Thursday, April 19, 2012

Lower Body Stretches

WHY SHOULD WE DO THIS KIND OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY?

Leg stretches for seniors and the elderly will help improve the mobility of the soft tissues around your joints including muscles, connective tissue and skin. Performing many of your daily activities requires an unrestricted and pain free range of motion.Having adequate motion in your low back, hips, knees and ankles is an important factor in preventing injury or reinjury around these joints.


As we age our mobility may become restricted due to decreased activity levels, prolonged bed rest and extended wheelchair use. This can lead to long term poor positioning of your joints with resulting stiffness and pain.


Through time your muscle strength is altered as the tissue shortens and loses its normal elasticity. As the muscle shortens it is no longer able to produce adequate strength to perform daily activities.


This cycle continues and may lead to increased stiffness and pain in your joints.


Below are some leg stretches exercises designed to stretch the major areas of your lower body safely and effectively.



Bloggers- Try these exercises!

Click on the exercise to see a descriptive video!

Thanks to eldergym for these great videos and commentary!

1. Seated Lifts
  • Improve the range of motion in your hips and legs.
  • Help stabilize  your low back and pelvis.
2. Standing Quadricep Stretch
  • Will improve your hip and knee range of motion with these exercises to increase flexibility.
  • Can improve your standing posture by allowing you to stand up straighter.
3. Back Stretch
  • Improves the range of motion in your spine and trunk with lower back stretching.
  • Increases your ability to bend and reach low or high.
4. Inner Thigh  Stretch
  • Improve your hip and thigh range of motion with stretching legs exercises.
  • Increase your functional ability in standing, walking and stepping.
5. Calf Stretch
  • Targets the flexibility of your calf muscle and heel cord. with calf muscle stretches.
  • Increases your ability to straighten your knee
6. Hip Side Stretch
  • This is a good stretch for the side hip area.
  • Improve the range of motion of our hips.
  • These stretching techniques also can help with balance.
7.  Hip Rotation Stretch
  • Increase the range of motion of your hips with these flexibility stretches.
  • Improve the functional use of your legs as in getting out of a car or stepping over the side of your bath tub.
8. Soleus Stretch
  • Increases the flexibility of the deep calf muscle with flexibility stretching exercises.
  • Generally improves your lower body flexibility and functional use of your legs.
9. Ankle Circles
  • Improve the range of motion of the ankle and foot with warming up stretching.
  • Can help with ankle swelling.
10. Hamstring Stretch
  • Increases your abilty to lean forward and reach your feet with hamstring stretching.
  • Improves the flexibilty of your low back and legs.
11. Knee To Chest
12. Ankle Stretch
  • Helps maintain good ankle flexibility which will assist with walking and standing with ankle stretching exercises.
  • Also helps with knee and hip stiffness.
SPOTLIGHT ON BLOGGERS: Which of these works best for you? 

Thursday, April 5, 2012

What EXACTLY Do We Mean By Physical Activity?

Three Kinds of Physical Activities
There are 3 different kinds of physical activities (as some of us recall from our Take Charge of Your Health class) They are 1. Flexibility activities, 2. Strengthening activities and 3. Endurance or Aerobic (cardio) activities. 

let's spend some time learning about the first kind
 
1. Flexibility Activities (stretch or loosen muscles and joints, and help with balance and coordination- Do these slowly, holding each for a few seconds). 
STRETCHES CAN BE FOR UPPER BODY AND LOWER BODY- LETS LOOK AT BOTH STARTING WITH OUR UPPER BODY

Upper Body Stretches

Improve your upper back, arm and neck mobility with these excellent stretching routines.
Start a upper body stretching program today by choosing 2 or 3 upper body stretching exercises to perform 3 times per week.

Most stretches can be held for 30 seconds.
Repeat 3 times. You can then choose 2 or 3 new stretches every week.
This will add greatly to the flexibility of your arms, chest and upper back.

So give it a try and see how much better you can reach to those high shelves!

 

Watch These Exercise Videos by clicking on the highlighted words!

