Posture Squats - no movement in the back 1. Practicing Squats: A broomstick or Booyah Stik is helpful for alignment. First, squat with the stick in place. The stick should have 3 points of contact if done correctly (back of the head, mid-back, and pelvis). Assess knee position. Knees should be aligned with feet (not in or not out). The knees should remain over the feet (halfway between the heel and toes). 2. It is helpful to stretch the overhead arm as far above the head as possible to give a sensation of stretching and straightening the spine. All motion should come from the hips. We want you to bend forward as deep as your hips allow and repeat 5 times. Make sure the glutes (butt muscles) are working and contracting. If you have pain in your back while performing this exercise, try tightening your abdomen at the same time. 3. How to tell if you are tightening your abdomen? Take a single finger from each hand and poke yourself on each side of your belly (abdomen). Tighten up your abdomen and when doing it correctly you should be able to feel it with your fingers. Check out the full Back Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/back-pain-relief-program

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in June of 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/Mei9bmFquRI Brad: All right, I personally have been using bands for resistance training for over 10 years, and I'm going to show you, and we're going to tell you why and how to use bands for biceps and triceps to give you the best workout possible. Many people won't agree with it, but we're going to tell you why, and it might change your mind. Mike: So we're going to show you five different options to help tone your arms. Plus, you're going to get a little bit of core work involved as well. Brad: More than just a little. Wait until you try it, Mike. Mike: So, some of the benefits of using a band versus a weight itself are the progressive resistance you get while going through the motions. So, for the biceps example, as I pull up, it's easier down lower, but as I get higher and more tension in the band, it becomes harder. Now, with a weight, you're going to be stuck at whatever weight you can do at the bottom range here and start to curl up, because as you curl more, it becomes easier. Brad: That's right. That's a system that a lot of people actually work with who are serious. They'll actually combine bands with weights. The other thing is if you're traveling, and you want to get your exercises done in a hotel room or whatever, it's easy to put these in your luggage. Not so easy with weights. Mike: And number three, you can do vertical or horizontal resistance with bands. Brad is using horizontal. I am doing vertical. With the weight, you're always going to be stuck in some sort of vertical plane, even if you're benching, technically, you're pushing in a vertical plane. Brad: Gravity always goes vertical. Now, one of the big advantages, particularly for people who are 55 or over, when you go with the horizontal resistance like I was doing, not only is my bicep getting strengthened, but my core is, because the resistance is pulling my body back this way. My core has to engage to maintain my vertical stance as well as balance. If my feet are working, you may not be aware of it, but they're really working on balance as well as the core. Big benefits, particularly, like I said, for people with gray hair. Mike: So, some general rules for all these exercises are to start with one set or up to three, depending on whether you're a beginner or more advanced, and try to do 10 repetitions each time. And also make sure to do them every other day. Give your arms a break so the muscles can actually repair and grow. Brad: Right, so we're going to try to get to 10 repetitions. That's one set. Rest, and then do another one. It all depends on where you're at as far as your conditioning. All right, we're going to show you five different ways to exercise those arms, tone them up, and we're going to start with your typical vertical standing one. Then we're going to get to the ones that really add the benefits we just talked about. Mike: So, when you're standing, you can use one band like Brad is. You can use two, three, four, however many you want. That's the benefit. And the wider your stance is, the more resistance you're going to feel. The closer my legs are, the less resistance I feel. So go with whatever's comfortable for you. Hold that position and try to do 10 curls. Try to keep your elbows tight to your body. Don't be doing hurling over. I like to keep my elbows in tight. Keep them there. Brad: Yeah. Mike: And that gives a good bicep workout. Brad: That's right. And notice, for resistance, you can use different bands. Typically, you'll get five bands. Each one has a different color. They have different colors, where you know what the resistance is. Mike is actually doubling up, using the red and black, because he's much stronger than I am. I just have the red bands. It works out very well and very efficiently. Mike: So with this next exercise, you're going to need to use the door anchor if you're going to do this system. Brad will show the wall anchors. Simply put it on the bottom of the door frame, and then close the door, and it will stay in place. Mike: So, for this exercise, we're going to do a curl again, but we're going to hit a slightly different angle. And you could start with just one band. And I'm going to curl across my body. And if you want to make it more challenging, try to grab both handles at the same time and then do it, and it's going to be a lot more oomph. You can also change the angle with this if you want to hit different parts of your bicep. Brad: There you go. Again, we're working on balance and core there. Depending on the angle here, I'm going to show that if you happen to have the wall anchors , they're handy because you simply just put them on right there. And you don't need the door. Hard to travel with the wall anchor, though. And we're going to work on that here. One hand, two. And actually, I'll go and do both from this angle. I usually do it on the next angle up at mid-stance, but we will get into that a little bit later. So it really gives you a nice stretch, good posture, good core, and everything works together. Let's go to the next one. Mike: For the next bicep exercise, you're going to need to put it in a top position, either the top of the door or the top of the wall anchors. So simply get the band in nice and taut and make sure your arms are straight out in front of you. And then you're going to curl up, bring your hands towards your head, and then back like this. Try to have a nice, controlled motion. Try to keep your arms in the same place. Don't let them sway up and down. And you're going to, again, try to do 10 repetitions. Brad: Good. Now I'm going to do it with two bands on the wall anchors. And this is the way I really like to do them. I'll start at this angle. It's going to give me the benefit of bicep as well as the core. And this part of my back, remember, is an important part of your core. So I actually lean into it or lean back. So it's working my core, ab, tightening my abdomen, and I'll work it here. And I feel my back right around my lumbar spine, those muscles really working right now as well. You can stagger your stance a little bit if you feel a little awkward or like you're going to fall. It's kind of a nice, unique way that most people never think about. Brad: Okay, the next one is with the door anchors. Simply put it at about chest level. Go ahead, Mike. Mike: So with this one, you're going to face away from the door, and I'm going to have my arms nice and taut behind me, and then I'm going to curl up like this. Brad kind of showed it earlier. Gets a good core activation as well. Again, try to do 10 repetitions. If you have to do a staggered stance, that is fine, but you're going to hit biceps here, and Brad's going to show how you can hit triceps in the same position. Brad: That's right. I really want to emphasize postural benefits with this. It pulls the shoulders back, stretches the pec muscles in front for people who have this rounded posture. Another benefit of using this particular technique, I'm going to use the anchor on the top. You'll typically get three anchors with a set. If you go to BobandBrad.com, you actually get four for about the same price. And the wall anchors work really well. I'm going to pull down, and when I do this, it's all tricep. I'm not going to bring the arm all the way down. That wouldn't be a bad exercise for the shoulders, but for the triceps, try to keep the elbows stationary. And right now, my abdominal core is working overtime so that I don't get pulled backwards. And I'm going to work here. Yeah, there we go. And I