Struggling with a growing waistline after hitting 60? Forget lengthy gym sessions—embrace these five standing exercises to keep your core in check and active without leaving home.
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Many believe that a widening waistline necessitates extended gym visits, yet the reality often suggests otherwise. Typical workouts miss the mark if they lack momentum. Standing exercises can energize your routine by keeping your core continuously engaged. This dynamic form of strength training is particularly effective for those over 60, as it addresses the issue with more intensity than traditional, slow abdominal exercises.
Maximize the benefits of this exercise style by ensuring movements remain athletic but manageable. Whether using a light dumbbell, a kettlebell, or opting for a gentle bodyweight move, these exercises elevate your effort without the hassle of complex equipment. Selecting repeatable movements with a smooth rhythm is essential to success.
In crafting waist-targeted regimens for those over 60, it’s crucial to encourage the midsection to do more than just flex forward. The goal is to have your abs stabilize, twist, and support as your body maneuvers through each movement. Begin with the most straightforward variations, gradually increasing speed as your technique improves.
Dumbbell Ski Swing
A good ski swing should feel quick, crisp, and driven from the hips. That’s why it works so well in a short waist-focused routine. Your core has to stay tight as the dumbbells swing, while your glutes and hamstrings create the power. Use light weights here. If the dumbbells start pulling you around, the movement loses the snap that makes it useful.
Muscles Trained: Glutes, hamstrings, abs, shoulders, upper back.
How to Do It
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and hold a light dumbbell in each hand.
- Let your arms hang by your sides.
- Push your hips back as your arms swing behind you.
- Drive your hips forward and swing the dumbbells up to chest height.
- Let the weights fall back down as you hinge again.
- Continue with a smooth, rhythmic pace.
Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 2 to 3 sets of 30 to 45 seconds.
Best Variations: Bodyweight ski swing, lighter dumbbell ski swing, slower ski swing.
Form Tip: Power the swing from your hips, not your lower back.
Kettlebell High Pull
The high pull gives this routine a stronger strength-and-conditioning feel. Your legs start the rep, then the bell drives up close to the body as your upper back finishes the pull. I like this one for waist-thickening goals because the core has to keep the torso organized while the weight moves fast. Not to mention the full-body, dynamic effect it brings to the table. Keep the kettlebell lighter than you think at first and make each rep look sharp.
Muscles Trained: Glutes, hamstrings, shoulders, upper back, abs.
How to Do It
- Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and place a kettlebell between your feet.
- Hinge at your hips and grip the kettlebell handle with both hands.
- Drive through your feet to stand tall.
- Pull the kettlebell up toward chest height.
- Keep your elbows higher than your hands at the top.
- Lower the bell with control and repeat.
Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.
Best Variations: Dumbbell high pull, lighter kettlebell high pull, kettlebell deadlift to high pull.
Form Tip: Keep the bell close to your body as you pull.
Low-Impact Jumping Jack
Low-impact jumping jacks keep the workout moving without forcing you to jump. One foot stays on the floor, which makes the exercise easier to manage while still giving your heart rate a lift. A movement like this works well between weighted moves because you can keep the session lively and recover just enough to stay sharp. Think quick feet, tall posture, and steady breathing.
Muscles Trained: Calves, glutes, shoulders, abs, hips.
How to Do It
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- Stand tall with your feet together and your arms by your sides.
- Step one foot out to the side.
- Raise both arms overhead as you step.
- Bring your foot back to the center.
- Lower your arms to your sides.
- Alternate sides at a steady pace.
Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 2 to 3 sets of 30 to 45 seconds.
Best Variations: Full jumping jack, slower step jack, arms-only jack.
Form Tip: Keep the movement light on your feet and stay tall through your chest.
Dumbbell Wood Chop
Most people train the waist by curling forward, but the core also needs to control rotation. The dumbbell wood chop brings that job into a standing position. Your hips turn, your shoulders follow, and your obliques guide the weight across your body. Use a weight that lets the movement feel smooth. If you have to yank the dumbbell, go lighter. This exercise is rewarding when technique and effort are dialed in simultaneously.
Muscles Trained: Obliques, abs, shoulders, hips, glutes.
How to Do It
- Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and hold one dumbbell with both hands.
- Bring the dumbbell toward the outside of one hip.
- Bend your knees slightly.
- Rotate your torso and lift the dumbbell across your body.
- Finish with the weight near the opposite shoulder.
- Return to the starting position and repeat before switching sides.
Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps per side.
Best Variations: Bodyweight wood chop, lighter dumbbell wood chop, slower wood chop.
Form Tip: Turn your hips and shoulders together so the movement doesn’t tug on your lower back.
Atiku Vows to Reinstate Subsidy if Elected
In a bold assertion of his political agenda, Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress’s presidential hopeful, has once again pledged to reinstate the petrol subsidy if he secures the presidency in 2027. This declaration comes amid efforts to dissociate his stance from recent remarks made by his media aide, Paul Ibe.
During a meeting on Tuesday with the Osun State leadership of the ADC in Abuja, Atiku emphasized the consistency of his views on the subsidy issue, distancing himself from any narrative that suggests otherwise.
He stated unequivocally, “I want to repeat categorically that when I said I would return to subsidy, I will!” While asserting his authority, Atiku made it clear that Ibe’s comments did not reflect his official standpoint.
Atiku explains proposed subsidy plan
Previously, Ibe had announced on AIT that Atiku’s administration would initially reinstate the petrol subsidy before gradually eliminating it, once economic conditions permitted a stable transition.
Yet, Atiku’s camp sought to highlight a critical nuance, explaining that this proposed move would not replicate the old import-dependent subsidy framework. Instead, it aims to be a refined approach adapted to the nation’s evolving economic landscape.
According to Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the policy would involve a targeted, capped and transparently budgeted intervention supporting domestic refining and production.
Atiku said, “A nation as blessed as ours has no business abandoning its citizens to hardship.”
The proposal would reportedly involve supplying crude oil to local refiners at discounted prices, with the aim of reducing production costs and, ultimately, petrol and diesel prices.
Subsidy debate returns ahead of 2027
The renewed debate comes after President Bola Tinubu removed petrol subsidy at his inauguration on May 29, 2023, contributing to a sharp rise in fuel prices and wider living costs.
Atiku has argued that Nigerians need relief from high transport, food and production costs, while the Federal Government has defended subsidy removal as necessary for economic reform.
His latest position places the subsidy debate firmly back at the centre of the 2027 presidential contest, with Atiku presenting his proposal as a temporary production-support measure rather than a return to the former import-driven system.
China Warns of Retaliation Against Trump Administration’s Iran Sanctions: A New US-China Clash Looms
Beijing has issued a warning to the United States, vowing retaliation due to President Donald Trump’s recent sanctions targeting Iran, which could have significant implications for its trading partners.
On Monday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unveiled stringent measures cautioning that countries continuing trade with Iran may face exclusion from the dollar-based financial system.
China is currently the purchaser of approximately 90 percent of Iran’s oil, providing a critical economic support to the Islamic Republic as it struggles with previous US sanctions that have limited its access to American financial markets.
The latest sanctions announced by the US have been described as ‘the toughest in history,’ targeting 60 individuals, entities, and vessels, some of which are located in Hong Kong and mainland China, although no specific Chinese financial institutions were mentioned.
China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Lin Jian, strongly emphasized, “China will do everything necessary to firmly safeguard its rights and interests,” in light of the economic ‘D-Day’ predicted by the new US sanctions.
‘China has made clear on many occasions its firm opposition to illicit unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law or the authorisation of the UN Security Council,’ he said.
‘Economic warfare and maximum pressure provide no solution. On the contrary, they only serve to fuel tensions and lead to risk spillover, which will disrupt the global economic and financial order, and harm the legitimate rights and interests of other countries.
‘The pressing task is to facilitate the deescalation of the situation and return to dialogue and negotiation as soon as possible.’
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping a state dinner at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing (May 2026)
Experts yesterday claimed that Washington would be wary of how China would react to the sanctions, with any curbs on China’s exports of critical minerals as a result especially sensitive.
Last year, Beijing showed how dependent the US was on these resources that are essential to high-tech production, like electric cars, electronics and military weapons, by limiting their exports and bringing American manufacturing to a halt.
As part of a trade war between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, China forced companies to get approval from the government before they were allowed to ship the rare minerals abroad.
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Bessent called the move ‘economic coercion’ and a ‘global supply chain power grab’, seeing as China has a global monopoly on the extraction of the rare earth materials, with analysts claiming it was China’s way of demonstrating their bargaining leverage.
Experts have warned that China may similarly react if the US enforces the latest sanctions.
China’s state-owned refiners largely comply with current Iran sanctions, however private companies, referred to as ‘teapots’, are allowed to buy and process Iranian oil.
