Hydration and Fall Prevention...

101 degrees in May. Unseasonably hot. Unfortunately, this hot spell fell on the first annual Citrus Heights Senior Health Fair. As a result, the overall turn out and opportunity to educate seniors about the importance of exercise as a part of a Fall Prevention program was limited.

Thankfully, the excellent staff set up my Take 5 to Exercise Fall Prevention booth in an air conditioned room b/c they know about the importance of staying cool, staying hydrated and not overexerting yourself when exercising, especially if older adults are exercising.

I wanted to rename my booth, Take 5 Daily Waters because water is vital to your well being. Our muscles are 70% water so if you don't Take 5 Daily Waters, your body will be running low on water, and you won't have much energy.

If you don't drink enough water, you will be tired. In most cases, it is easier on your liver and kidneys if you stay hydrated, especially if you take prescription medicine. Be sure to talk to your doctor about the medicines you are taking and how Taking 5 Daily Waters will affect you.

If you would like to see one of my live presentations, please feel free to contact me to discuss arrangements at: info@thefallpreventionlady.com

Be sure to make the time each day to Take 5 to Exercise and try to Take 5 Daily Waters everyday, especially throughout the upcoming hot summer months. You will feel better and have more energy as a result of healthy choices.

Fall Prevention Education

The Davis Senior Center in downtown Davis, California is an active hub in the agricultural town.  The seniors not only have a welcomed, home-town staff but a wide variety of educational presentations to attend.   As  I walked into the center to give a Take 5 to Exercise Fall Prevention workshop with the Area 4 Agency on Aging, I couldn't help but notice there were 4 rooms with 4 different lectures going on.

The group of seniors who attended our 2-prong approach to Fall Prevention:  Exercise and Medication management, were well educated about their health and how to reduce their risk of a fall.   They enjoyed our presentations and gave us some valuable feedback.  I appreciate talking with people who are taking responsibility for their well-being by increasing their knowledge of current health issues as well as what preventative measures they can do to reduce future disability.

Unfortunately, there is no escaping old age.  We can minimize the effects of aging cosmetically but our bodies are getting older and thus, we face new limitations.  And that's ok.  It's time to learn as much as you can about your body, respect your limitations, and keep on keeping on!  Life is a blessing, no matter how tough it gets.  

        That's why I want to teach, share, and demonstrate preventative exercises that reduce the risk of an unnecessary, and potentially life altering, fall.   I designed and produced  Take 5 to Exercise, a 5-day series of seated exercise routines, that focus on what the National Academy of Sports Medicine and the American Senior Fitness Association recognize as the 4 essential components of an effective Fall Prevention exercise program:  flexibility, strength, balance and endurance. 

     I invite you to visit my site, www.take5toexercise.com to view sample clips.  The dvds will be for sale online SOON, so please take a look, bookmark the page and remember to Take 5 to Exercise everyday. 

Dedicated to enhancing your total body balance, 

The Fall Prevention Lady

Looky, looky: an all-male Senior Center!

    Loyalton, California.  Population 860.  And when you walk into the local Senior Center, the first thing you notice after the mouth-watering aroma of Barbara's home cooked version of the Congregate Meals on Wheels lunch is the fact that all the participants are men!

    As the Fitness Consultant for the Area 4 Agency on Aging in Northern California, I visit various Senior Nutrition Focal points through our 7-county region to demonstrate my Take 5 to Exercise seated Fall Prevention routines.  And in all my visits, I have not seen or worked with more than 8 men, all added together! 

    While the congregate lunch program attracts both men and women, ninety percent of my exercise participants are women.  I'm not sure if that's because women recognize the importance of exercise more than men or if men have too much pride to do "chair exercises" or if women appreciate the socialization of group exercise but whatever the reason,  I mostly see women at my Take 5 to Exercise Presentations.  

    So you can only imagine my shock, and the joy I felt, when I saw five men sitting patiently in the Loyalton Senior Center after an amazing home-cooked congregate meal was served.    I spoke passionately to the men about the importance of flexibility training and was ecstatic when they all participated in the Take 5 to Exercise stretching routine.   Some of the men seemed surprised when they tried to do a hamstring stretch only to find they had to stop at the point of tension and their point of tension was in the middle of their thigh and not the middle of their calf!  YIKES.....

    I want to take the time to encourage and challenge men to Take 5 to Exercise.  The benefits of consistent activity do not discriminate, there is no gender bias, we all benefit equally from movement.  In fact, most of my male clients, both young and old, need to practice flexibility training more so than their female counterparts.   That's why everyone, male and female, will benefit when they make the time to Take 5 to Exercise each day.

Please visit my website, www.take5toexercise.com and order your father, husband, brother, uncle or grandfather his own version of my 5-day seated stretching and strengthening routines and help reduce his risk of a fall.

Love to all my brothers.  

And sisters.

In Christ,

Amen.