usually do 10 of these. Really works the core well, and the triceps. Mike: Okay, the last exercise we're going to do is triceps. Brad and I will show different variations. Now, if I had more bands, I could possibly do the standing. However, to make it more taut, I'm going to grab up a little higher, and then I'm just going to bring my arms down like this. Good tricep activation. Again, I'm not bringing my arms way up. Keeping them at my side, keeping my core engaged. I'm trying to pull straight down. If you pull towards your body more, you get a little bit different activation of the muscles. If this is way too easy for you and you're a taller person, you could certainly try kneeling down like this and then doing the tricep exercise. But it's just a good way, and I can feel it working. Brad: Right. Now, the option of grabbing the band, I would never do because it just seems silly. So I'm going to use them like this. You can go body against the door or against the wall and work. Now, this really isolates the triceps, so you don't get any of the other benefits that we talked about, as far as core, balance, those things. But what you can do if to make it more resistant. Here, I have two bands on there, and I'm going to squat down and do the isometric chair, working my legs, hips, etc. And now I'm going to do my triceps. It's just another variation, something to break up your routine. All of these different variations, you can try one, two, or every week, do a different one. Good way to work it. You'll find your favorite ones very quickly and work those. Mike, you want to finish it up? Mike: Now, if you start to have some sore muscles after working your biceps and triceps too much, you can simply try using a massage gun on the area to help loosen it up. Make sure you pick a nice massage head. The Q2 mini massage gun is a little less aggressive. So if you're a smaller body type, they'll work well. Brad: That's right. Now you don't have to have a massage gun. You can simply do a manual massage on that bicep or tricep. It works very well. Do it 'til your hands get tired, then work the other one. The massage guns do work very nicely, and I like that airhead because it's not too aggressive, not too, it's easy to use, and you can get around on both sides well. I like to work all the way up into the shoulder. You can really do a complete job with it. So, they're really nice, these smaller ones, for this type of massage. Is there anything else? I think there's another video related to this. Mike: Yes, if you'd like to check out more videos on arm exercises, you can check out our video " Lose Arm Flab, Using Body Weight, Dumbbells, or Bands. " Brad: Great. So we're using all the methods on that one. Mike: Is your wife in that video? Brad: Yes, she is. And she's a lot better looking than both of us put together. For this week’s Giveaway visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D2 Mini Massage Gun D5 Pro Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head Eye Massager  EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Fit Glide Foot Massager Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Knee Glide   Lite Foot Massager Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun Uni Massage Gun Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Fitness: Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Stress Balls   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop ​ Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in June of 2024. For the original video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvfm3Lb3Ojs Brad: All right, the Achilles tendon. If you've got Achilles tendon pain, we're going to show you the biggest mistake people make when they have this pain, and we're also going to show you how to remedy it. Mike: So we're going to give you five steps to help calm down this pain to prevent limping from happening, and get you back into action. Brad: That's right. Now, you have two of the Achilles tendons, and it's the largest tendon in your body. It accepts almost 100% of your weight every time you take a step as you walk. Now, when you jog, run, or jump up and down, that tendon can experience up to 10 times the amount of your body weight. It really has a big job to keep you up and moving. Mike: Yeah, this tendon is actually part of a long chain running from your calf muscles down to your Achilles tendon, and actually it turns into your plantar fascia. So it's a large chain. It takes the brunt of the work when you are walking, jumping, etc. Brad: Now I'm going to tell you the biggest mistake a lot of people make, and I actually did this myself years back, is that we get a strain in the Achilles tendon, and the first thing we think we have to do is stretch it. No, no, don't stretch it. Bob actually read a whole book from a person who studied this in detail, and we're going to show you the alternative to stretch it, because if you tear some tissues and then you stretch it, you simply retear the injured tissues. It's like pulling the scab off a cut. It just makes it prolonged, and the injury just lasts and lasts and lasts. If your Achilles tendon is really flamed up, sore, and it's just very tender, you really need to give it some rest. And I mean non-weight bearing rest, you don't have to lie down like Mike is here, but you can if you want, put some pillows under there. Get comfortable. You can do it in a recliner or in bed, whatever, but get a cold pack , one that is nice and pliable when you pull it out of the freezer. It'll work much better than if you get one of those that are stiff. Here we have his tendon marked in green. Lay it down, and it's nice to actually wrap it around. Get yourself some Velcro or some Ace wrap and get it so it conforms, and you get a lot of contact over that sore area. 15 to 20 minutes. Do that two, three times a day. It should settle down within a day or two. Then we can get onto the next part of the program. Brad: I do want to follow up if you're using that cold pack. Now, this cold pack is a really nice one. It actually has a felt-like cloth surface on one side, so your skin doesn't get too cold. A lot of them don't. If that's the case, you're going to want to take a towel and put that over the cold pack and then wrap it around that ankle or make sure you have a sock on so you don't get too cold and you can actually irritate and frost bite your skin if you get too cold of a cold pack directly on your skin. Now let's talk about step number two. Mike: Step number two is self-massage. What we're going to do is called cross-friction massage. So what we're going to do is actually grab the tendon, make sure this isn't too painful. If it's really painful just to the touch, it's too early for this step yet. If that's the case, you can certainly massage up in the calf muscle, belly into the tendon if it's not painful there to begin. If it feels good when you grab it, you can certainly massage it. You can actually kind of pinch your tendon because it's so thick, and you just kind of go back and forth working in spots that may be tender going up and down. This is just going to increase blood flow to the area, which can help the healing process. Brad: That's right. That actually does do some as it's healing. There's going to be scar tissue, and it can break up scar tissue where it shouldn't be. Now, if it's sore when you first start doing this, but after about 30 seconds, it starts to feel good, or it feels numbish, then you know it's ready for that cross-friction massage. You're only going to do it for two or three minutes or until your thumbs or fingers get sore, which happens first. Mike, let's talk about the option if you want to work the muscle, so you don't wreck your fingers or irritate your fingers. Mike: If you happen to have a massage gun , you can certainly use that instead of here. And I'm not going to go directly onto the tendon, going more at an angle, and again, I'm going to work this thick part of the tendon laterally. Do whatever area feels tender where it feels good. You can kind of dig in there like this. We have the round head on. Brad has an air cushion head. They're less aggressive, so it won't be as painful, especially if you're still healing in that region. Brad: Yeah, you're not going to use one of these bullet heads or something that's too aggressive. The round head at an angle really makes a big difference. This one's a soft cushion head, and that would be a nice option as well. Brad: If you happen to have one of those large guns that has 10 or 16 millimeters of amplitude, you're probably not going to use it at all down here. But if you want to work the calf muscles, which you do want to make sure your calf muscles stay supple and relaxed, so it takes stress off that tendon, go ahead with the larger gun if