Walk Steady. Stop Confidently.

 A class in Sacramento that teaches you how to 

walk steady and stop confidently!

The FallProof™ balance and mobility training program is the best program for anyone over the age of 60 who is living life at home and realizes your balance is getting worse and you want to do something about it before a fall so I can stay at home and live the quality life you have worked so hard to enjoy!  FallProof™ is also perfect for anyone who may have already fallen and DOES NOT WANT TO FALL DOWN AGAIN!

FallProof is a theory-based, multi-sensory balance training program that was developed years ahead of it's time!  I fell in love with this program from my first exposure in one of creator Dr. Debra Rose's workshops at the International Council on Active Aging Conference in 2007!  

After spending time at the conference with Dr. Rose's team of graduate gerokinesiology students, I knew I wanted to be certified FallProof™ balance and mobility specialist and coach older adults through this progressively challenging program to improve their balance, increase self-confidence and reduce fall risk. 

That was over ten years ago!  It's been quite a decade but I have continued to offer the best balance training class for older adults throughout the Sacramento region.

If you're 'ambulatory', 'mobile', or 'barely get around', this class is for you!  This balance training session is in Carmichael area, close to Whole Foods.  Love to see you there this week.  

UPCOMING FALLPROOF CLASS IN SACRAMENTO:  

WHERE:    Parkside Community Church
                   5700 S. Land Park Dr.  Sacramento, CA 95822

WHEN:  Feb.14- March 9th

DAYS:    Tuesday and Thursday afternoons

TIMES:   1pm-2:30pm

COST:    $99 per person
REGISTER:  info@thefallpreventionlady.com

Are you at risk of a fall?

Hey~Are you at risk of a fall?

You know your body better than anyone and sometimes you just know.  You know when 

• "your balance isn't what it used to be"
• "you don't 'feel steady' like you used to"

Maybe you feel 'wobbly' when:

• You stand up 
• When you have to walk further than the front door

Maybe you almost tripped the other day; and a few days before that or you may be like a lot of us and just feel like you're getting older and things aren't working like they used to.  You figure you've never fallen and you're in good shape so "falling" or "falling down" is not something you need to be concerned about; that's for people your parent's age.  

Well, times have changed and no one is immune to losing her/his balance; especially when doing five things at once.   The Center for Disease Control (CDC) made a quick questionnaire for you to see if you might be at risk of accidentally losing your balance and end up on a surface lower than where you originally started (Definition of a fall, Rose, 2008).

Click below for the link to the fall risk questionnaire.  I really like this version because it not only asks important questions but also explains why something in that question may increase your risk of an accidental fall.  

GREAT INFORMATION!

CDC FALL RISK QUESTIONNAIRE

Be safe~!
The Fall Prevention Lady
Educate. Demonstrate. Facilitate.
MY WEBSITE

Swim your way to a strong and steady you!

Swimming is a great total body exercise;, the buoyancy of the water allows you to do movements that you cannot safely do on the ground.  Zero gravity results in less stress on your joints and movement is easier not to mention painfree while in the water.  Swimming laps is a great heart healthy, total body workout!

I have one client who was overweight.  She came to me because the excess weight was severely limiting her lifestyle.  The stiffness in her joints resulted in excruciating hip and knee pain which affected her ability to walk, stand and sit. As her pain progressed,  we started therapeutic exercises in the pool to get her joints moving in their full, pain-free range of motion again.

A 73 year-old retired nurse, my client knew something had to be done if she wanted to remain independent.  Bound and determined to lose weight, gain strength, increase flexibility, improve balance and live her life again, she started Kaiser's medically-supervised diet plan and got serious about her fitness program.  Her goal? To do what she is most passionate about; ballroom dancing!!!

Twice a week for four weeks, she would march the length of the pool; do side kicks, back kicks, and front kicks; ankle stretches, walk up and down the pool stairs, do upper body exercises using a resistance band to push and pull the strength and flexibility required in daily life, and then get on a recumbent bike to loosen up her knees by moving them in full range of motion.

Once the weight started to come off, her movement patterns became more fluid; more coordinated and less painful.  Fully prepared for weight-bearing exercises, we started a customized, machine-based strengthening program to build muscle and burn fat.  We met for 50-minutes, twice a week for three months.   We followed the principle of overload and I progressed the difficulty level of the exercises as her strength, endurance, flexibility, balance and coordination continually improved.

My client and friend stayed focused on her goal and has lost nearly 30 pounds while increasing her strength, flexibility, mobility, and stability in epic proportions. (BIG BIG YAY FOR BARB!!!).   Has she 'bulked up'?  Heck no.  Ladies (and gentlemen), if you are over the age of 20, you do not have enough natural hormones in your body to "get big".  Lean muscle mass is hard to build; it takes consistent dedication, good form and good nutrition.  

My message today is sometimes we need to swim before we can walk.  Swimming requires your joints to move in full ranges of motion and your body to fire muscles in a coordinated pattern.  It's best to combine land-based movements with water exercise. If all you do is water exercises, you are not addressing the gravity factor on earth.   Life happens in reaction to these gravitational forces.

If you haven't been moving, start a seated stretching routine like my Take 5 to Exercise DVDs.  These are great seated movements designed to prepare your body for life.

To order my Take 5 to Exercise DVD with five complete seated exercise routines, click here:

Preparing for the most challenging decade of your life!

During the first Fall Prevention 101 workshop of the year at Lutheran Good Shepherd Church in Sacramento, I was explaining the phenomena known as 'sarcopenia'; the natural loss of muscle mass exasperated with inactivity and age.  That "Sarcopenia" starts when we are in our thirties, increases significantly during our sixties and by the time we reach the eighties, we can lose as much as fifty percent of muscle mass in the ten years ahead.