Earlier this year, the US tried to sanction these private companies although Xi’s government ordered them to ignore the measures.
Bessent previously urged co-operation from China, although the US blockade of Iran’s ports, renewed in mid-July, has already cut Iranian oil flows to China.
‘No one is above the reach of US sanctions,’ Bessent said when asked about China’s trade ties to Tehran. ‘It is now time for world leaders to make a decision between America and Iran.’
Although Bessent declined to identify the countries that would be targeted or reveal when the penalties would take effect, Tehran expressed confidence that major trading partners would resist Washington’s pressure campaign.
Iranian Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh yesterday claimed that neither China nor Russia had ‘accepted’ the US measures, predicting that other countries would resist them also.
Iran has also promised retaliation to the sanctions, Madanizadeh adding, ‘We are fully prepared for the US sanctions.’
He told state television: ‘Naturally, the enemies intend to launch an economic terrorist attack on us, but we also have our own tools and know how to play the game. Our defense is no longer so defensive; the enemies should wait for an attack.’
Xi met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in recent days where they are believed to have discussed Iran and the war in Gaza, with China’s foreign minister Wang Yi similarly holding talks with his Kuwaiti counterpart.
Beijing’s threats of retaliation come only weeks before Trump and Xi are set to meet in Washington, where they are expected to discuss prolonging their trade war truce that was agreed in October.
Urgent Measles Alert: Nationwide Outbreak Puts Thousands at Risk
An increasing number of states are facing measles outbreaks, as the country experiences its highest incidence of the disease in over three decades.
Maryland has reported a measles outbreak across three counties, with 14 new cases confirmed just this Monday, raising the state’s total for 2025 to 31 cases.
Out of these, 27 infections are in individuals who have not been vaccinated, all occurring within the last six weeks.
The outbreaks are distributed among St. Mary’s County with 13 cases, Carroll County with eight cases, Cecil County with five, and Charles County with one case.
“Measles is highly contagious, and we are actively coordinating with healthcare providers and local health departments to assist affected areas, manage cases, and prevent further spread,” stated Dr. Meena Seshamani, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health.
‘The overall risk remains low if you are fully vaccinated. We ask that Marylanders join us in our effort to help keep our youngest safe and protect those who are most at risk. Checking your vaccination status and getting vaccinated if you are not up-to-date is the simplest and most effective way to do that.’
No public exposures have been identified in the 14 new cases in Maryland, however, a growing outbreak in Iowa may have potentially exposed thousands at nearly a dozen locations across the state.
Two more cases have been confirmed in the southern Iowa outbreak, bringing the number to 17.
Measles, which is highly infectious, is characterized by cough, fever, a distinctive blotchy rash that starts on the face before spreading down the body (stock image)
And there are now nine locations where people may have been exposed to the virus, including Natural Grocer’s Clive and Menards in Clive, Iowa; Vero Health Center and Office Depot in West Des moines, Iowa; Menards in Des Moines, Iowa; Pizza Ranch in Ottumwa, Iowa; and Wells Hometown Drug, JR Feed and Supply anad Sunnyside Grocery, in Bloomfield, Iowa.
The outbreaks come just as the first deaths of 2026 from the measles were reported on Tuesday.
Officials reported the two deaths occurred in unvaccinated patients in Pennsylvania. They are the state’s first measles deaths in 35 years.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed both individuals were residents of Lancaster County, about 60 miles outside of Philadelphia. No additional details about those who died were provided.
‘My deepest sympathies are with the loved ones who are facing this unimaginable loss,’ Dr Debra Bogen, the state’s secretary of health, said in a statement.
‘Because measles was largely eliminated in the Commonwealth for more than three decades, people are not familiar with this disease and don’t fully understand the potential severity of the illness.’
Pennsylvania has recorded 393 measles cases across 28 counties so far in 2026. Nationwide, cases have reached their highest in more than three decades.
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As of August 20, the CDC has recorded 2,777 confirmed cases of the measles. This is the most cases recorded since 1991, which saw 9,643 cases.
Last year, there were 2,289 cases and three deaths, according to the CDC.
The vast majority of cases in both 2025 and 2026 were in individuals who had not received both doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
The shot is typically given once between ages 12 and 15 months and again between ages four and six. Two doses slash the risk of measles infection by 97 percent, according to the CDC.
For unvaccinated people, nine in ten of those exposed to the virus will get infected.