it's tolerated. You'll probably find one area that is tender and tight. Spend more time on that when it comes to the calf muscle, and you'll know once you get a feel for it and you work with your leg. Yeah. Mike, anything else? Mike: No, let's go to the next part. Brad: There you go. I'm having fun. This feels good. All right, now this is absolutely one of the most important keys to getting your Achilles to start strengthening, and this is very important. What we're actually going to do is isometric stressor strengthening on it before we start doing some strengthening, going up and down, like a lot of people make the mistake and jump right to that. It's too aggressive. Go ahead and explain it, Mike. Mike: So to begin, start with something lower, maybe a two-by-four book, and over time you can progress to a stair if you like. Right now, I'm actually stretching my Achilles, which is what we don't really want to do. So what you want to do is just lift your feet up a little bit so your foot is level. This is going to start strengthening that Achilles tendon, and we're going to hold it here. Now you can go 15, 30 seconds if it feels hard, up to 45 seconds, just hold and stand in this position. You can use something to hold onto for balance if needed, and then relax. You can do that a few times a day. We don't want to do the full range of motion strengthening exercises like calf raises quite yet, early on. Just get a nice neutral position and hold it. Brad: That's right. And you can see Mike is doing it with both feet, which is a good way to start. If it feels good for 45 seconds times three sets and you want to intensify it, simply take this foot and hold it so you can do it all the weight. And that's going to progress it accordingly before we start doing range of motion. Brad: Okay, now after you've done the isometric, so you can do it on one foot, there's no pain, 45 seconds, two to three sets, and you do that three times a day, it's feeling better, and you notice that you can start to walk with small steps. It's not hurting so much anymore, it's actually starting to feel back to normal. Then we can start to do the strengthening exercises with range of motion, and Mike, show them how we're going to start with that. Mike: So we're going to do calf raises. We're just going to start on a flat surface. So just stand on the floor. Again, hold onto something if you want to. We're just going to focus on going up on the toes and then back down to the floor. Nice slow, controlled motion. No hard jarring effects here at all. We're obviously not going to jump. So, just nice, slow, controlled motions. Again, five, 10 repetitions. You can work out the 15 if you want, and do three sets. Brad: Now, when you feel comfortable doing three sets of 10 with this, with both feet, then you can start to go on one foot. But again, I would definitely have your hand on somewhere so you can assist or even up to a cupboard. So you can push a little bit with one or both hands to help that sore one and use good judgment. If you're developing pain after you do three or four of them, it's not ready yet. You want to get to 10 without pain before you go to the next step of exercises. Mike: Now, once you've progressed to those exercises, feeling easy, comfortable, no pain, and say you are more active, you like to run, hike, whatever, bicycle. Now you're going to want to strengthen it a little more through a full range of motion. To do this, you're going to actually stand on the edge of a step. I would suggest wearing shoes. I just don't have them on for video purposes. So you're actually going to go down into a slight stretch and then up and do the calf raises. Again, start with both legs when you do this, five, 5, 10, 15 reps, whatever feels easy. If this becomes easy, you can go to one leg, do both legs. You may notice a difference. See if one side is a little weaker than the other, but this is going to strengthen through a full range of motion. Brad: Again, no pain should be experienced while you do this. Perhaps a little stretch pain, but nothing that feels like a knife at all. That's going to be too aggressive if you do experience that. All right, now we want to get from this phase into the functional phase. Again, I just want to emphasize that if the most active you're going to get is a walking program or there are no real high-impact activities, you can skip that and just go walking. The big thing is just start feeling good while walking. Don't go out and overdo it too much, too soon. Just walk perhaps a block and back, see how it feels while you're walking, and the next day. If it feels good while you're walking, but the next day you notice it's a little sore, you may want to take that day off, wait till the day after, and go for a walk again. When you can go two days in a row walking a block, no pain while you're walking or the next day, then bump it up to two blocks. Don't go from one block to six blocks and think that that big of a step is going to be tolerated, because you might just take a big step backwards. So that's really important as you progress, getting back to your regular activity. Mike, do you want to talk about people who are going to be active, playing tennis, jumping rope, you know what else, whatever people do? Mike: You're going to want to slowly progress in increasing your activity with that as well. So, say you are active for 20 minutes and it feels good, keep doing 20 minutes. Don't go up to an hour with an activity. You're going to have to slowly progress over time so your body gets acclimated and accommodated, preventing any injuries from recurring. Brad: That's right. So if you are a tennis player, you're not going to jump from walking to playing an active, full-on on 100% game of tennis. You're going to do some side-to-side activities at a low 50% level and then work your way into that full level activity, and make sure you don't irritate it or tear it again. Mike: So if you want to check out more videos on, say, progressing your Achilles tendonitis or other issues to be more active, you can check out our video " Fix Achilles Tendon Pain in 60 to 120 Seconds, Including Tendonitis, Strains, & Tears. " However, if you want to just learn how to massage your Achilles tendon region a little bit better, you can check out our video " How To Use A Massage Gun On Achilles Tendonitis. " Brad: There you go. We've got all the answers A to Z, and just keep those Achilles tendons strong as you walk, run, play, and have fun. Take care. For this week’s Giveaway, visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D2 Mini Massage Gun D5 Pro Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head Eye Massager  EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Fit Glide Foot Massager Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Knee Glide   Lite Foot Massager Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun Uni Massage Gun Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Fitness: Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Stress Balls   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop ​ Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in June of 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/b8tuWH1-sFQ Brad: All right, Mike and I are going to show you a short, two-minute warmup routine done in standing that's going to focus on tight muscle groups that are very common to older adults. Mike: Yes, it's going to help loosen up the muscles, break up blood flow, and hopefully, improve your mobility a little bit so you can get your day started on the right foot. Brad: That's right, we're going to strongly encourage you to do this daily. It's very simple once you get used to it, and it's going to improve your mobility and your ability to get moving. Mike: Dance? Brad: Yeah, well, whatever. All right. Oh, that's right, you're doing this Mike: So everything that's important needs a name, so today, we're going to call this routine the Fantastic Five. Brad: That's right, because it actually focuses on five different important muscle groups, and it starts from the head and works down to your feet. Mike: Now, if you need some support for this routine, that's perfectly fine. You can use a Booyah Stik , cane, cupboard, chair, or something to hold onto. Everything is going to run for 15 to 30 seconds each, so you can follow along if you want. Brad: There you go. First, we're going to take our time to explain it so you know how to do it properly, and once you do that, repeat it a couple of times. It'll all fall into place and become very short. All right, the first one is stretching the neck. We're going to do this for 15 to 30 seconds or about five repetitions. First of all, we're going to do chin tucks, and that's where you bring your chin and simply tuck it in