Fall Prevention Awareness Week 2020

 As The Fall Prevention Lady, I have been actively involved in promoting awareness of fall risk factors, offering balance assessments and educating older adults how to prevent falls for over fifteen years.  I remember when "Fall Prevention Day" was first recognized and celebrated on the first day of fall or September 23rd.  

Every year since 2008, the third week of September was 'my time to shine'; as a fall prevention educator and balance specialist called 'The Fall Prevention Lady", I was busy giving free educational workshops and organizing and implementing community balance assessments to older adults.  I was one of the original Sacramento Fall Prevention Coalition founding members and with the Area 4 Agency on Aging and Kaiser Permamente, we offered the first community-based fall prevention events.

For the most part, COVID-19  killed community-based fall prevention outreach and I am sad.  I am sad that I did not get to meet hundreds of older adults who are concerned about falling down.  I am sad that these older adults are stuck in their homes, afraid to go out, not allowed to congregate with their peers; thus at increased risk of falling. 

It takes a community to prevent falls.  Unfortunately when the community is no longer able to get together and communicate, the risk of falling increases.  I am saddened that I was not able to offer free workshops and balance assessments to older adults in my community.  I miss the opportunity to meet people who want the education and skills that I have to improve balance and live independently.  

No one knew this was going to happen; in fact, in preparation for fall prevention awareness 2020, I wrote a book, "ABCs to Balance; Aging, Brains and Coordination" to complement my introductory workshops and I fine-tuned my "Brains and Balance" mobility classes for people of all ages and abilities.  

In celebration of Fall Prevention Awareness week past, I would like to offer my new book at a 20% discount.  Click here to get order my book. 

Nervous System Rule #2 for Better Balance and Prevention of Falls

The better the input, the better the output.

This is the language of the nervous system and I explain how to put the words together in my new book, "ABCs of Balance: Aging, Brains and Coordination.  A brain-based approach to the prevention of falls".

Education is Power:  
ABCs of Balance Book now available

The nervous system has three functions; input, interpretation and output.  Balance is an output.  If you want better balance, it's only logical that you need to train the inputs.  You cannot jump straight to the end product without addressing the first two steps.

Dr. Rose of FallProof™ introduced me to three sensory inputs and how to train them for improved balance and mobility.  She offered basic vision, vestibular and proprioceptive approaches to reduce falls.  Dr. Cobb of Z-Health taught me how to train these three systems from the brain's perspective and the results are life changing.

The better the visual inputs the better one's balance.  The better the vestibular inputs, the better the one's balance.  The better the sensory receptor input, the better one's balance will be.  Unfortunately, traditional fall prevention programs only focus on outputs. 

If you want better balance, you have to train the vision, vestibular and proprioceptive inputs and the brain's interpretation of them. 

I explain all of this in my new book, "ABC's of Balance: Aging, Brains and Coordination".  If you want to know why your balance is getting worse as you age and what you can do about it, this is a must read.  Everything begins in the brain.  Brain training is the future of fitness.  

Education is power.  Order your copy today. 

ABCs of Balance: Can't Feel Your Feet?

If you can't feel your feet, you may have a nerve problem.   Because the nerves of the feet go to the brain, you may now have a brain problem.  Everything begins in the brain; and I mean everything; all movement, all feeling, and all thoughts begin in the three-pound organ on top of your head.

The brain is quite fascinating and in it are maps to the entire body.  Messages from the brain are sent to the body parts. The brain has maps so it knows where everything is located.   Maps are like highways; the more a road is travelled, the faster you can go.  No doubt about it, practice makes perfect.

Most of us have had at least one injury.  When an area is injured, we're told not to move it. The longer a body part doesn’t move, the blurrier the map of that body part becomes. Blurry maps make the brain feel unsafe.  When the brain doesn't feel safe, movement suffers.

Your feet are critical to good balance. The brain needs good mapping of the feet for good movement and balance.   The bad news is we rarely move our toes and feet and hardly ever provide sensory stimulation to them. As a result, the brain's map of the feet is blurry.

I'm certain that there are millions of undiagnosed cases of neuropathy (nerve damage) in feet and legs because people think that burning, tingling and loss of sensation in the feet is a 'normal part of aging'.  FALSE!  Healthy nerves do not tingle. Healthy nerves need activation. You need to rub and move your feet and toes regularly.

Some nerve damage is permanent but the science of neuroplasticity shows that nerves can and will regenerate!  Get hopeful.  Move your feet.  Rub your toes.  Pay attention to how your feet feel.  Book a session with me for some sensory stimulation.

I am an input, interpretation and output specialist.  I train the sensory inputs to the brain to improve the brain's ability to interpret the information and decide what to do.  I also train body movement but if you want to move better, let’s start with the inputs.

It's how the nervous system works.  It's science.  Sensory input training can change your life.

