For many, coffee is the go-to solution for that essential morning energy boost. However, this popular pick-me-up often comes with its own set of challenges, such as a dreaded afternoon crash, potential digestive issues, and those unsettling jittery nerves. Fortunately, there’s a more sustainable way to jumpstart your day, especially beneficial for those over 50.

Consider incorporating a dynamic variation of the push-up into your routine. This exercise not only activates major fascial chains, specifically the anterior and spiral, but also enhances circulation by pumping venous blood from your arms and thoracic regions. It further engages the intercostal muscles, which play a crucial role in breathing. The result is a significant amount of blood being propelled up the carotid arteries, delivering oxygen and nutrients directly to the brain. This process can provide a level of alertness comparable to that of coffee, without the side effects.

Push-Up Matrix

How to perform the push-up matrix:

Common mistakes to avoid:

• Begin either on your toes or on your knees in a push-up position
• Make a diamond shape out of your hands and place them slightly above your collarbone
• Perform 3 to 5 push-ups from that position
• Walk your hands so they are about shoulder width apart, still above your collarbone
• Perform 3 to 5 push-ups
• Take your hands as wide as you can, turning your fingers away from each other, still above your collarbone
• Perform 3 to 5 push-ups
• Repeat the series with your hands below your collarbone
• Repeat one last time with your hands parallel to your collarbone
• Complete 1 to 2 sets of the complete matrix

Common mistakes to avoid:

• Letting your back arch excessively
• Reaching your head towards the floor
• Focus on all the movement coming from the wrist, elbow and shoulders—no movement at the core or head

This exercise can be a bit complex at first, so please check out the accompanying video to get the technique: https://youtube.com/shorts/sTPgJmrLfRE?si=z81yPakQPGWLLynz6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Boxing footwork mimics cross-crawl brain stimulation. By stimulating the brain in this manner, not only do you increase blood flow to the brain, but you integrate the right and left half of your brain. Boxing footwork also increases cardiac output leading to endorphin release giving you that coffee buzz.

How to perform boxing footwork:

• Stand with your feet straight ahead, a little less than shoulder width apart
• Make a gentle jump while spreading your feet apart and rotating your hips about 45° in one direction
• Make a small hop and return to the beginning position
• Create the same small hop and again open your hips out to a 45° angle in the other direction
• Repeat this motion over and over until you’ve completed 45 seconds
• Rest for 10 seconds
• Repeat until you’ve completed four sets

Common mistakes to avoid:

• Trying to go too fast before you have mastered the basic footwork
• Trying to do too many sets before you’ve built up a tolerance
• Allowing the head to rotate—the head should be looking forward at all times

Piston Breathing

This breath technique expands rib cage mobility, massages the internal organs, and hydrates fascia surrounding the lungs and diaphragm. It stimulates the phrenic nerve (this nerve stimulates the diaphragm) and supports oxygen-rich circulation. Piston breathing is a great way to stimulate your sympathetic nervous system. This branch of the nervous system is the fight part of the fight or flight system. Between the stimulation of the nervous system and the increase in breathing rate, you will no doubt feel more awake and alert after this exercise.

How to perform piston breathing:

• Begin in a seated or kneeling position
• Take a big breath in through your nose and let your belly get as big as possible
• Sharply contract your abdominals by pulling your belly button rapidly towards your spine, forcing an exhale
• Repeat this movement as many times as you can before taking another inhale
• Beginners may only get 5 to 7 exhales in per inhale
• As you become more advanced, you should have no problem getting at least 50 exhalations per inhale

Common mistakes to avoid:

• Breathing in through your mouth
• Not fully contracting your abdominals
• Sitting with poor posture

T8/T9 ELDOA

The ELDOA decompresses the vertebrae, hydrates and nourishes the disc while resetting spinal alignment. This is the perfect exercise for correcting poor sitting posture. Further, the ELDOA exercises can help stimulate your cerebral spinal fluid flow. This is the movement of fluid in and out of the brain and is essential for cognitive function and alertness.

How to perform the T8/T9 ELDOA:

• Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your hands on your shins
• Sit up as tall as you can
• Gently tuck your chin while pushing your head straight back
• Maintaining your straight spine, reach both of your arms directly out in front of you
• Spread your fingers, bend your wrists back, and turn your entire arms open (your arms should look like Spider-Man shooting a web)
• Slowly raise your arms up over your head and try to reach up to the ceiling
• You should feel your shoulder blades reach up towards your ears
• Be sure to keep your jaw relaxed, your eyes looking down towards the floor, and breathe from your belly

Common mistakes to avoid:

• Holding your breath
• Looking up with your eyes
• Not reaching your shoulder blades up to your ears
• Clenching your jaw

How Often Should You Do These Exercises?

I encourage my clients to do these exercises daily in their morning routine as a way to replace or reduce caffeine intake. Of course, if you are sore, it is beneficial to give the sore muscle groups a day or two of rest. Generally, you should be able to do the piston breathing and the T8/T9 ELDOA daily. The push-up matrix and boxing footwork may take a day or two of rest in between until you have built up a tolerance.

You should notice an instant boost of energy with all of these exercises. If you don’t have the time or energy to do all of the exercises, simply pick a different one for each day as they all are designed for a quick energy boost that lasts.

TJ Pierce, BS, LMT, CHEK III, ELDOA