Christmas decorations are already out and had it not been for the “thrill” of an upcoming election, Christmas carols would have taken over our airwaves. Very soon even the die-hard exercise fanat­ics will be so busy doing NOTHING that time to exercise or stay fit is as close to zero as practically possible. This zero is a figure that the Ghana AIDS Commission would certainly be envious of but we continue to make strides there as well and hopefully in the not too distant future we will achieve that.

We all wish our favourite exercis­es will give us the same benefits as all other exercises but the truth is that some exercises are “more equal than others” just as happens in every aspect of life.

This does not mean if you are unable to perform the most effective exercises, you should exert yourself and cause injury to your body. Re­member, Cobba’s First Law of Exercis­ing is “DO NO HARM”.

These exercises may just help you stay afloat this Christmas:

• Squats

• Plank

• Push-Ups

• Walking & Dancing

Don’t short-change yourself on these MUST DOs:

• Smiling; it costs nothing but gives you the world

• Sleep; can’t overemphasize this

• Give your neck a break and stretch it gently everyday

• Breathe; deep belly breathing is always a blast

Squats

Every single rep (repetition) in this exercise is worth the effort.

Squats target the quadriceps, hamstrings and gluteals, which in simple language refers to the thigh muscles and buttocks.

It is important to learn the right technique and since it exercises large muscle groups, you are able to burn a lot of calories with squats.

In every exercise session, it is important to work large mus­cles before the smaller ones.

Steps

1. Keep feet, shoulder width apart

2. Back should be straight (standing posture)

3. Bend knees and lower your rear till your thighs are hori­zontal.

4. Return to the standing position

5. Repeat steps 1-4

6. Remember to stretch the muscles used after the exercise.

If you have difficulty following the steps above, place a chair be­hind you and with your back straight try to sit on it. Do not let your buttocks touch the seat, then return to the standing position and repeat. As your technique improves, you may remove the chair.

As one gets stronger you may even carry some weights while doing squats but as always start with cau­tion. You may do only 3 reps at a time (properly). Gradually add some more. You can modify the effects of squats by widening the space between your feet or even having your heels on a slightly elevated surface.

When to avoid squats

• Severe knee pain irrespective of cause

• Knee injury even if no longer painful (you will need professional supervision)

• Acute back pain (you will later do back slides which is similar to squats and helps strengthen back muscles)

This exercise benefits almost everyone with a lifestyle disease. Hypertensives (those with high blood pressure) even get a bonus since it causes peripheral pooling of blood and helps to lower the blood pressure over time.

Plank

Arguably the safest ex­ercise for strengthening abdominal muscles and also has the added benefit of strengthening lower back muscles. Especially for people who sit for long hours (you shouldn’t anyway) this is great news for helping your back.

1. Start by getting into a push-up position

2. Bend your elbows and rest your weight on your forearms and not on your hands

3. Support your lower body on your toes

4. Your body should form a straight line from shoulders to ankles just like a plank of wood

5. Engage your core (midsec­tion) by sucking your belly button into your spine

6. Hold this position for the prescribed time. This may vary from 5 seconds to 1 minute. Repeat.

Push-ups (press-ups)

This is probably the first exercise most people try out; well apart from laughter and walking I presume and everyone is familiar with it.

Go ahead and squeeze a minute a day in there.

Walking & dancing

Before you set out to exer­cise your muscles remember to walk at least a minute before you start and a minute after you are done.

You may even walk while in one place, what matters is moving your legs and arms and getting your heart to pump.

Use every opportunity during the day to:

• use the stairs instead of the elevator

• walk while you talk on your cell phone

• Walk to a colleague’s desk at the office instead of using the phone or sending someone else.

• Pick your own stuff for cooking instead of sitting and getting people to assist with even the trivial errands

• Dance with your heart when­ever you have a chance; during your Christmas programmes, while watch­ing TV and even while you take a shower.

A minute each for Squats, Planks and Push-ups and two minutes of walking, then repeat the whole pro­cess (circuit training) two more times with no rest periods or 30 second rest periods depending on your level of fitness. Start now and make this your routine morning, afternoon or evening and it may just be enough to help you sail through the holiday season and start the New Year in your best shape ever.

AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pres­sure, blood cholesterol, BMI)

Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel

Health Essentials Ltd (HE&W Group)

(dressel@healthessentialsgh. com)

*Dr. Essel is a Medical Doctor with a keen interest in Lifestyle Medicine, He holds an MBA and is an ISSA Specialist in Exercise Therapy, Fitness Nutrition and Corrective Exercise. He is the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essen­tials of Health & Wealth.’