As I explained, one gentleman at the front table corrected me when I said, "...by the time we reach the eighth decade of life, referring to the eighties (80-89),   a person can lose as much as 50% muscle mass just living life.  He pointed out that the eighties are the ninth decade of life and not the eighth!!!  We all laughed as I continued.  I truly appreciated this correction and have made a mental note to myself which I will never forget.

I want you to never forget the term, "USE IT OR LOSE IT".  According to the law of evolution, we naturally lose muscle mass as part of the aging process.  Choosing to live a sedentary lifestyle (aka, not building strength with regular resistance training) quickens muscle loss.   Think about it for a second; a two-week hospital stay when you're in your thirties isn't going to cause nearly as much weakness and muscle loss as when you're in your eighties, or as I now know, the ninth decade of life!!!!

The eighties or ninth decade of life is the most critical for building strength and being proactive about your health and wellness.  The reason?  I believe this is true due to the long-term consequences of years and years of unhealthy lifestyle choices.  The cumulation of choices (i.e., not being active, eating junk food, and sitting on the couch) take a tremendous toll on the body and physcial impact is evident in poor movement patterns.  The result; imbalance, weakness, stiffness and increased risk of falls.

Can sarcopenia be reversed?  Can it be delayed?  There are studies that show that yes, sarcopenia can be slowed down by engaging in a consistent exercise routine and nutritional support designed to increase strength, improve flexibility, challenge balance and exercise postural muscles.  The human body was made to be in motion; movement is life.

Let's keep it moving~

The Fall Prevention Lady
"Movement Re-Educator
www.thefallpreventionlady.com

STOP WIDE!!!! Don't Fall Down!

Stop WIDE.

Anyone who has participated in one of the balance and mobility training classes I instruct in the Northern California region will more than likely automatically demonstrate the "wide stance reaction" when they hear those words.  Some may smile as they remember me saying with a grin, "Put some flare into it!"

One of the crew putting some flare into her wide stop!

   Imagine you are walking along a sidewalk and something catches your eye in the window of store; you stop to look at the item as you're passing by.  Think for a minute:

• Are your feet close together?  
• Are they facing the same direction?  
• Is your weight centered over your feet? 
• Are your feet facing one direction and your shoulders in another?  

How you stop impacts your immediate balance and prepares you for anything in the near future.   The wider your feet are apart, the more stable you will be while standing still.  With your feet hip-width apart, you are stable and more likely to remain stable if a dog or little child came around the corner.

Obviously, it's easier to stop wide when you "anticipate" or see, the need to stop.  But what about those times when you have to stop suddenly?  You're Christmas shopping and you have to dodge the masses; stopping and starting along the path for your own safety!

Stop Wide is a balance and mobility training technique used to increase safety whenever you stop walking; expectantly or suddenly.  Class participants line up on one side of the room.  After I demonstrate proper walking form, I show how to "stop wide".  Some giggle as I exaggerate my wide stop but they're usually the ones who remember; feet wide!

Then it's the participant's turn; they start walking across the room, practicing proper walking form and physically responding to my verbal cues to correct form.  Suddenly, they hear a loud "STOP" command!  

Some instantly come to a stop then step feet out wide, some keep on walking.  You may suddenly hear someone say "WIDE" as they remind classmates in proper form.  Then there some who literally hang on by their toes as they regain sense of body position (where the body parts are in space; oriented to body position) and slowly place feet in proper wide stance.  

Senses awakened, they start walking again, "STOP".  Physical responses quicken as neurons start firing and people's 'stop pattern' becomes more efficient.  The message 'wide' slowly hits home and the feet go out.  As we continue to practice this STOP WIDE exercise in conjunction with other walking gait patterns, I see the vast improvements in stability, mobility, balance and coordination in each participant.  

This is one of my favorite fundamental mobility strategies taught in the FallProof™ progam and the participants love it.  If you want to learn how to stop wide, register for one of my classes!  If you do not live near me,  video coming soon! 

STOP WIDE!!!

The Fall Prevention Lady

Never too late, or TOO EARLY, to improve balance skills

When it comes to self-improvement, we always hear, "It's never too late" to improve this or that.  In the case of successful aging, it's been proven time and time again that 'It's never too late to IMPROVE YOUR BALANCE'!  

But what about too early?  Is it ever too early to begin an exercise and movement-oriented program to improve your balance and mobility?  The answer is a resounding NO; it's never too early to benefit from a multi-sensory balance training program designed to improve balance skills required in every day life!  I know because I have kept data on all class participants from every FallProof™ class that I have taught in the past eight years.

In fact, I have seen some of the most significant improvements in the three fitness components necessary to prevent falls among people in their 60s!!!  That's because Dr. Rose of the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence in Fullerton, CA designed FallProof™ classes for anyone over the age of 60 who is at high to moderate risk of a fall.

For everyone who has planned for their retirement years, congratulations.  You made it! Now that you're here, it's time to start planning for the next chapter of your life!  It's time to invest in your health and well-being for the years ahead.  And that includes long-term safety strategies to keep you in your home for as long as possible.  

In order to remain independent and doing the things you enjoy, consistent exercise and movement are absolutely necessary and it's never too early to improve your balance skills. The specialized training I offer challenges both the muscles AND senses involved in balance.  I also offer neural training to help break poor movement patterns that cause pain and result in weak muscles.    

Pain-free movement, improved balance and increased strength?  Absolutely.  Is this too good to be true? Nope.  Is it too early to start?  Heck no.  Too late to improve? Absolutely not!

Get started today!
The Fall Prevention Lady

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