towards your Adam's apple or your throat, so it's not in and down. It's in and back, in and back. If you want to stretch it, gentle pressure on the chin, you'll feel a stretch back here. Brad: Mike, all about some rotation. Mike: So when we're in this position, try to do some rotations right to left. You may notice one side is tighter than the other. If one side is tighter, you can take your hand, place it on your chin, and push just a little bit as long as it's comfortable, not causing any pain. Again, 15 to 30 seconds, or you can do 10 to 15 repetitions. Brad: That's right, make sure your shoulders stay still and don't turn your entire trunk. We want to stretch the neck, not rotate the trunk. Very important. Brad: Let's go to the second one. Okay, number two, before we get going, I do want to mention, we're going to go through all five of these without instruction right afterwards, so you can follow along and get a feel for how it's really going to go. Number two, again, shoulder posture, so critical, Mike. Mike: So we're going to do the famous "W," so you're going to make a "W" shape with your arms. Brad is doing against the wall. Once you're here in this position, you can try and bring your arm straight up and then down. Make sure to breathe throughout this. Again, we're going to do 15 to 30 seconds, or you can do 10 reps if you like to do reps. Brad: Yes, now, you can use the wall only if you want, butt, shoulders, arms up against the wall as you can. If you're really tight, you may not be able to touch the wall. That's okay, the goal over time is to get to that position. All right, let's go to number three. All right, we need to address all the joints and muscles in our hands and fingers, and rest. Mike, go ahead. Mike: So first, we're just going to do open fist and then close, make a fist. Just gentle, you don't have to squeeze hard and make a hard fist like you're fighting someone. Just do 10 repetitions, 15 to 30 seconds, whatever's comfortable for you. Brad: Don't forget to roll the wrists and circles a few times in each direction. Oh, that feels good. Yes, and then you could play the piano after that. Mike: Well, you have to know how to play piano first. Brad: Well, there are a few that do. Mike: Number four, we're going to work on the hips and knees at the same time in a standing position. Again, if you need to hold onto something, go ahead. It's simply marching, but focusing on a good knee bend while you're doing it. Go up as high as you comfortably can. If this seems easy for you, Brad is showing you can give a little extra stretch by using your hands, or if you want a little bit more hip motion with it, you can also kind of do a circular motion. I feel some cracking and popping going on right now. Brad: Now, if balance is an issue, do not do this. Go to the wall, hands against the wall for balance, and then work it. You will not be able to get the extra pull, but that's okay. You can still do the circles. Really use that wall for support. Little lean up against it is always helpful. There we go. If you wanna do a little squat in there for the fun of it, that's up to you. Let's go to number five. Brad: Number five, down to the ankles and the heels. Go up on your toes as far as you feel comfortable and then rock backwards. Be careful rocking backwards. It's a good way to fall. Put your back against the wall if you feel uncomfortable with that, so the worst that could happen is you hit the wall, and everything is good. Mike's using a stick, or you can use a cane or even a walker. Safety, safety, safety. Use good judgment, be safe. Brad: All right, so now we're going to do the real-time thing without all the explanation. First of all, chin tucks, two, and I'll count a little bit. Three. We have a timer going, so you know how to do this as far as the good time. Rotate right and left. A little push if you need a little extra. Do not get aggressive. Now, the shoulders! Mike: We still have 10 seconds left. You are speeding through this. Brad: That's right. Well, people always say, "Why take your time when you can go fast?" Actually, take your time. Mike is absolutely right. Take your time with it. I'm getting a little nervous in front of a camera. Mike: We still got 20 seconds of this one because you were early on the other one. Brad: That's all right. It all works out in a while. Mike: Now, you can go up and down like we are here, like Brad was doing, kind of a pulling back, retracting motion. We still got 10 seconds on this one. Brad: I'm going to the next one. I'm not waiting. Mike: You can't wait! Brad: That's right. Get going with the day. Open and close those fingers in circles. So you know, these circles really feel good on my wrist, so I'm going to take my time with those, so you can adjust these for your body's needs. There should be no sharp pain with any of these. If there are, skip it and go to the next one. Mike, how about the next one? Mike: So we're going to march again, so do which one works for you. You can do the straight normal version at a wall, whatever works, and you can also do the circles or extra stretching. That feels kind of good. You almost feel like you're dancing a little bit. Brad: Well, we could be dancing if we put some music on. Maybe a little Frank Sinatra. Mike: I didn't say I was good at dancing, but it would be something. Brad: All right, number five, ankles. Mike: So we're just going to go up on the toes and back on the heels, and Brad's using a wall and trying to push it over, I think. Brad: Yep, so you can face the wall or you can go back to the wall, as I mentioned on the first one. Now, we're only coming up on two minutes. You could go through it this fast. If you want to do more, feel free. It is a short stretch, and you can be done. Now, there is a little bonus, if you want, we were talking about dancing before, you can always work the bonus of the Ziggy Zag. This is great for balance and ankle strength, but do it against the wall if you need some balance. This is strictly optional, don't worry about it. Brad: If it looks like something you don't want to do, forget about it, and naturally, can you do the Charleston knees here? Mike: I'm not good at that one, no. You can go ahead and do it, though. Brad: I always have fun doing this. I've done it many times on this, but that's just something for fun. Anyways, let's go on. What else do we have to talk about, Mike? Mike: Another video that I can't see right now. Brad: And what is that video, Mike? Mike: " One Incredible Trick to Improve Your Walking ." Brad: There you go. Enjoy the walk, but do the stretch first, the Incredible Five or the Fantastic Five. Mike: You don't even remember what you called it. Brad: It's good either way. For this week’s Giveaway visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D2 Mini Massage Gun D5 Pro Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head Eye Massager  EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Fit Glide Foot Massager Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Knee Glide   Lite Foot Massager Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun Uni Massage Gun Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Fitness: Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Stress Balls   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop ​ Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

The goal is to get your pants, shoes, and socks on without putting your back in the C-position or a painful position. ➢ Put on your pants in bed. In bed, lie on your back and flex one leg toward you. Slip one pant leg in and repeat with the other. ➢ Put your pants on in the chair. If you have a very good hip range of motion you may be able to place the right ankle on the left opposite thigh and slip the right leg into the pant leg. Repeat this with the left ankle on the right opposite thigh, and slip the left leg into the remaining pant leg. All this must be done with the back held straight. ➢ Put pants on using a “reacher” or “grabber”. Putting on Shoes The shoes can also be put on in bed. In bed, lie on your back and flex one leg toward you. Rotate your hip and bring the foot closer to you. Slip on the shoe and tie it. Repeat with the remaining leg. Use slip-on shoes or ZEBAs. Use elastic shoelaces and a long-handled shoehorn. (Elastic Shoelaces) (Long Shoe Horn) Get help from a friend or partner. Check out the full Back Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/back-pain-relief-program How to Put on Pants, Socks & Shoes With Back Pain

