How to Keep Moving Indoors During Winter: Functional Mobility Exercises

How to Keep Moving Indoors During Winter: Functional Mobility Exercises

What Is Functional Exercise?

The Mayo Clinic defines functional exercises as exercises that “train your muscles to work together and prepare them for daily tasks by simulating common movements you might do at home, at work or in sports…By training your muscles to work the way they do in everyday tasks, you prepare your body to move efficiently in a variety of common situations.”

While traditional exercise focuses primarily on improving strength or endurance, functional exercise emphasizes movements and tasks that mimic real-life activities, such as walking, reaching, or standing up from a chair. Functional exercise is crucial for people with neurologic conditions, in particular, because it directly targets the activities of daily living (ADLs) that may be compromised due to the diagnosis.

And research shows that there are plenty of benefits to functional exercise, from improved independence and enhanced mobility and balance, to increased neuroplasticity and reduced fall risk.

Sit-to-Stand

This exercise addresses a movement that is essential to so many aspects of our lives.

Transitioning from a seated to standing position, as well as the reverse, is an integral part of many different ADLs. Activities including bathing, dressing, and getting out of bed all involve this movement, as well as activities that may feel more obvious like getting out of a chair.

Before performing this exercise, be sure that you are in a stable chair on a firm surface with armrests. Also be sure that you have any assistive devices nearby, as they can and should be used as part of this protocol — or any exercise protocol that involves standing — if you use an assistive device for your mobility.

Sit-to-stands not only strengthen the quadriceps and gluteal muscles, but they also contribute to core stability.

Setting Up Sit-to-Stand

Stimulation for this exercise focuses on the quadricep muscles. Use similar settings to the Knee Extension exercise protocol so you have a comfortable contraction if desired.

How to Perform Sit-to-Stand

As always, we recommend watching the tutorial video accompanying the exercise program to view a live recording and description of the motion of this exercise.

Step Ups

Step Ups is a protocol that helps practice stepping up with your more impacted leg — your Neural Sleeve leg — as the lead and stepping back down with the less impacted leg.

Setting Up Step Ups

You’ll enter settings for two muscle groups in order to perform Step Ups in the Timer Activated mode:

Key Differences in Timer Activated vs. Biofeedback Exercise Protocol for Step Ups

How to Perform Step Ups

As always, we recommend watching the tutorial video accompanying the exercise program to view a live recording and description of the motion of this exercise.

Swing Ups

Swing Ups practice stepping up with your less impacted leg — in other words, the leg without the Neural Sleeve — as the lead, and stepping down with the more impacted leg.

Setting Up Swing Ups

You’ll enter settings for two muscle groups in order to perform Swing Ups:

Key Differences in Timer Activated vs. Biofeedback Protocol for Swing Ups

How to Perform Swing Ups

As always, we recommend watching the tutorial video accompanying the exercise program to view a live recording and description of the motion of this exercise.

Squats

Unlike the Sit-to-Stand exercise protocol which is primarily a functional exercise, the standing squat in the Squats protocol is a more traditional strengthening exercise, like you may do at the gym.

Setting Up Squats

For Squats, you’ll want to have an active contraction in the quadriceps.

How to Perform Squats

As always, we recommend watching the tutorial video accompanying the exercise program to view a live recording and description of the motion of this exercise.