Do These 3 Simple Exercises Daily to Promote Healthy Aging, Doctor Says

Promoting your long-term health doesn’t have to be time-consuming. Just a few simple daily activities is all it takes to support longevity.“We’re all really busy, and yet we need to fit in things that are critical for our health,” Dr. Vonda Wright, an orthopedic surgeon, tells TODAY.com.But even if you don’t have two hours or you don’t have access to a gym, you can still fit enough activity into your day to support healthy aging, she says. And she has three specific exercises that she recommends people do for just that reason. “None of these things take technology. They take the excuse out of the equation,” she says.Longevity Tip of the Day: Try These Simple Exercises to Support Long Term- HealthWright recommends focusing on these three simple exercises to promote healthy aging, which you can do in small bursts throughout the day:Balance on one leg while doing the dishes, brushing your teeth or even standing in the street.Jump 20 times “like you mean it,” Wright says. You can do 10 in the morning and 10 at night.Do chair squats quickly for 1 minute three times per day to get your heart rate up.Why It MattersEach of these movements trains your body to age in a safer, healthier way.“We need to retrain our balance so that we do not fall and break a bone,” Wright explains. Balancing on one leg while you do other activities is an easy way to sneak in some of that training.Meanwhile, jumping up and down supports bone health, she says, because it is an impact activity. The vibration of impact training sends a signal to your cells that results in bone growth and improved bone density, TODAY.com explained previously.And chair squats, which require you to start in a standing position and squat down to a chair, will get your heart rate moving to support cardiovascular health. Doing 1 minute of chair squats as fast as you safely can three times a day is linked to longevity benefits, Wright says.How to Get StartedThese are short bursts of activity meant to fit into your daily routine easily. If doing the full exercises is not feasible for you, Wright suggests starting small. For balance, first make sure you’re standing in front of a surface like a counter or the sink so that you have something to grab onto, Wright says. And instead of jumping, start with heel drops or stomping your feet. “Eventually, we do want to clear the air and jump down,” she says. “We can revive fun things like hopscotch; draw it on the sidewalk and do it with your grandkids.”If standing up and squatting into a chair isn’t working for you, try sitting first and standing up, Wright says. And you don’t have to start with a full minute. “Just progressively work up to one full minute as hard as you go,” she says, “and you’ll be surprised at how fast you will progress.”TODAY’s Expert Tip of the Day series is all about simple strategies to make life a little easier. Every Monday through Friday, different qualified experts share their best advice on diet, fitness, heart health, mental wellness and more.