Min-sik, director of the hospital, said, “Especially if you experience severe back pain after the plank exercise, it is a sign that your back muscles have already weakened.”
‘Climbing the stairs’ exercise to develop lower body muscles
To increase the effectiveness of muscle-strengthening exercises, it is good to combine them with lower body exercises. In fact, more than half of the muscles in our body are distributed in the lower body, so doing lower body exercises together is a great help in increasing muscle mass. The area to focus on is the buttocks. It is not an exaggeration to say that the hip muscles influence the health of the waist and upper and lower body joints because they play a role in supporting the upper body and straightening the body. Therefore, it is important to have a lifestyle that strengthens the buttock muscles.
An easy buttock strengthening exercise is stair climbing. This is effective in stimulating the lower body muscles such as the thighs along with the buttock muscles. Climbing stairs for 5 minutes consumes the same number of calories as swimming for the same amount of time, which is good for weight management. Climbing stairs can also be practiced in everyday life, such as walking to an apartment or subway.
But even at this time, correct posture is important. When going up the stairs, you should walk with the feeling of pushing while stepping on the entire sole of the foot. You should also tighten your hips and lower abdomen, and consciously straighten your back and shoulders.
Shin Min-sik, director of the hospital, recommended, “When you go down the stairs, five times your body weight is placed on your knees, so use the stairs when going up and the elevator when going down.”
