If you could hammer out one workout everyday for the rest of your life, what would it look like?
The goal is to maintain muscle, strength, flexibility, and mobility while taking less than 20 minutes. It would be a daily ritual that is practiced until you die. Pair this with some brisk cardio 20 minutes every day, and why not thrive into your 90’s?
Inspiration: Taekwondo Daily Dozen
When I practiced Taekwondo in my younger years, the beginning of every workout was a light warm up followed by a set of stretches called the Daily Dozen. These stretches were performed before every workout to prevent injury and prepare the body for more rigorous exercise .
Most sports encourage something similar, but what happens when you stop the sport? Or what happens if you don’t practice the sport everyday?
The big idea here is to have a routine that is practiced everyday until you die. So it must be strenuous enough to make a difference, but not too difficult to put off until tomorrow.
My 2023 Daily Dozen
Note: All movements are slow and controlled focusing on the best technique possible. Not exactly twelve, but I still love the name.
1. Joint Rotations – Slow circles controlled, extending larger, getting the blood flowing
2. Cat Pose and stretch all fours
3. Pushups until failure
4. Superman pushups until failure
4. Hamstring bends
5. Vinyasa Flow to down dog stretch and leg kicks to pigeon
6. Slow Kicks until failure – side kicks, round kicks, heel kicks
7. 10 Slow Lunges to front kicks
8. 10 Slow Squats
9. 1-6 of the Taekwondo Daily Dozen
10. Band Raises for shoulders