This blog is an excerpt from new book, ABC's of Balance: Aging, Balance and Coordination.  A brain-based approach to the prevention of falls.    I will be ready the first week of June!   $29 paperback, $29 Kindle.

If you want to pre-order, leave your name and email address below!

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Brain-based Covid Remedies

As a brain-based fall prevention specialist, I train the nervous system and the organ that determines everything in life.  The brain has two primary jobs; survival and movement.   During this Covid pandemic, our brains feel threatened because our survival is at risk.  If you're over 70 years of age with multiple chronic conditions, you're high risk and your brain is freaking out.

One way the brain keeps us alive is through prediction or the ability to predict what might happen so it can respond appropriately.  When the brain cannot predict what will happen, it is on high alert.

Brain-based Covid Remedies with Coach Kelly

Weeks and weeks of unpredictability take a toll on the brain and the result is pain, fatigue, anxiety, falls, and difficulty breathing or sleeping, poor vision and other inconviences.

The neat thing about making the brain feel safe is you don't need drugs.  There are holistic drills that activate areas of the brain that calm you down!   

Simple ways are: Nasal breathing and humming on the exhale, gargle for 30+ seconds and doing my favorite, the cheesy grin and swallow.  These brain-based covid remedies activate areas of the brain to increase immunity and decrease threat.

I specialize in applied neuro-anatomy and applied neuro-physiology.  In other words, I know anatomy of the brain and what each area needs to be healthy.   This is important if you want to life the life you want.

Education credit: Z-Health Performance Solutions

If you're interested in a brain-based approach to the prevention of falls, express your interest in my new book.  Education is power.

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Nervous System Rule #1 for Better Balance

The nervous system is a complex function that processes over 64 quintillion bits of information each day.  Although every brain is different, there are several unspoken rules that apply to everyone.  In my new book, "ABCs of Balance: Aging, Brains and Coordination", I explain how to age successfully from the brain's perspective.  I've included three unspoken nervous system rules.

Nervous System Rule #1 for better balance

Nervous system rule #1: "Neurons that wire together fire together".  What this means is that you can improve balance by doing drills that activate neurons near the balance nerve.  

Do you know where the brain's balance nerve is located?  It's in the brainstem and it's connected to the brain's equilibrium system.  As mature adults responsible for your well-being, this is important stuff to know!!!

The entire nervous system runs on the use it or lose it principle including balance.  To maintain upright against gravity,  a person must activate cranial nerve #8 and the nerves next to it.

In my new book, "ABCs of Balance: Aging, Brains and Coordination", I explain how the brain works and what the nervous system needs for better balance.  I explain  things in an easy to understand manner and give sample exercises for the reader to try at home.

If you've tried everything and your balance is getting worse, it's time to do something else.   I offer a brain-based approach to the prevention of falls because everything we do begins in the brain. Everything.

My book explains all of this.  If you're like to sign up for the first release of my book, complete the form below.

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Stay Engaged Brain Teasers and ABCs of Balance

Everything we do begins in the brain.  Preventing falls begins in the brain.  Knowing that, a healthy brain is essential for an independent life.  Unfortunately we are stuck in our homes and most of us are not engaging the brain as much as needed.

"The brain needs two things to be healthy; activation and fuel".  I'm sure you are intimately familiar with the "use it or lose it" principle but that applies to the entire nervous system, not just the muscles.

Here are 5 easy brain teasers that improve working memory :  Brain Teasers

Enjoy and Stay Engaged.
Kelly

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Walking Can Reduce Risk of Alzheimers

The hippocampus is a region of the brain responsible for our ability to learn and to remember.   As the incidence of Alzheimer's continues to rise, people are scrambling for ways to keep their brain sharp.  The good news is that exercise increases blood flow to the hippocampus which can help sustain new neurons.

Check out this link and the study that demonstrated that walking reduced Alzheimers by 48%.
Get out, get walking.

Stay Engaged,
Kelly
The Fall Prevention Lady



Here's the article:
 Hippocampus and Exercise for Better Memory 

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Brain Exercise for Better Movement

Grab a spiky ball and roll it on your body!  See how you feel.  Try standing up or touching your toes.  Then roll only one side.  Retest.  Roll the other side and retest.  See which one makes you better.

If it was easier to move, keep doing it!  The increased sensory input will wake up your brain and your movement, flexibility,  strength and/or balance will improve.

Give it a try!!!
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Brain-Based Ankle Circles

A Harvard study recently demonstrated that exercise helps build immunity.   (Click on the sentence to read the study). At a time like now, it’s important that everyone do what they can to stay strong and healthy and studies indicate that staying active helps.

MOVEMENT IS LIFE!!!

Dr. Cobb of Z-Health built a brain-based system around movement and I have to agree with him; a lot of problems can be solved simply by moving.  Besides, we were made to move. Our nervous systems were built to perform and survival of the fittest begins with movement.  Let's move that body!