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in June of 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/Ih-4jTxOuvE Brad: If you're looking or feeling hunched over and you may be experiencing neck, shoulder pain, or back pain, then this is for you. Mike: Or if someone has been rude enough to tell you you're kind of hunched over, then you definitely want to give these exercises and stretches a try. Brad: That's right, so we have a three-step program to work this through. We're going to go through it step by step. You can do it at home. All right, now a lot of people aren't even aware of their posture. I want to give you an example. This is a story that Bob has told many times, it's about his cousin David. He works at this location, and he's talking to the security guard, and they're having a chat. They know each other. He's worked there for a long time. And he's looking at a film of someone walking out of the building that he himself works in. And this person walked out of the door, and he's looking at his backside, and this person's all hunched over and walking forward. He asks the security guard, "I work in that building, and I know everyone who works in that building. And who is that old person? I've never seen him before." And the security guard stops and looks at him, and says, "That happens to be you." So his posture is hunched over. He had no idea until he saw himself in a video. And this can be your situation unless you have a family member or friend who actually says, "You are looking pretty hunched over." If it's a stranger, then you know you're hunched over badly. The three primary demons that give you hunchback or that rounded poor posture is, number one, is when you're a child are people telling you, "Sit up tall" and making that a habit at a early age. Mike: Number two demon, as Brad is saying, is modern-day technology. Obviously, looking down at your smartphone or maybe your laptop over there. Mike: Oftentimes, we do not have good posture unless we have a good ergonomic setup or hold our phones like this. Brad: And number three is gravity. Once you start this posture, gravity continues to work against you every day, all the time while you're standing or sitting. And you have to actually fight that and consciously prepare yourself to be upright. So we're going to talk about how to do that. Now, if you were to actually test if you have this hunch back or this rounded posture, simply go up against the wall, put your bottom side against the wall, and then your shoulders here and then see if you can straighten your back so that your shoulders are touching, your chin is tucked in, and everything is touching. Then you know you have a good range of motion, and that's a good sign. Brad: If you go against the wall and you cannot get back flat, you definitely need to go to step number one. We're going to show how to break things and stretch things up so this is possible. Okay, now Mike is going to pretend he has poor posture, and he's so tight when he lies down on the floor, he can't even get his head down to the floor or his shoulders. And I have worked with people like this in the clinic, it's not that uncommon. Mike, can you talk about how you're going to use gravity to stretch yourself out to get good posture? Mike: So first, if you're this bad, you may need to take a pillow or two for support and rest on that. Just be going from here, say if I'm tight to here, it may feel like a stretch. This is where you can begin. Just lie down like this for a certain duration of time, maybe 30 seconds, a minute, maybe you can go for five minutes if it feels okay for you, and work on it eventually over time, getting fewer pillows if possible. Eventually, try to get to the floor. Now, if you're someone that's kind of hunched over, you notice, but you can easily touch your head to the floor, we can show you how to stretch it a little bit more by either using a ball or a rolled up towel. Brad: So if you take a towel or two towels, roll them up so it's about six inches in diameter. We're going to put that right there. Go ahead, Mike. Mike: So we just lie on that. And then I'm going to need a pillow for this because I'm so high up here. But you could see how just having the towel here, you can even put your arms up to your side. Now this is really going to stretch. Because oftentimes when people are bent forward, their pec and shoulder muscles also get tight. So this will actually help stretch those out as well. Brad: So it's really important that you learn how to relax and breathe. And when you can do that, it'll actually allow the muscles to stretch. So if you're tight and it's a little uncomfortable and you're really breathing with shallow breaths, it's going to be more difficult to get the stretch. Mike: This feels good. Brad: Yeah, it does feel good, doesn't it? Then you can bring your arms from straight out and do that upwards. There you go. Get a more aggressive stretch. Mike: Oh, now I'm really feeling it. Brad: Yes. Mike: Yeah, this is going to work on your shoulder motion more, but it'll help with your kyphosis. Brad: Now, the towel we put under there was pretty big in diameter. You may want to start with a smaller diameter towel. You could also use a ball that's soft, like a kick ball, and that can be a good way. That's a pretty big ball. You'd probably start with a smaller one. Mike: Yeah, this is pretty aggressive, but you can use a smaller one, it'd be fine. Brad: Okay, now it may take a few days or even longer, depending on how tight your muscles are in your joints and your back, but once you get to the point where you can lie on the floor comfortably, your head is flat, you can tuck your chin in and you can lie out like this, then it's time for phase number two. Brad: You're going to do the same thing I had done before to assess and go to the wall so gravity is no longer assisting you. It's all muscle contraction. Mike, take it away. Mike: So, go against a wall like Brad showed earlier. We're going to make contact points first with our buttocks. Then we're going to try to do shoulder blades. And last, you're going to try to touch the back of your head. In order to do this, we want to do a chin tuck, so retracting this way. We don't want to look up towards the ceiling and turn our head. So we're going to do a chin tuck. If you can't touch the wall and it feels okay, you can try and just take your fingertips, push back a little bit to try to get there. You can just perform chin tucks if this seems hard. Mike: Now, if this is easy, you get more advanced, you can try to do a "W." I have some little wings here hitting on the side, but you can make the "W" shape. It can go up and down if you want. This is really going to work on your posture. This is even pretty challenging for me, but you can also just hold it here if this feels like a good stretch. Brad: Yeah. Can you put your arms down once, Mike? Now Mike is against the wall, we actually want to see if we can touch the shoulder blades back because that is one thing, and I've done this with patients many times who are tight here. I'll just gently put some pressure there and stretch, and it's a nice, gentle stretch and relaxing. And there you go. Boy, you've got a lot of beef. You've been lifting weights. Mike: I feel like a football player again, doing that. Brad: All right, now when you get to the point where you can touch your buttock, your shoulders, and you feel flat up against the wall, this may take again days or a week or two, depending on how tight you are, then the maintenance exercise comes along. And this is one of my favorite posture exercises. You actually face the wall. We want to strengthen the muscles in the back that help pull you into that upright posture, good posture. Now what you're going to do is hands up against the wall, feet out about a foot or two feet from the wall. You're comfortable, and you're going to make sure your head is back with good posture, not sagging down. Now this is the part I really like because it works those muscles in a certain manner that promotes good posture. The left hand is going to go up in this direction, and at the same time, the opposite leg with the straight knee is going to go out. So you tighten them up, and you arch, and you will feel the muscles. Mike, can you point out where these muscles are working? That cross-sectional thing from there, from there to the opposite hip. And then you go here and you go back. Mike: So he's working the shoulder muscles, retractor muscles up in the shoulder, and he's working his low back, lumbar paraspinal muscles down here. Brad: Yep. And it's important that you do it opposite, arm, takes you a little bit to get used to for some people. There we go. And I can really feel those muscles working, and I'm feeling tall and strong, and it really is a good stretch. I do want to mention that there may be people who can already touch the wall in the first step. They can go straight to the wall. You don't even have to go to the floor. Step one, you can skip, you can go right to step two, and then