‘We want to ensure every Pennsylvanian has the information they need to protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities,’ Bogen said.
‘As a physician, I want to make sure that people understand that the MMR vaccine is safe and provides the best protection we have against measles.’
Measles, which is highly infectious, is characterized by cough, fever, a distinctive blotchy rash that starts on the face before spreading down the body and tiny white spots inside the mouth called Koplik spots.
The virus spreads through direct contact with infectious droplets or through the air. Patients with a measles infection are contagious from four days before the rash through four days after the rash appears. Enclosed areas like airports and planes are extremely risky locations for disease transmission.
It first invades the respiratory system, then spreads to the lymph nodes and throughout the body. As a result, the virus can affect the lungs, brain and central nervous system.
While measles sometimes causes milder symptoms, including diarrhea, sore throat and achiness, it leads to pneumonia in roughly six percent of otherwise healthy children, and more often in malnourished children.
Though the brain swelling that measles can trigger is rare, occurring in about one in 1,000 cases, it is deadly in roughly 15 to 20 percent of those who develop it, while about 20 percent are left with permanent neurological damage, such as brain damage, deafness or intellectual disability.
Measles also severely damages a child’s immune system, making them susceptible to other potentially devastating bacterial and viral infections they were previously protected against.
Before MMR vaccines became available in the 1960s, measles caused epidemics with up to 2.6 million global deaths every year. By 2023, that number had fallen to roughly 107,000 deaths.
Nationwide, 92.4 percent of kindergarteners are fully vaccinated against measles, below the CDC’s 95 percent threshold for herd immunity. In Pennsylvania, the MMR vaccination rate is 94.6, while rates in Maryland and Iowa are 96 and 90 percent, respectively.
Exemptions are also on the rise at 4.2 percent, up 17 percent from 1.6 percent just over a decade ago.
Australia Faces Unprecedented Threat as Deadly Bird Flu Shatters Previous Thresholds
On Sunday, the highly concerning H5N1 strain of avian influenza reached a new and worrisome level, as the first instance of transmission between bird and mammal species was confirmed. Experts caution that this represents only the beginning of potential broader impacts.
In a troubling development from coastal South Australia, a long-nosed fur seal was found to have succumbed to the illness. Furthermore, a possible second case has emerged among another seal at The Pages Conservation Park islands, situated near Kangaroo Island, and is currently under investigation.
Environment Minister Murray Watt previously remarked on the necessity for the nation to face the reality of how this disease could impact native wildlife populations.
“We can expect large-scale losses of both bird and mammal species,” Watt commented during an interview with ABC television, acknowledging how difficult this news would be for Australians.
According to Sean Dooley of BirdLife Australia, speaking to SBS News, the virus’s introduction could dramatically alter ecological dynamics.
“Potential extinction from the disease is possible for some birds,” he said.
“That’s why we need an effective response, where we can, to mitigate the losses.
“We also need a massive increase in the resources that go into ensuring resilient populations of as many of our species, or else we’re going to be facing a real ongoing crisis beyond the actual outbreak.”
How bird flu spreads
Avian influenza, a flu-type virus, is airborne and contracted by birds and other mammals when they breathe or ingest it from an infected animal.
Robyn Alders, an honorary professor at the Development Policy Centre at Australian National University, told SBS News that the virus also survives outside of a host animal.
“Even if you can’t see a diseased carcass or a dead animal, it doesn’t mean that the environment there is safe,” she said.
“Particularly now that we’re starting to see areas where you’ve got larger die-offs, the potential contamination in that area is going to be significant.”
In cooler temperatures where water is present, Alders said there is evidence H5N1 can survive for days.
In areas where the virus has yet to arrive, Dooley recommends people continue spending time in nature and report anything they suspect could be bird flu-related to the emergency animal disease hotline.
“That’s still really valuable because it can help slow the spread as they remove those birds which are potential sources of infection,” he said.
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Cats are particularly susceptible to the disease, and Alders recommends people keep their cats indoors as the virus has a “50 per cent” mortality rate for them.
‘We’re seeing gaps’
Bird flu vaccinations are underway in specific, suitable populations at the moment, but experts question whether the government is adequately prepared.
Dooley said the country is in a stronger position now than it was a few years ago, but that government claims to have “done everything they could” are false.
“We’re seeing gaps,” he said.
“If you talk to people on the ground … it’s really hit and miss as to whether people have been trained for this, or whether they have the equipment, whether the PPE they need is filtering down.
