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This is the first exercise in the third series of the famous Radio Taiso exercise routines from Japan. It is an exercise program that does not discriminate based on age, gender or disability: it is intended for EVERYONE. No matter who you are, or what your limitations are, the EIGHT exercises in this particular routine will be effective in moving ALL parts of your body, leaving you refreshed and revitalised. With the minimum of changes, ALL these exercises can also be done sitting down, so whether you’re a wheelchair user, or just not quite ready for standing exercises, you can make this routine YOURS. There are some subtle changes to a couple of the exercises (from those that the Japanese might perform), but this is simply to make it easier for complete beginners to follow along and LEARN. “Radio Taiso” simply means “Radio Exercises” and the radio part comes from the musical accompaniment on Japanese radio. The musical accompaniment is not necessary, but some nice relaxing background music makes an excellent addition. -- Almost everything we do during the day involves our hands, arms and shoulders, so let’s start by waking those up! As the hands cannot possibly work ONLY in isolation, stimulating them with movement is going to warm you up and make it easier to perform all the other exercises. Blood flow from the neck to the hands is going to be improved – so that’s the circulation from your neck, all the way down your arms, and into your fingers! It isn’t all about blood flow though, there are bones and joints in there too. Extending the muscles of the hands, arms and shoulders is going to help with the flexibility and strength of ALL these joints. Starting simple with an exercise like this is also going to give you a chance to work on your breathing, to start getting into a relaxed breathing rhythm in time with the movements.