possibly to step three very quickly, depending on how tight your body is and your muscles are, if they're contracted or not. Mike: Now with a hunched-over posture, if you're younger, you may get to these progressions quicker. You could typically have more elasticity in your muscles and tendons, and ligaments, so you can get stretching. If you're older, it may take a while. You had more years to get more rigid and in that posture. So just take your time and eventually, hopefully, it'll improve. Brad: And we also have another video. And this actually addresses posture, hunched over while you're walking, and how you can correct that. Mike: Check out the video " How To Stop Walking Hunched Over! 5 Best Fixes. " Brad: There you go. Mike: It's good. For this week’s Giveaway visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D2 Mini Massage Gun D5 Pro Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head Eye Massager  EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Fit Glide Foot Massager Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Knee Glide   Lite Foot Massager Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun Uni Massage Gun Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Fitness: Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Stress Balls   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop ​ Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in June of 2024. For the original video, go to: https://youtu.be/z2fMLGq8vh0 Mike: Do you have stiff hips but not a lot of time to stretch? https://www.facebook.com/BobandBrad/ Brad: Well then, you're in luck. Today we're going to show you some hip stretches that really do the trick. I do them every day. They work well and I think they'll work well for you as well. That's a lot of wells. Mike: It is. Brad: It's a deep subject. Let's go on. Well, wait, Mike. Mike: What? Brad: Do you feel strong like bull today? Mike: I do. We are matching twinsies. Brad: Look at that. Okay. Mike: So, what you need for this routine is a step or staircase of sorts. Rails is a good option as well. So you can hold on for balance. I actually do these outside my house, and Brad does this as well. What you're going to do is take one leg and put it up on a step. Let your balance and mobility be your guide for what step. You can start on the first step, second step, the third step's a bit of a reach, but you can try if you want. I like the second step. What you're going to do is stand up straight and tall and then simply lean forward. I'm actually getting a hip flexor stretch on my back leg here, which is the front hip muscle. And on the front leg, you're actually going into hip flexion, so you're getting both hips stretched at the same time. Brad, do you want to elaborate on this more? Brad: Yeah, I'm going to do it on a stool, and I do this at home. Actually, I use a tall one like this, but that's your preference. Whatever works better. If you're starting out, start with a shorter one. Make sure you have something for balance, the wall, or a cupboard. I'm going to use a Booyah Stik , and here we go. I like to do this one, and I'll bring it forward. I'll go into maximum hip flexion as long as there's no sharp pain. A little stretch is good, but there should be no sharp pain. Just go as far as tolerated. Brad: Are we going to go right into the noodling? Mike: Yeah, so if you want, once you're up there, I'll go on this step so you can see. You can work on bringing your front hip either out more or in more. Depending upon your hip anatomy, you may feel more of a stretch one way. And you could just kind of noodle around in this position. Again, it's good to try to keep as upright as possible. Don't bend forward, you're not going to feel as much stretch on the back hip. Brad: That's right. Now this noodling concept is something that we cannot take credit for. It actually is from Kelly Starrett, and he's an expert in stretching and strengthening, et cetera. But I really like to noodle. I push with my hand, and I'll go this way, and it just feels great. Brad: It wakes me up, my hips feel great, and it also does a really nice knee flexion stretch at the same time, just a bonus. I feel the great stretch back here. It's a complete, comprehensive hip stretch along with a knee bonus. Mike: Now this part is not necessary, but sometimes I like to go sideways because it's going to stretch different muscles in your hip and groin. Again, I can hold on to the handle if I want. I just did the first step for this one, but it gets a little bit different stretch, and it feels good. Brad: Yeah, you actually get a little bit of the groin in there. They have adductors of the hip, which is a nice stretch that avoided actually. Not avoided, but neglected is the term. Yeah, boy. Mike: So it's good to sit here for a minute or two. Make sure to do both sides because you want to limber up both ways, and that should get your hips moving in the morning or afternoon, or evening. Brad: That's right. So make sure you give this a try. Start out gently and progress as you want, but you can get it done in 60 seconds quite easily after you do it a little bit. Let's go on. What do we have for, you know, something else for these people to watch? Mike: So if you're actually experiencing hip pain, check out our video " STOP HIP Pain; Best 5 Stretches For Over 55 . " Those are more specific exercises in that video. Brad: Yep, there you go. Alright, have fun, be careful, and carry on. For this week’s Giveaway visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D2 Mini Massage Gun D5 Pro Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head Eye Massager  EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Fit Glide Foot Massager Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Knee Glide   Lite Foot Massager Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun Uni Massage Gun Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Fitness: Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Stress Balls   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop ​ Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

We highly recommend against this task if you are currently experiencing low back pain. We have several concerns: ➢ Most lawnmowers have poor back support. ➢ Many people when riding a lawnmower have their back in a flexed position. ➢ The vibrations and bouncing that accompany the use of the riding land mower are more likely to injure your back or prevent it from healing. ➢ Many people tend to sit for a long period of time when riding a mower. They are not likely to take needed breaks. If you are going to use a riding lawn mower try the following: ➢ Strap a back support cushion to the back of the lawnmower ➢ Stop the mower, stand up, and do some back extensions every 20 minutes. ➢ If mowing for over an hour - stop the mower and walk for five minutes. ➢ After mowing DO NOT perform any lifting or bending for at least an hour. More walking is advised. Check out the full Back Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/back-pain-relief-program How to Use a Riding Mower or Push Mower with Back Pain

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in June of 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/JPhdAyrSwCg Mike: Sit-to-stand chairs or recliners are becoming more popular amongst elderly people. Brad: So we're going to talk about the seven advantages you get with the sit-to-stand chair. I'm intimately involved with these as both my brother and I bought our parents a sit-to-stand chair each in the later years of their life, and it really helped their function throughout the day, and they're very comfortable. Mike: Now, a lift chair is essentially just a recliner with motors attached to it. So you can recline all the way like normal, or you can actually get up in a standing position. Brad: That's right. These chairs are very nice and equipped. The motors on this are very quiet, and this chair happens to be a FlexiSpot. What's the model number? Mike: Flexispot XL6 . Brad: That's right. We're going to use this to demonstrate, but they're all pretty similar to the same features as this. We'll go through them in detail. Mike: So the first advantage of these chairs is that they make standing up a lot easier for people who are weak in the legs and want to stay independent. Now, as you can see, Brad is going up. This is going to make it easier for him to stand up. Now you don't want to go max all the way up just because it's super easy. You still want your leg muscles to work. So go to the optimal height for you where you're still working, but it helps you get up. Brad: Right, it's all about safety with these chairs. They're solid. The nice thing about these components is that there are actually two motors. There are two jacks, one for lifting