Balance Training at Oak Avenue Free Methodist

I taught my first FallProof™ balance and mobility training session at the Oak Avenue Free Methodist Church in Orangevale, CA and I have to say this was one of the most enjoyable groups that I have ever taught!  The joy of Lord filled the room each and every class and the group did great.

We started with 8 participants; 6 women and 2 men.  One woman withdrew due to health issues and one of the men attended infrequently but gave it his all when he was there.  Everyone showed improvement in at least one of the fitness parameters associated with fall risk.

In fact, the most improved participant in class was a 74 year old gentleman. He increased his lower body strength by 15%, his dynamic balance and agility improved 45% and his lower body flexibility improved 19%.  In everyday life, he was able to do 2 more chair stands in 30 seconds, get up and walk around a cone 1.9 seconds faster and was able to reach 5.7 inches closer to his toes!  Yes, he improved his lower body flexibility by nearly 6 inches in only four weeks!!!!

I have to say that one lady beat the lower body flexibility improvement.  On the first day of testing, one 70-year old woman was 7.5 inches from her toes!  Her hamstrings were so tight, it severely affected her walking gait and increased her chance of falling.  After 4 weeks of homework and dedication, she was able to reach ONE INCH past her toes on the final testing day!  WOO-HOOO!


Praise the Lord~! 
This group showed dedication and determination to reduce the risk of a fall while improving balance and stability.  And they did a wonderful job of it!  It's never too late to improve your balance and with hard work and determination, you too can touch your toes one day!    

ORDER MY BOOK TODAY AND LEARN HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR BALANCE AND REDUCE THE RISK OF  A FALL.  

Every chair stand counts!

Balance.  Strength.  Flexibility.  Endurance.  These are four components of a fall prevention exercise program.   If you are an older adult, it's important that you incorporate a combination of these activities into your daily life if you want to remain independent and prevent a fall.

Maintaining strength is perhaps one of the most important elements an older adult can do to prevent falls.  Your legs are your "fall prevention muscles" says Dr. Debra Rose, creator of FallProof™ balance and mobility training program.  As such, it is absolutely necessary to do leg strengthening exercises.

As part of the evidence-based balance program, Stepping On, one of the daily balance exercises attendees are to do is the Chair Stand.  It's that simple; stand up and sit down.  Set a goal number and do that number each day.  Your body will adapt to this exercise demand and your body will get stronger.  If you need to use your hands to stand up, use your hands.  It will get easier.

One remarkable class participant of mine is living with a progressive disease that affects her muscles.  Rather than give up and deteriorate, this woman is exercising so she can function.  And guess what?  She's getting stronger!   After four weeks of balance training and doing her chair stands at home, she was able to do 4 more chair stands in 30 seconds.  Amazing!  Keep doing your chair stands!

No matter what your condition or limitations, you can get stronger.  You have to believe it to see it.  All it takes is effort.  Get up and sit down.  Several times in a row, everyday.  Keep moving.  Your body was made to be in motion so keep it that way. 

Order my book and start your fall prevention exercise program at home.  Order here:  Complete Guide to Fall Prevention.

Stand up without help!

I'm teaching my final session of FallProof™ balance and mobility training classes at Parkside Community Church and I have an amazing group of women.  These ladies are working hard to improve their balance and reduce the risk of a fall.

We are in the third week of class and this is when people start recognizing the benefits of the progressively challenging program that I teach.  One very special woman is living with Pompe, a disease of the skeletal muscles and she is taking my class to maintain strength and improve her balance. 

She came to class yesterday and was beaming with excitement.  She shared that she and her husband spent a wonderful weekend at a nearby resort and she had a "breakthrough".  She said there was a circumstance when she normally wouldn't have been able to get up without the assistance of her husband but thanks to her training and doing her prescribed "homeplay", she got up without his help!

I want my readers to know that no matter what your situation is, it's never too late to improve!  Your body can and will adapt to new demands.  You can get stronger and by practicing chair stands everyday, you too can get up without help.

Stick with it.   The exercises I prescribe for homeplay are featured in my book, The Complete Guide to Fall Prevention.  Order your copy today and start a program to help you gain your independence.

The Fall Prevention Lady
PO Box 191655
Sacramento, CA  95819

Helpful tips to avoid Hip Injuries

Helpful Tips to Avoid Hip Injuries

The hip joint is used for so many movements that the smallest injury can have a large impact. Taking steps to prevent a fall is very important in maintain healthy hips, as well as other joints in the body. As adults age — especially adults with osteoarthritis — hip injuries are usually more severe due to bone and muscle tissue loss. Unfortunately, the more severe the hip injury is, the more likely a doctor is to prescribe hip replacement surgery. While these surgeries have helped thousands of adults, they also come with certain risks. Some patients are forced to deal with faulty implants and serious health complications, many of which require additional surgery.

Avoiding hip injuries is the most important step toward keeping hip joints healthy and strong, and reducing the risk of future hip replacement surgery.

Avoiding Hip Injuries

There are three basic tenets to avoiding hip injury: keep bones, muscles and joints strong, have good balance, and avoid situations that can lead to injury. With those methods in mind, here are some good tips to help avoid hip injury:

·       Nutrition. Part of keeping muscles, bones and joints healthy involves providing them with the nutrients they need to perform optimally, repair damaged tissue and promote new growth to maintain adequate strength. The only way they can get the nutrients they need is through a person's diet. Eating foods rich in vitamins and minerals is essential to overall well-being. Supplements such as calcium, magnesium, Vitamin D, Glucosamine and Chondroitin sulfate are especially beneficial for bones and joints. Always speak with a medical professional or a pharmacist before changing or adding any vitamin or mineral supplements.

