Saturday, January 21, 2012

Right action follows right thinking

"You have to believe it to see it". "You become what you are thinking". "You will not change your behavior until you change your thoughts". As a fall prevention educator and balance and mobility specialist, I believe this to be especially true of older adults and fall prevention. For instance, a person must believe that consistently participating in a well-rounded exercise program WILL reduce the risk of an accidental fall and they also must believe that regardless of current age or physical challenges, they are able to do the exercises.

I have worked with older clients who were true skeptics and said things such as "I don't believe that doing these silly exercises will prevent me from falling" or "I'm old, I'm going to fall" or "I'm too old to improve or change". I love this type of participant because it's great when they learn otherwise!

In fact, fall prevention research and personal training experience has demonstrated that older adults CAN reduce the risk of an accidental fall by following a consistent exercise program and progressively challenging her/his balance skills.

It's never too late to improve your balance skills. You are never too old to benefit from consistent strengthening and stretching activities. Your body WILL adapt to the new demands of flexibility, strengthening, balance and endurance training, not to mention increase reaction times.

But first, you must also know that it is impossible to get from wrong behaviors to right behaviors without first changing your thoughts.

  • Believe that participating in consistent exercise does reduce fall risk
  • Believe that you are able to do the exercises
  • Believe your body will adapt to new demands
  • Believe in YOU

Change your way of thinking and you can change your life. Just believe then Just Do It.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

In-home balance training

A popular trend in the aging industry is "aging in place". The long-term vision of this concept is to help adults remain in their home for as long as possible and in order to do this, homes are modified with future needs in mind. This is great for baby boomers but what about the older generation that has already been living in their home for over 50 years?

I recently started working with two new clients; one is 93 and the other is 90-years old and both have been living in their home for over 40 years. These ladies are very different but the same; both are concerned about falling. One is frequent faller and the other is not. One is well-educated and has been to the best of the best doctors and physical therapists while the other does some exercises in bed.

After one week, both are standing taller and both are very aware of personal limitations. The 93-year old is extremely driven and has high expectations of herself. She constantly compares her body to younger years which must be difficult due to changes due to aging. (As a former collegiate athlete, I see myself in this woman!). Both need to give her body time to adjust, afterall Rome wasn't built in a day.

Both of these women are over 90 years old and have decided to invest in their independence and I am so proud of them. There is nothing better than knocking on the door and seeing eyes light up when I carry in my fall prevention exercise training equipment. These ladies want to not only remain independent but also thrive in their home for as long as possible.

How can you remain in your home?
  • Stay home and train
  • Join a community-based class
Take 5 to Exercise each day. As a certified FallProof™ balance and mobility specialist and certified personal fitness trainer, I am available in the Sacramento region to help adults remain independent and thrive in the life they have worked so hard to deserve.

Contact me today about yourself or a loved one! It's never too late!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

FallProof your new year!!!

Happy 20-12 and I hope this is the the best year of your life! After a much-needed break, I am back and I am ready to educate, demonstrate and facilitate fall prevention methods to anyone who wants to remain independent. In 2011, working independently as a certified FallProof™ balance and mobility specialist, I instructed over 200 older adults in the Sacramento region on how to improve their balance and mobility skills thereby reducing the risk of an accidental fall.

As a Public Health Educator, I presented educational and demonstrative workshops to over 150 older adults throughout the region. These one-hour workshops are designed to increase awareness of fall risk factors. Unfortunately, there are some permanent conditions associated with aging that increase fall risk. However, this does not mean a fall is inevitable but rather personal safety is essential. Education is the key to increasing this awareness.

I am an educator and I am also an instructor. I work with small groups and I offer one-on-one personal training. There are times when a person may be too weak to join a group-based program. In this case, I recommend following my Take 5 to Exercise fall prevention DVD series to learn the basics. Unfortunately, not all older adults have a DVD player so in these instances, I suggest one-on-one personal balance and mobility training. If there is a will, there is a way!

January is a time for new beginnings. Resolutions.
Begin 20-12 by FallProofing your life! Get educated. Get active. Take 5 to Exercise everyday.
Contact me if you're interested and I hope you have a great year.