Preparation And Senior Balance Exercises

Be Prepared With Senior Balance Exercises

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

   As we age, the risk of falling becomes greater and greater but can be minimized with good preparations and with consistent practice of senior balance exercises. Please see more information at   http://www.exerciseforbalance.com/buy-now With cold, snowy and icing conditions both here and on the way, now is the time to prepare for winter safety. Extreme weather conditions are hard on everyone but can be particularly challenging for elders. Because of chronic health conditions, multiple medications, and impaired mobility (difficulties with walking and balance), elders don’t have the same speed and strength of reactions in the same way they did when they were younger. As a result, elders can be slower to adjust to adverse conditions that puts them at increased risk for slipping and falling. Falling and suffering an injury (hip fracture, wrist fracture, shoulder fracture, head trauma, spinal injury, etc.) is one the greatest winter dangers, which often can be a life-changing event for many elders.  There are several preventive measures that elders can take to avoid the risk of winter falls. These include:

Stay Active

One of the most important things people can do to prepare for winter weather is to get off the couch and stay active. Being inactive because of bad weather is one of the worst things elders can do. A lack of activity can quickly lead to loss of muscle strength in the legs and balance loss, which increases one’s risk of falling.  Elders need to maintain regular physical activity to ensure strength and balance; at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise five days per week. This is easy enough with a brisk walk on a summer evening or a morning swim, but exercise becomes more challenging when winter weather moves in.

Maintain Safe Mobility

•    Invest in extra lamps, nightlights and exterior lights, especially around steps and stairs. This helps to see and avoid potential trip and slip hazards.

•    Keep sidewalks and stairs outside the home clean of ice and snow. Make sure steps leading into the home have sturdy handrails that provide support if a slip occurs.

•    Invest in coats, gloves, hats and other winter clothing designed for warmth. Wearing a winter coat that extends just beyond an individual’s hips provides padding and protection against a hip fracture if a fall occurs.

•    Wear boots and shoes that fit properly and have soles with good traction. Keep shoes and walking aids (canes, walkers) in good working condition, dry and free of snow, ice, dirt and mud.

Practice certain senior balance exercises and stability tips to stay on your feet even in cold and snowy weather.

Senior Balance Exercises For Bad Weather

    To prepare to navigate icy sidewalks, driveways and roads this winter, please start rehearsing specific steadiness strategies and senior balance exercises to improve your balance skills and reduce your risk for falling. There are many different equilibrium routines to help improve balance, but they must be accompanied by specific stability techniques to connect the brain and body together to actually enhance steadiness abilities. The ideal balance technique involves finding how to center your body weight over the middle of your feet while standing and using that center point with all standing and moving static and dynamic steadiness exercises. Once you have learn how to find your center stability point, you can use that sense of touch between your feet and the ground to help balance you while walking in snowy and icy conditions. You can learn how to implement these stability tips and how to perform senior balance exercises by following the instructions of a qualified Physical Therapist in the Exercise For Balance DVD.

Senior Balance Exercises In The Exercise For Balance DVD

Learn how to perform balance exercises with the Exercise For Balance DVD

    Don't let the snow get you down, instead 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

This winter, start 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/