Thought for the week – “For heart health you need to relax and have fun as well; schedule time for leisure, laugh often, learn to breathe deeply and maybe get a pet.”

References:

• The Gym Bible

• www.webmd.com

• 30dayfitnesschal­lenges.com

By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel

Physical education in schools has found its way into history books

Open gutters eager to welcome all forms of garbage to choke them, craters with strips of what may have been asphalt and probably called roads some years earlier. Young men arguing at the top of their voices under trees during working hours and sadly it appears they have no plans of finding jobs or creating one.

They find a way to satisfy their hunger every day. These scenarios are definitely not what I dream for my beloved country. Though many people especially those living outside our borders like to convince them­selves as well as all others that it is all gloom in our land, that is far from the truth; many people want to excel at what they do even in the face of challenges and young minds are doing wonderful things.

Many people are dreaming and making things happen in a decent way. Only Ghanaians can make Ghana a haven; complain as much as you want but do not leave it at that. Do something to bring about the change you desire. No country has been built without the sacrifice of its people.

I see health facilities springing up in several places especially in the capital. Why are we not training health professionals to man these centres? We can and should invest in the training of professionals who specialise in a chosen field and that should not be restricted to doctors only.

Long service or having friends in high places should not be the criteria for heading a major health facility; we can get things right if we make the right choices.

The silence on preventive med­icine is deafening. Physical Educa­tion in schools has found its way into history books and hand washing appears to be necessary only when one uses the toilet. Little wonder diarrhea diseases have a field day in our health facilities. Let us get back to the basics.

I dream of a beautiful land where booths for checking blood pressure and blood sugar at the very least can be found in every corner “from Gam­baga to Accra, from Wiaso to Keta…”

Why do we have to lose so many people needlessly to hypertension and diabetes? The first time I read that the sphygmomanometer (for measuring blood pressure) also measures “common sense” I found it quite insulting but after much reflec­tion, it may be the painful truth.

Five minutes may be all it takes to save a life. Aren’t all lives import­ant? Why do people leave home late for work and then use dispatch riders paid by our tax money to literally drive us off the road? We can embark on a programme to check the blood pressure of everyone in the country in a year.

Checking for diabetes may cost us a little more but it is certainly doable and it should be a must! I dream of the day when blood sugar will be checked at most visits to a health facility just like we check blood pres­sure; maybe a little exaggerated but I am sure you can dream with me.

I love to dream and “I hope someday you may join me” because we need to dream and then put into practice. If we can dream it then surely we can get it done (Combert Impressions comes to mind) and of course there will be challenges but we can succeed.

If we have days for cleaning our surroundings then we surely can have days when we all do some walking. How glorious that will be if we could cover our drains so people can walk safely.

It is not my aim to cause anyone to lose business but why should chil­dren have access to coloured water loaded with sugar in school. I think schools should say NO to these toxins disguised as refreshing drinks.

The carnage on our roads is real. I was excited when I heard of changes to issuing and renewing drivers licens­es. Is there a way we can penalize people for dangerous driving? Can we use pictures? Or cameras or maybe our Police Officers can help?

This year a lot of health education worldwide has focused on the family and maybe we should also place a lot of responsibility on family units. Strong, responsible and disciplined families will lead to a country of our dreams but how do we get families to tow this path?

Are the children our hope? Can schools and churches and groups who want to see and experience a coun­try of their dreams help to grow and mentor our young ones?

Many times I wonder if it’s possi­ble to have every parent invest some money each month no matter how small once a child is born. Imagine what the power of compound interest and time can do by the time the child is old enough to take over making the money and investing.

Yes I do appreciate the level of poverty in many quarters but we have to start somewhere.

We need more optimists to step up and guide us where we belong.

Pardon me for rambling but DREAMS seldom follow a clear path. I look forward to seeing our dreams become a reality.

AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pres­sure, blood cholesterol, BMI)

Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel

Health Essentials Ltd (HE&W Group)

(dressel@healthessentialsgh. com)

*Dr. Essel is a Medical Doctor with a keen interest in Lifestyle Medicine, He holds an MBA and is an ISSA Specialist in Exercise Therapy, Fitness Nutrition and Corrective Exercise. He is the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’

Thought for the week – “As World DIABETES Day (14th Nov) ap­proaches, make an effort to KNOW YOUR NUMBER.”

• Physical education in schools has found its way into history books

By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel

www.thespectatoronline.com