By a Pearl Republic editorial staffer
(Depending upon your health, you may want to consult with your physician or other medical personnel before doing the exercise sequence below. Pearl Republic and its staff are NOT trained doctors and can assume no liability before, during or after you do the described exercise sequence.)

Seldom do you find a workout or exercise you can do sitting down. No, not sitting down in your favorite easy-chair or pool-side lounge. All you need for this exercise is a sturdy chair with arm rests that you most likely have around your house. Or use a one-piece plastic patio chair with arm rests. If you need one, the expense should be about $8-10.

We see it everyday on TV or the web. An assortment of pills from one-a-day to one-a-month. All designed to reduce bone density loss as our female bodies gain a few pounds here and there, and otherwise go out of whack.

The last report we saw estimated over 70% of women are pumping iron. This means lifting weights. This percentage seems rather high. It’s difficult to believe that there are this many women (or men) flexing their triceps, biceps or anything else. Most of us are in a permanent state of inertia.

But there are some of us (over 30 and 40) who are on target to maintain bone mass, or at least keep loss to a minimum. Now you can join this roll call.

The exercises we suggest below are direct from the annals of modern medicine. After an operation there is physical therapy and occupational therapy.

If you are a Pearl Republic customer you are now familiar with “personal empowerment.” You are going to empower yourself to do something, anything, and do it now. We are going to borrow from occupational therapy and make it a daily activity in our life. And as we gain strength, we don’t have to fret over rainy days or inclement weather keeping us from exercising.

Here goes (first without weights):

Place a pillow or cushion in the chair and sit upright
1. Let your arms drop to the side of the chair, curl arms forward at elbow to shoulders, then down.  Repeat five times.
2.  Place hands at shoulders, and lift your arms directly overhead, then down. Repeat five times.
3.  Lift arms directly overhead, and lower to each side to shoulder level. Repeat five times.
4.  Place arms to each side at shoulder level. Lower and raise. Repeat five times.
5.  Place arms on legs with hands near knees. Lift one arm straight up to shoulder level, lift second to shoulder level, lower first arm, then lower second. Repeat fives times.
6.  Let arms rest forward on legs, curl to shoulders 5-10 times.

During these exercises (without weights) clinch your hands into a fist. Do the sequence one after the other as best you can.  If you need to rest, do so. If there is any acute or shooting pain, stop the exercises. You may have a pre-existing condition and should consult a physician.

[Even if you are in excellent physical condition, do not use weights until you memorize the exercise sequence. And there is no pain. Do the sequence at least two weeks before using weights.] 

Once you learn this sequence, your elapsed time will be no more than 2 minutes. Do once in the morning and once at night. It should strengthen your arms, shoulders and upper body. This is just three of the areas that experience bone density loss.

The above workout assumes you do not lift heavy items in your job, such as in a warehouse or delivery firm. But this workout is good for you if the most you lift during the day is a ream of paper (approximately 5 lbs.).

If you can’t do the above exercise five times each, do not despair. Five times is the goal. And you will reach it.

After doing this diligently twice a day for several weeks, it becomes too easy. So you are ready to add weights to your workout. This is a major step forward. The muscle you accumulate will be minor; the fat loss (from arms) could be major. All while sitting in a comfortable position.

Keep in mind this is NOT the cardiovascular workout advised with sweat and tears flowing for 30 minutes. It is just a simple introduction and supplement to needed exercise, covered extensively on the Internet. Here are just three examples:

“As for exercise, good activities are walking, running, biking, aerobic dance, or cross-country skiing. These are considered good ways to put more stress on the bones, increasing their mass. Carrying weights is also a good way to increase bone mass.”  –WebMD

“Resistance exercises, such as weight training, help maintain bones by strengthening the muscles around them.”  --FOSAMAX web advertisement

“Weight-bearing exercise. In this type of exercise, your bones and muscles are called on to work against gravity and/or bear weight.” –bonebalance.com (Roche Laboratories Inc.)

Let’s power up

For you, we suggest adding 1- or 2-lb. hand-grip barbell weights. (A man may want to use 5-lb. weights.) You will find these at sporting goods stores as well as major retailers. The cost should be minimal, the benefit enormous.

In my case, I used the Internet. My search was for 1-lb. barbells. On the third screen I found promedproducts.com. It was easy to order with a Visa credit card. Each 1-lb. barbell cost $1.95, each 2-lb. $2.95. I ordered two of each. The barbell cost was $9.80. Add ground shipping at $6.10 for a total cost of $15.90. The barbells arrived within a week.   promedproducts.com>Rehab Products>Weights>Dumbbells

By now you have memorized the exercise sequence. With weights in each hand, start with a 2 or 3 count each. Over time you will built to five. And depending upon the time you have available, you will find yourself continuing to add repetitions.

The Pearl Republic mission is to improve your life and enhance your lifestyle. We are confident this Bonus Report 2-minute Workout will not only physically tone-up your arms and shoulders, but give you a better mental outlook as you welcome the days ahead. And while there are no guarantees, you may have a head start in maintaining bone density.

If you would like to know the simple, at-home exercises to strengthen your legs and hips, you can access this report at www.pearlrepublic.com/improvement.