“There’s a lot of people panicking because they don’t know what to do and they’re not resourced to do it.”
Agriculture Minister Julie Collins has said the government is investigating whether bird flu vaccine trials for marine mammals in North America could be used in Australia — but that there is “nothing commercially available” which could protect vulnerable native seals.
Unlike anything we’ve seen before
While various avian influenza strains already exist in Australia, H5N1 is “so unlike any other bird flu virus we’ve dealt with”, Alders said.
First detected in geese in China in 1996, the strain has flared up in the past but typically burnt out because it is simply too lethal.
The fact the current lineage exists at all is down to human activity, Alders argued, particularly the concentrated nature of poultry farming which creates huge viral reservoirs.
“A virus that kills its host within 48 hours — and that’s what it does in chickens — shouldn’t survive,” she said.
“I don’t know where this virus is going, but what I do know is that it was human activity that, in many ways, facilitated this virus to continue and to spread.”
She said it’s “up to us” to reduce and eliminate the virus.
“Everybody’s got to be part of the discussion about how we produce our food, what standards we expect, not only in terms of human welfare but also animal welfare, and really working with agroecological cycles — not thinking that we can cut corners.
Sheriff Uncovers 1,800 Pounds of Suspected Black-Market Marijuana Shipped from California to Georgia
Daily marijuana use: Dr Jessica Gray busts safety myths
In the United States, daily marijuana use is on an upward trend, prompting experts like family physician Dr. Jessica Gray to debunk common safety misconceptions. Dr. Gray emphasizes that just because cannabis is derived from plants, it does not automatically imply it is safe. Citing a review from JAMA Internal Medicine, she highlights the lack of substantial evidence supporting cannabis as an effective treatment for anxiety or insomnia. Additionally, she points out that obtaining marijuana has become surprisingly easier than securing consultations for mental health counseling.
Authorities made a significant interception on Tuesday, halting a shipment of approximately 1,800 pounds of what is suspected to be black-market marijuana from California. This substantial haul was reportedly on its way to two major cities: Atlanta and Orlando.
According to the Butts County Sheriff’s Office, the haul began its journey in Sacramento, a place where recreational marijuana use is legal. Sheriff Gary Long stated that roughly half of the confiscated marijuana was destined for Atlanta, while the other half was meant for Orlando.
The Sheriff’s office has kept details about the interception under wraps, including the precise location and method of capture, any arrests made, or potential charges filed.
The suspected illegal shipment was traced back to Sacramento, California, before being seized in Butts County, Georgia, law enforcement officials reported. (Facebook/Butts County Sheriff’s Office)
Long used the seizure to make his case that legalizing marijuana does not eliminate illegal sales.
“But here is the reality: the black market isn’t going away,” Long said in a press release announcing the seizure.
Marijuana laws vary among the three states connected to the shipment. California allows recreational marijuana, while Georgia and Florida allow marijuana only for certain medical uses.
“The illegal marijuana trade does not stop at the state line,” Long said.
Authorities seized about 1,800 pounds of suspected black-market marijuana. (Facebook/Butts County Sheriff’s Office)
Long said Mexican drug-trafficking organizations and other criminal groups continue to move large amounts of marijuana across state lines. The sheriff’s office did not say the shipment seized Tuesday was connected to a cartel or any other criminal organization.
The sheriff also argued that illegal sellers can undercut licensed marijuana businesses because they don’t pay taxes or licensing fees or have to follow testing and other regulatory requirements.
“As long as there is demand and money to be made, illegal dealers will continue to operate,” Long said.
Long urged Georgia lawmakers to look closely at what has happened in states that have legalized marijuana before making changes to Georgia’s laws.
Butts County Sheriff Gary Long said about half of the marijuana was bound for Atlanta, while the rest was headed to Orlando. (Facebook/Butts County Sheriff’s Office)
He pointed to California, which has changed its cannabis tax and regulatory system while continuing to fight illegal marijuana sales. He also cited past ballot initiatives filed in Colorado seeking to repeal constitutional provisions that legalized recreational marijuana, though those efforts did not reverse legalization.
“That should be a warning to Georgia,” Long said. “We should learn from the experiences of states that have already gone down this road instead of repeating the same mistakes and then spending years trying to fix them.”
Long said his statement was not meant to settle the question of whether marijuana should be legal. Instead, he argued that lawmakers need to consider how illegal sales and trafficking would fit into any changes to Georgia law.
“Georgia, let’s get it right the first time,” Long said.