·       Exercise. Exercise provides several benefits. It keeps muscles and bones strong, prevents limbs from becoming stiff, enhances flexibility, improves balance and enhances mood. Exercises should be varied between weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing exercises.

Weight-bearing exercises are beneficial because they cause tension between the muscles and bones, which triggers bone growth for added density and strength.  Examples include walking, running and weight-lifting.

Non-weight-bearing exercises put less emphasis on strength and more emphasis on movement, balance and posture. Examples are gentle water exercise, low-impact bicycling, yoga, dancing and Tai Chi.

It's important to note that depending on the intensity of the workout, many non-weight bearing exercises can slip into the weight-bearing category as long as there is enough tension between muscles and bones to trigger bone density increase.

·       Balance. Balance is very important. When adults have good balance, the occasional stumble or trip will not result in a fall. As stability weakens, even small amounts of uneven ground can cause a fall and result in hip injury. Dancing, regular exercise and stretches from a standing position can all help to maintain good balance.

·       Modifications. Consider small changes such as using handrails regularly and holding on to something stable when transferring from a lying or seated position to standing in order to let the body adjust. Install handrails in bathrooms and showers.

Good nutrition, remaining fit and making small modifications to daily activities can help prevent falls and hip injuries that could potentially result in surgical intervention.

Elizabeth Carrollton writes for Drugwatch.com about exercise and health tips to avoid hip injuries, as well as providing helpful information about joint replacements and hip recall lawsuits.

Muscles AND Senses fall prevention

http://thefallpreventionlady.com/fall-prevention-education/muscles-and-senses-fall-prevention

Basic 5 exercises for fall prevention

In my fall prevention exercise DVD series, Take 5 to Exercise, I emphasize the importance of daily movement.  This movement doesn't have to be strenuous but it should take some effort.  Heck, scratching your back takes effort so if you do it in proper form, you have just exercised!  When you scratch your back consistently, it becomes easier and after a few weeks of doing this, you might be able to reach places you never could before!

So I created my Basic 5 exercises with the hopes of getting people to do something each day!  These exercises are designed to increase blood flow and improve circulation.  This makes you feel good and they work when you do them!

Enter Jodie.  Jodie came to one of my Fall Prevention 101 workshops and she was in bad shape.  After 90 minutes of fall risk education and balance training demonstration, Jodie left with a prescription; The Fall Prevention Lady's Basic 5 exercises and Lower Body Strengthening routine.

Two weeks later Jodie came walking into my first day of balance training classes at Parkside Community Church and she looked like a NEW WOMAN!  I hardly recognized her and had to ask what she had done.  She replied, "The exercises you gave me to do".  This was music to my ears and joy to my soul~!  She practiced the Basic 5 exercises daily and did the 5 lower body strengthening exercises and she no longer uses her walker,  has color in her face and smiles ear to ear now.

What are the Basic 5 exercises?  Check out my You Tube channel here:  HERE.
Order my Take 5 to Exercise DVD.  Email me directly, info@thefallpreventionlady.com
Buy my book.  Visit this website:  Complete Guide to Fall Prevention.com

Basically 5 exercises to increase circulation and reduce fall risk.  It's up to you.

The Fall Prevention Lady.

Don't Fall Down! Medications and fall prevention

Fall prevention researchers have identified two types of factors that increase the risk of falls; things going on inside you (intrinsic) and things going on outside of you (extrinsic).  A person usually doesn't have much control over the intrinsic factors however an increased awareness can lead to acceptance and understanding which can significantly reduce fall risk.  Examples of intrinsic fall risk factors are advanced age, cognitive processes and medical conditions.

The more medical conditions, the greater the risk of a fall.   What does a doctor do when you are diagnosed with a disease or illness?  He/She prescribes a medication.  If you have several diseases processes going on, you are taking more than one medication.  Four or more medications have been identified as a fall risk and how you manage those medications also contributes to your risk of falling.  
Thus, medication management is an extrinsic fall risk factor because this is something you have some type of control over.  If you are taking multiple medications, it is your responsibility to educate yourself about EACH medication so you know when is the best time to take it, what foods you should and should NOT take with each drug and what body organ is affected by each medication. 

I recently discovered an amazing website and I want everyone to bookmark this webpage and start using it!!!  The website is Drugwatch.com  (click HERE to be instantly connected).  This fabulous resource will not only educate you about drug side effects but also provide information about drug-to-drug interactions and food-drug interactions. 

If you are getting different medications from different doctors,  it is absolutely critical that you put all these different medications into one bag and go to your pharmacist or one doctor.  The purpose of this is to make sure you're not taking two of the same medications or that one medication doesn't cancel out the desired effects of another. 

Listen to me....due to slowed clearance time (impaired kidney function) drugs stay in your system longer as we get older.  The (older) adult dosage is HALF of recommended amounts.  Everything you ingest is processed through the kidneys and liver.  Be kind to your body.  I talk all about this in my new handbook, Don't Fall Down.   Order your book today.    For $10, you cannot afford not to.

Increasing awareness through education,

The Fall Prevention Lady
(916) 821-5715
info@thefallpreventionlady.com