your legs and a separate one for lifting the chair up, so you get maximum power and good reliability. Mike: Another advantage is that this allows some individuals to actually stay independent wherever they are living. We've personally worked with people, maybe in an assisted living, that couldn't get off a normal chair or couch and needed to be able to remain there. So having a lift chair like this allowed them to be independent still. Brad: That's right. The next thing about these is elevating the legs. For people with poor circulation in their legs, edema, et cetera, this is great. You can elevate the legs, it's comfortable. It's nice to have the full cushion all the way through under the knees. And then you can also recline the back so that you can actually take a nap and sleep quite well. Mike: So, a different benefit specifically for this chair is that it actually has heat and massage built into it. So it actually has eight different vibrating massage nodes, and it also has heat available in the lower back region. Brad: That's right. And the controls are separate. There's one for the mechanics of lifting and going down with your legs, trunk, et cetera. And then the separate one controls the vibration massage, whether it's in your legs, your back, or your upper back. The heat has three different levels in the lumbar spine. I really do like that. It feels great on that. So it's all ready for you. Now, one of the best things about these chairs is you get all the benefits we've talked about at a really good price. Now we bought our chairs for my parents over about eight years ago, and they were over a thousand dollars each, and they did not have the massage or the heat on the lumbar back. This is only what is the price on this, Mike? Mike: It's $489 for the medium version and $569 for the larger version. Brad: It's a deal. The other two nice options that this chair comes with is a lumbar support pillow. You can put it right back in there if you need more support in that area, as well as a neck pad, which does adjust. It's all the way back now. There are three locations, you simply pull up and it locks there. I'm gonna go again. And the third one, and this is particularly important if you're all the way back and you need to have your head up a little bit to watch TV, for example, or something of that nature. There we go. Mike: We need a TV in here. Brad: If you're wearing microphones, it's not so convenient. Mike: So the last benefit of this chair in particular is that it comes in two different sizes. So there is a medium size, which is for people 5'2 up to 5'9. It can handle up to 400 pounds. And the version we have here is the tall and wide version, which is for people 5'10 to 6'2, and can handle up to 440 pounds. Brad: There you go. And the warranty for this product is three years on the frame. Two years for the electric motors, and that's very competitive. Mike: So those are the seven advantages of using a sit-to-stand chair. If you want to focus on your leg strength, which is very important for getting from sitting to standing, check out our video " 3 Leg Strengthening Exercises Every Senior Should Do. " Brad: Nice job, Mike. Excellent work, guys. Cameramen. Bob, thank you. Thanks for coming. Thanks for coming to my party. For this week’s Giveaway visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D2 Mini Massage Gun D5 Pro Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head Eye Massager  EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Fit Glide Foot Massager Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Knee Glide   Lite Foot Massager Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun Uni Massage Gun Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Fitness: Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Stress Balls   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop ​ Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in June of 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/BLJZ-lU1QJg Mike: Did you know that falls affect one in three people, and commonly foot problems are what's causing them? Brad: So today we're going to discuss the two major culprits of problems that cause these falls. Not only are we going to discuss what the culprits are, but we're also going to show you what the remedies are and how to fix them. But, the study, let's talk about where we got this information. Mike: So, a research study of 187 adults aged 62 to 90 found that two problems stood out and caused individuals to fall. Now, the first common problem they found with most of the participants was that they actually had weak calf muscles, which led to falls. Brad: And the second problem, this is a little surprising to me, is weakness of the great toe or your big toe's ability to pull up or extend is weak. Now that's something we need to look into. Mike: So, we're going to show you how to strengthen your calves first, and then we're gonig to show you how much great toe extension you need, and how to stretch it. Brad: Great toe, big toe, same thing. Mike: So, we're going to first strengthen the calf muscles. We're going to start with the gastrocnemius muscle, and then we'll get into the soleus muscle later. We're going to go from beginner to more advanced, depending on your beginner's level. So to start, we're going to either hold onto something, you can do some railings or a wall. Brad can show as well. We're going to start with both legs at the same time, and just go up on your toes as high as you comfortably can, and then back down. Try to do a nice, controlled motion. Don't just do little up and downs. Try to progress to 20 reps over time. If you can only do five to start, that's fine. Do five, take a break, do another five. Try to get to 20 total. Brad: Wait right there, though, Mike. Do one more. As Mike talks about good control up and slowly down, we're talking about the gastrocs. Now, if we move this leg forward while you're up on your toe, this clearly demonstrates the gastroc muscle, it's up here. Brad: Then the soleus muscle, which is deep and in there, we're also going to show you how to address that so you get a complete exercise for the calf muscles. Mike: So, if this becomes easy, a way to progress it is, again, to go up with both legs, but just one leg goes down slowly and controlled. Try to take roughly three seconds or so, up with both, down slow. This is called concentric motion when going up and eccentric when going down. So we're going to go up with concentric, and slow on one leg down. Now make sure to do both legs. So if you do 20 on one leg, take a break, and then try to eventually do 20 on the other leg. Brad: Right. Eccentric strengthening time after time has been shown to be the best way to strengthen a muscle over time. So, it's important to this. Alright, now we'll go to the soleus muscle and how to strengthen it. Now, with both of these exercises, I recommend that you have shoes on as opposed to doing them stockingfoot or barefoot. It just seems to give a better exercise. So, wall, you're going to use this for your balance, and now we're going to bend the knees to about 90 degrees. I would say probably a little less, but right about there. What that does is it takes out that gastroc muscle, and it's going to focus on that muscle right where my blue socks are, that deep soleus, and now I'm going to go up and down. It feels kinda weird actually, but it does definitely change the mechanics of it, and works that soleus. Work up to 20, when you can get done with that, then again up with both, lift, and down the eccentric, and do that. I'm not going to bore you with it right now, but make sure you do it at home. Brad: Do it on both legs. You can start at 10, and build your way up to 20. Then you have the complete calf muscles exercised and strengthened. If you get sore the next day, take a day off and wait till the next day, because that could very well happen. Mike: It eliminates the gastroc and works on the soleus. Brad: So, the second point in this study is a lack of great toe extension. Now, if you're looking at the great toe or big toe, extension is when it goes up. Typically, 60 degrees is the average for great toe extension. This is important for walking because it allows foot clearance. If it were to be down or stuck more, you are more likely to trip, and you could fall. Brad: So you don't have to have toe socks like Mike has, although they're very cute. Look at my toe, I've got plenty of great toe extension. If I were only part way, that would be a problem versus my full range of motion. This is at least 60 degrees. Then we need to actually work on stretching that toe. You can grab it with your finger and pull. We're going to show you a couple of other ways as well, so you don't have to touch your feet. Mike: You