 Shoulder and Upper Back Stretches

  • Shoulder stretches to increases your shoulder and scapular range of motion.
  • Stretches your chest and shoulder.
  • Will make it easier to reach to that high shelf in your kitchen.
Shoulder Rolls
  • Improve the range of motion in your shoulder and upper back region with these stretching routines.
  • Will assist in keeping your rib muscles flexible.
  • Help in activities like reaching up to a high shelf or across the table at dinner.
Neck Stretches
  • Improve the range of motion in your neck and upper back with these good stretching exercises.
  • Helps with those everyday movements you need to do like looking under the bed for that other shoe!
Neck Rotation
  • Improve the range of motion in our neck with these neck stretches.
  • Help stretch the upper back and scapular muscles.
Shoulder Circles
  • Improve the range of motion of your shoulders and upper back with these types of stretching.
  • Helps increase flexibility in your chest and lungs.
Shoulder Stretch
  • Helps stretch our shoulder, scapula and supporting muscles and joints.
  • Improves our reaching ability especially across the body for these benefits of stretching.
Chest Stretch
  • Stretches the chest and shoulders with these chest exercises.
  • Improves posture and lung functioning.
Overhead Reach
  • Increase the range of motion in your shoulder and upper back with these arm stretches.
  • Help improve your ability to reach, as in getting a pan out of the cabinet or ice cream out of the freezer.
Reach Back
  • Improve your ability to reach behind as in reaching back to hold on to an armrest before sitting down.
  • Increase the range of motion of your shoulders and stretches your chest muscles with these arm exercises.
Triceps Stretch
  • Stretches the shoulder and triceps with these stretches before exercise.
  • Improves the mobility of your upper arm and shoulder.
Hand Stretch
  • Increase the flexibility and range of motion of your hand and fingers with these hand exercises.
  • Warms up your hand to prepare for the activity of the day.
Arm Raises
  • Improves the range of motion of your shoulders with these muscle stretching exercises.
  • Strengthens your arm for activities that require overhead reach like up to a shelf or pulling the light cord in the basement.

SPOTLIGHT ON BLOGGERS: Try these at home and report your feelings and opinions! What worked? What didn't work? What would you like to try more of?

Be Active, Be Fit, Be Well!!!!

This month we are placing a special focus on physical activity and exercise!!!


Lets get started with the Basics- an introduction to physical activity

What's the big idea!?
Physical Activity  is important because it can promote a strong cardiovascular system, including the heart , lungs and blood vessels.
Physical Activity (PA) can also promote good muscle strength, good endurance and stamina, good flexibility and help to reduce or maintain weight.

WHAT ELSE CAN PA DO FOR ME?- well bloggers, I'm glad you asked, because there is MORE!
Physical activity can help lower blood sugar, help reduce fatigue, help to promote good quality and restful sleep. Additionally physical activity helps balance and coordination, reduces anxiety and depression, helps regain function, helps regulate digestion (prevent constipation), and improves ability to participate in family and social activities. 


** Look at the previous post on the ABC's of diabetes for specific reminders of how cardiovascular exercise for 30 minutes can also help us regulate our diabetes!**

  
SPOTLIGHT ON THE BLOGGERS - WE WANT TO HERE FROM YOU!!
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THIS WEEK?

The ABC's of Diabetes

Below is a summary of the ABC's of diabetes that we learned in last weeks support group.
Feel free to comment or post questions or helpful tips for your fellow support group members!!


Tests                               Target                          How Often
A1C                                          Below 7%                               At least twice a year
Blood Pressure                        Below 130/80                          At every visit
Cholesterol                              Below 100                               At least once a year 

Ways to improve blood sugar:
* Eat fewer sweets such as candy or cookies
* Stop drinking sugar sweetened beverages such as soda, sweet tea and juice
* Cardiovascular exercise for 30 minutes daily (remember this is anything that gets your heart rate  up, and does not have to be done all at once, 15 minutes twice a day to equal thirty minutes is great too! )

* Take diabetes meds or insulin consistently
* Eat on schedule 


Ways to improve blood pressure 
* 30 minutes of cardio daily
* Consume less sodium ( less than 2,000 mg per day) 
* Take blood pressure medications consistently


Ways to improve cholesterol:
* Eat fish 3 times per week (see blog entry below for helpful tips!)
* Consume less saturated fat (fried food, sausage, bacon, hot dogs, cheese)
* Increase fiber by eating foods like oatmeal, whole grains, fruits and vegetables
* Cardio for 30 min daily! 


** AND REMEMBER: the only way to know your numbers is to see them! Ask your health care provider to see them every time you are in!