Staying Strong: 3 Functional Exercises That Help In Everyday Tasks

Have you ever struggled to carry groceries, climb stairs, or keep up with your kids or grandkids? These everyday tasks rely heavily on strength, balance and mobility, which become increasingly important as we age. Maintaining these qualities is essential for completing daily activities with ease and preserving independence. Starting with the right exercises can make all the difference. Here are 3 exercises that mimic everyday movements, help prevent injury, improve balance and increase overall functional fitness.

Push Up

Push movements are essential for actions like pushing doors open, rising from chairs, lifting objects overhead, moving furniture and being safe and effective when lifting oneself from the floor, either after playing with small children or recovering from a fall. The ability to improve on or maintain a push with proper strength, form and explosiveness is a sure way to help maintain activity levels and independence throughout our lifetimes.

One mistake often made by beginners is placing the elbows out really wide putting undue stress onto the shoulder joints. This can lead to sore shoulder joints and potential injury. Ideal positioning for the elbows when in a push up position is approximately a 45° angle away from the torso as seen in the pictures below. Focusing on bringing the sternum of the chest between the hands on the descent will usually help to avoid this common error. 

• Beginner: Wall Push Ups are the ultimate starter exercise for anyone looking to complete their first push up ever. Stand facing a wall with arms extended. Lean into the wall, bending elbows and trying to place the sternum into the middle of the hands. Bring the chest into the wall as close as you can then push back to the starting position. As this gets easier, increase the angle by stepping your feet back and making it more difficult. Placing your hands on a counter top is a great progression for those looking to incrementally move past the wall push up and create more of an angle.

• Intermediate: Knee Push Ups. From a kneeling position, place hands shoulder-width apart on the floor. Lower your chest to the ground, then push back up. The image below depicts good form as she is not allowing her mid section to collapse down towards the floor. Maintain a straight line from knees, hips, shoulder to head while pressing up and lowering down in this version of the push up. You can also place a rolled towel under your chest to make sure you are lowering down far enough.

• Too difficult to push back up? Focus on just lowering down with good steady control. After time and consistency your strength will build and you will quickly find yourself able to push back up out of the lowered position.

• Advanced: Standard Push Ups. A gold standard exercise. One of the reasons our military uses this across the board. From a plank position, lower your body to the ground while keeping a straight line from head to heels. Push back up to the starting position. Maintaining that straight line is essential for a good push up. Again, you can add a rolled towel under the chest to assess if you are lowering far enough. One common mistake here for most people is allowing the head to hang down vs keeping it in a neutral position. Stay focused, use good form and watch the results sky rocket. 

• Benefits: Builds upper body strength in the chest, shoulders, and triceps. Essential for pushing shopping carts and getting up from the floor.
  

Rows

Pulling motions help with opening doors, carrying groceries, and pulling yourself up out of a car seat.  The rowing motion is one that is used to strengthen so many muscles you use on a daily basis. 

• Beginner: Seated Rows with Resistance Bands. Sit on the floor, loop a resistance band around your feet, and pull the band toward your torso. If you have tight hamstrings or neural tension that makes it difficult to be seated in a good 90° position with your legs and upper body, doing these with bent knees or sitting on the edge of a chair or couch is just as beneficial when looking to increase the strength of your pulling motion.

• Intermediate: Dumbbell Bent Over Rows. With a dumbbell in each hand, or one hand as pictured below, hinge at the hips and pull weights toward your torso. Notice how he is in alignment, hinged at the hip, and not rounding the low back. Pulling the hand towards the bottom of the rib cage helps to activate the correct muscles. Pro tip here, be sure to relax the upper trapezius muscles, the ones activated when you shrug your shoulders up, this helps to avoid overcompensation of weaker muscles.

• Advanced: Barbell Rows. Perform the same motion with a barbell, keeping the back flat and core engaged. Knees should be bent slightly and a good hip hinge and braced lumbar spine are essential here. When pulling, pull the bar towards the bottom portion of the sternum, where your ribs start to separate. Keep the elbows tucked in but slightly away from the body. Think of that 45° angle created for the push up above. 

• Benefits: Strengthens the back and arms, enhancing posture and reducing back strain.

Squats

A favorite quote comes to mind from the movie Miracle. Famously said by USA Hockey Coach Herb Brooks, "the legs feed the wolf." Strong legs are essential for longevity. They support walking, running, climbing stairs, maintaining balance, sitting, standing, carrying and all forms of daily activities. If there is a weak link in the armor of healthy living, you do not want it to be your legs.

• Beginner: Arms forward or assisted squats. Stand in front of a counter, holding onto a sink at a kitchen counter is a great place to start with this, then lower yourself to approximately 90° knee bend and stand back up. If getting to 90° is to difficult, start by achieving a pain free and attainable knee bend. For some that may be just a slight knee bend then back to the standing position. Start to increase squatting depth once leg strength increases and balance improves. At this stage common sense and safety should be higher priorities, not squat depth. That will come in time with consistency and high quality form. 

• Intermediate: Bodyweight Squats. Lower your hips down and back as if sitting in a chair. Tucking in the arms can make this more difficult and really challenge your balance here. Femur length plays an integral part of how much hip hinge is required to get to a 90°+ knee bend without tipping back. Another tip here is if you have limited ankle mobility or longer femurs, create a lift in the heels while performing this exercise. This can be done in many way, a 2x4, weight plates, squatting shoes. A quick search on the internet can show you many valuable ways to perform this exercise correctly with the feet flat on the floor, or with support under the heels to help lift them up.

• Advanced: Weighted Squats. Perform squats while holding dumbbells or a kettle bell for added resistance. Dumbbells and kettle bells offer a more realistic challenge that carries over to everyday life. It does however limit the amount of weight one can use. If barbell squats are on your to do list, I highly recommend following up with a trained professional to asses your ability to perform well underneath a weighted barbell. Physical Therapists are a great community resource to help someone along their fitness journey. It's a fantastic exercise but requires good mobility and much knowledge to perform safely.

• Benefits: Strengthens hips, knees, and ankles essential for daily movements and balance.

Incorporating these functional exercises into your routine ensures that daily activities remain manageable and pain free, no matter your age. Prioritize proper form and progress gradually for the best results. It's easy to get caught up in social media, streaming movies and an inactive lifestyle. Focusing on movements that you use daily will make daily tasks less tiresome and more enjoyable. Stay active, stay strong and remember that movement is essential to a happy, healthy life for years to come.

Disclaimer

The information provided in this blog is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with your physician or a qualified healthcare provider before beginning any new exercise program, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions, injuries, or concerns about your physical well-being. Engaging in physical activity carries inherent risks, and it is important to use proper form and progress at a pace suitable for your individual fitness level. The author and publisher disclaim any liability for any injuries or damages incurred as a result of following the exercises outlined in this blog.