can do this in a seated position if you feel uncomfortable as well. Brad: There you go. Again, the other ones, I think, are a little more practical. Okay, now this next toe extension stretch you'll do in standing, so it's more functional. And if you have a really tight toe, you may start with a towel roll. So you simply roll it up, get it kind of tight, put it down, and then Mike will demonstrate how you can stretch it. Mike: So just place your toes on the towel, and then as you put pressure down, it's going to bring your toes into extension. If you see my other foot, it's flat or neutral. You can see my great toe is starting to go into extension. The more I lean forward onto the towel, the more stretch I'm going to start feeling. So, that's a good way to stretch the great toe. I'm just holding onto something for support. If you happen to feel unsteady, you can do it at a countertop or whatever at home. But it's just a good way to get some nice toe extension. Brad: Now, after you get through that and you want a more aggressive stretch, you may not even need to do that. I'm going to actually show you with my socks off so you can see it better. And this is more aggressive if you do it without a shoe. You could have socks on. You simply go against the wall like I am, and I want to get this down flat, the ball of my toe, and now I'm feeling a very good stretch. Brad: It's aggressive. You can tell by the color of the skin that it's getting stretched. I'm not going to hold it here real long because I'm going to get sore toes if I do. And I'm going to come off and relax it, and then give it a few seconds, 30 seconds, whatever you need, and do it again. The more at an angle to isolate that big toe is up to you. If you go straight on, I'm actually getting the rest of my toes. It all depends on your individual situation. So, use good judgment, don't overdo it right away. Take your time with it, especially if those toes are really tight. So work with these exercises. According to this research, it has good results, and it's not that hard to do. We also have another video. Mike: Yes. If you are having trouble with falls, we have a video, " 7 Creative Ways to Get Off The Floor! " Brad: That's right. Very good video. Good and informative as usual. Let's carry on. I'm getting old. For this week’s Giveaway visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun Air 2 Mini Massage Gun Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D2 Mini Massage Gun D5 Pro Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head Eye Massager  EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Fit Glide Foot Massager Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Knee Glide   Lite Foot Massager Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun Uni Massage Gun Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Hea d Fitness: Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Stress Balls   Wall Ancho r Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop ​ Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

Image via Pexels   Achieving wellness and self-care goals isn’t just about setting intentions—it’s about maintaining consistency over time. Life’s responsibilities, unexpected obstacles, and fluctuating motivation can make it difficult to remain committed. However, with the right strategies, you can cultivate lasting habits that support your mental, physical, and emotional well-being. Tie Your Goals to a Deeper Purpose It’s easy to skip a workout or neglect self-care when the goal feels superficial. To stay consistent, connect your habits to a meaningful purpose that resonates with you. Instead of focusing solely on losing weight or looking a certain way, reframe your goal as improving your energy levels, reducing stress, or setting a positive example for loved ones. A deeper connection to your wellness aspirations will make it easier to push through challenges. When your actions feel purposeful, consistency becomes a natural extension of your values rather than a chore. Account for Your Career Goals Staying true to your career goals requires continuous learning and adaptability, especially in a rapidly evolving job market. One way to sharpen your skills is by going back to school and enrolling in an online degree program— this could help  you stay competitive while balancing work and personal responsibilities. For example, earning a computer science degree can strengthen your expertise in IT, programming, and computer science theory, opening doors to new opportunities. With the flexibility of online learning, you can build valuable skills on your own schedule without putting your career on hold. Build Your Routine Around Small, Non-Negotiable Habits The most sustainable self-care routines are built on small, consistent habits rather than grand, sweeping changes. Start with manageable commitments, such as drinking a glass of water upon waking, stretching for five minutes, or setting a bedtime alarm. By focusing on non-negotiable habits, you create a solid foundation that reinforces itself over time. These small actions eventually become second nature, making it easier to expand upon them. When self-care is integrated seamlessly into your routine, it eliminates the need for constant decision-making. Anticipate Obstacles and Plan Ahead One of the biggest reasons people abandon their wellness goals is failing to prepare for inevitable roadblocks. Life will always present challenges, whether it’s a busy work schedule, travel, or unexpected stressors. Instead of letting these hurdles derail you, develop contingency plans to stay on track . Have a backup workout for days when time is short, prepare quick and nutritious meals in advance, and keep a list of five-minute self-care practices for overwhelming days. Consistency thrives on adaptability, so being proactive prevents small setbacks from turning into long-term failures. Leverage the Power of Habit Stacking If you struggle to incorporate self-care into your day, try habit stacking— linking a new habit to an existing one . This method removes the effort of remembering and makes self-care a seamless addition to your routine. For example, you can practice deep breathing while brushing your teeth, stretch after your morning coffee, or journal for a few minutes before checking emails. By attaching wellness activities to something you already do regularly, you increase the likelihood of following through. Over time, these stacked habits become automatic, reducing the mental effort required to maintain them. Track Progress Without Obsessing Over Perfection Keeping track of your wellness habits can be a great motivator, but rigid expectations often lead to frustration. Instead of aiming for perfection, focus on tracking progress in a flexible and encouraging way . Use a simple habit tracker, take weekly notes on how you feel, or celebrate small victories along the way. The key is to measure consistency rather than flawlessness. If you miss a day or slip up, avoid the all-or-nothing mindset that causes many people to quit entirely. Progress is built through persistence, not perfection. Consistency with wellness and self-care doesn’t require endless willpower—it requires smart, sustainable strategies. Over time, these strategies transform self-care from something you "have to do" into something you naturally maintain. True wellness isn’t about perfection; it’s about showing up for yourself, day after day, in ways that nourish your mind, body, and soul.   Discover a healthier, pain-free lifestyle with Bob and Brad , where expert advice and innovative products meet to support your wellness journey!

This is a very simple concept (with three rules) that can help prevent the strain placed on your back from repeatedly bending forward or bending down. You are going to rearrange your home, your garage, and your workplace using these three rules: 1. Rule Number One: Items that you use frequently (or at least daily) should be placed at a height somewhere between your shoulders and your waist (most desirable). 2. Rule Number Two: Light items or items that you use weekly may be placed at levels above shoulder height (less desirable - but okay). 3. Rule Number Three: Items that you use less than weekly may be placed at levels below waist height (least desirable). **Heavy items should be avoided when you have back pain/sciatica. Ideally, you would want to place ALL items at a level somewhere between the height of your waist and the height of your shoulders. However, this is usually impossible due to the restraints of storage space. By placing the frequently used objects at the correct heights, you will rarely need to bend forward and put stress on your back. Check out the full Back Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/back-pain-relief-program