Senior Balance Exercises For Outdoor Living

Senior Balance Exercises For The Outdoors

By Suzanne Stoke, Physical Therapist @ Exercise For Balance via www.exerciseforbalance.com

   Enjoying the great outdoors appears to have multiple health benefits and can be experienced safely by practicing senior balance exercises first. Please see more at   http://www.exerciseforbalance.com/buy-now Medical researchers have been able to detail the health benefits that occur with getting outside and enjoying the experience of being in nature. In fact, Gregory Bratman, a graduate student at the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources at Stanford University, has been studying the psychological effects of urban living in comparison with the enrichment received when being outdoors. In the past, medical researchers and healthcare professionals have touted that a walk in the park may soothe the mind and, in the process, change the workings of our brains in ways that improve our mental health. To be specific, there has recently been a interesting new study of the physical effects on the brain of visiting nature. Most of us today live in cities and spend far less time outside in green, natural spaces than people did several generations ago. Furthermore, studies reveal that city dwellers also have a higher risk for anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses than people living outside urban centers. Various studies have found that urban dwellers with little access to green spaces have a higher incidence of psychological problems than people living near parks and that city dwellers who visit natural environments have lower levels of stress hormones immediately afterward than people who have not recently been outside. To specifically detail the differences between urban living and experiences with nature, Mr. Bratman and his collaborators decided to closely scrutinize what effect a walk might have on a person’s tendency to brood. Brooding, which is known among cognitive scientists as morbid rumination, is a mental state familiar to most of us, in which we can’t seem to stop chewing over the ways in which things are wrong with ourselves and our lives. This broken-record fretting is not healthy or helpful. It can be a precursor to depression and is disproportionately common among city dwellers compared with people living outside urban areas, studies show. Perhaps most interesting for the purposes of Mr. Bratman and his colleagues, however, such rumination also is strongly associated with increased activity in a portion of the brain known as the subgenual prefrontal cortex. The researchers  checked for brain activity in each volunteer’s subgenual prefrontal cortex, using scans that track blood flow through the brain. Greater blood flow to parts of the brain usually signals more activity in those areas. As might have been expected, walking along the highway  (one set of subjects)had not soothed people’s minds. Blood flow to their subgenual prefrontal cortex was still high and their broodiness scores were unchanged. On the other hand, the volunteers who had strolled along the quiet, tree-lined paths showed slight but meaningful improvements in their mental health, according to their scores on the questionnaire. They were not dwelling on the negative aspects of their lives as much as they had been before the walk. They also had less blood flow to the subgenual prefrontal cortex. That portion of their brains were quieter. All that to say, the researchers “strongly suggest that getting out into natural environments” could be an easy and almost immediate way to improve moods for city dwellers. For older adults, before heading out for a stroll, however, it is best to establish adequate steadiness by practicing senior balance exercises.

 

Senior Balance Exercises For Walking Outside

   Older adults are encouraged to perform certain senior balance exercises before walking outdoors so they can build necessary stability and limit any possibility of a fall. One such equilibrium routine is tandem walking where you walk heel to toe along a line. You can learn the basics of tandem walking and other senior balance exercises by joining in the demonstration of a qualified Physical Therapist in the Exercise For Balance DVD.

Senior Balance Exercises In The Exercise For Balance DVD

    To be safe walking outdoors,  get started on a course of the best balance exercises with the Exercise For Balance DVD. The healthcare provider recommended Exercise For Balance DVD is a high quality instructional DVD to use at home or in a group setting. The easy to understand and simple to follow Exercise For Balance DVD includes  a step by step series of the latest balance and strength exercises necessary to optimize senior fitness and to carry out basic daily activities like shopping, doing laundry,  walking, standing, cleaning house, stair climbing or to advance to more difficult pursuits like skiing, dancing, playing golf and hiking. In the  comprehensive Exercise For Balance DVD, you will learn how to improve stability, how to apply steadiness techniques and how to safely execute balance routines from a  qualified balance specialist --- licensed Physical Therapist---who has worked with balance and dizziness disorders for over 25 years. Get your copy of the Exercise For Balance DVD by clicking on the BUY NOW button

Be safe outside by starting balance exercises today with the Exercise For Balance DVD to improve balance and prevent falls.
For more information see http://www.mayoclinic.com/health-information/