A body at rest tends to stay at rest so we have to make a conscious effort to move.  Personally, I always feel better once I get going.  99% of working out is showing up for the session!   That’s where my training can help you!  In neurology, little things add up to big things.  It’s the same with movement; little movements add up to big things.

Let’s do ankle circles today.  These are awesome for foot and ankle mobility. which is essential in any fall prevention program because the ankle is the first joint to come in contact with an uneven surface.  The more flexible the ankle, the less likely a person is to get injured.  If the ankle is used to bending and twisting in all directions, there is less risk of injury if ankle is twisted during life activities.

Brain-based ankle circles are different.  These are not the regular, boring ankle circles that you do without paying any attention to what you’re doing. You know what I mean, when the instructor says, “let’s do some ankle circles” and you sit there and look around the room.  That's the WRONG WAY TO DO ankle circles. 

I want you to stay engaged. Activate your brain.  In order to do that, you have to pay attention to what you’re doing AND how you're doing it!  The brain loves stimulation so it helps if movements are novel (new) and somewhat challenging.

Follow along with me and let’s do some ankle circles.  3 in each direction.  3 different foot positions.  

Stay engaged.  

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Your Tongue and Stress Relief

The brain controls everything we do; all our thoughts and actions begin in the brain.  The brain's response to stressful times, like we've been living since Covid, is a tensed, forward-flexed posture with hormones of the sympathetic nervous system running rampant.  Prolonged exposure to cortisol and adrenaline has a detrimental effect your brain, body and bodily functions.  The longer we're in this fight/flight mode, the worse effects on our nervous system.

We need to calm down however that is often easier said than done. To counterbalance the sympathetic nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system which is our "rest and digest hormone system" needs to be consciously activated.   There are simple ways to activate areas of the brainstem that activate this calming, necessary balance in our life.

The vagus nerve is the focus for calming the brain and body down.  I wrote a blog about humming as a way to activate the vagus nerve and calm the nervous system down.  There are breathing drills to stimulate this system and here is one of my favorite ways to activate areas of the brain to calm you down.

The tongue is powerful connection to the brain.  Where you place your tongue can have a significant impact on your balance and tension level.  Swallowing activates nerves surrounding the vagus nerve and because neurons that wire together fire together,  swallowing activates the vagus nerve.

Another benefit of swallowing is the activation of the insular cortex.  This is the fifth lobe of the brain and is involved in emotional connections to physical body, aka how you 'feel' in your own body. Times of stress can leave you feeling 'disconnected' from your body, from your life.  This is when you need to activate your insular cortex.

Swallow.  Trust me.
Smiling activates the nerve next door to your balance nerve.  Smiling can improve your balance which is probably needing some activation as well.

If you want to know more about the insular cortex and the power of smiling, my book will be ready soon!

Follow along with me!  Cheesy grain and swallow.
Be safe.  Stay engaged.

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Brain-based Shoulder Rolls

I recently wrote about and demonstrated how to do shoulder rolls to reduce neck and shoulder tension that might be related to the stress of  Covid19 isolation.    Shoulder rolls are great to improve the brain's mapping thereby reducing stress (the better the map, the better the movement).

So I trust you've been practicing the rolls as needed to loosen yourself up throughout the days. 

Because I'm encouraging you to stay engaged, I want to show you the advanced version of the shoulder roll, the camshaft.  This is a shoulder roll with the arm extended in front of you.

This is hard to do.  This requires more brain activation to keep the arm straight the entire time.  Think about moving the shoulder blade as if you were doing a shoulder roll.

Enjoy.  Stay engaged.  

Stay well at home.

Watch and then follow along with me!

Improve Balance and Reduce Shoulder Stress

I don't need to tell anyone that life is stressful right now.  We're navigating uncharted waters; not knowing what the future holds is traumatic.  It's stressful and we all respond to stress differently.   Some people get busy physically, some get busy worrying, some get upset emotionally while some can't  get any motivation to do anything.

Regardless of how you cope with stress, tension builds in our muscles, specifically in the neck and shoulders.  The trapezius is a reservoir for stress tension making it painful to turn the head and shoulders slouching forward in surrender.

If you are tense and worried, let's roll those shoulders.  Sit in lengthened spine and follow along with me, three rolls in both directions.  Do this throughout the day.  

Shoulder roll with me for stress relief:  

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Hidden Secret: Jaw Exercises for Better Balance

In order to be balanced and stable, you need to have a stable midline.   The spine is the midline.   Your  jaw is also along the midline.

The jaw is powerful activator of the brain because it is innervated by the trigeminal nerve, the largest of the twelve cranial nerves.  Moving the jaw activates areas of the brain responsible for increased backside strength.  This increased extensor tone improves balance and stability.

Why It's Important to YOU:  Increased backside strength makes it easier to stand up from the chair and easier to stand up straight.

Follow along with one of my favorite jaw exercises.
Get that jaw moving to increase midline stability and extensor tone.
Try to do these at least once a day, everyday.

I would suggest 3-4 times per day if you're unstable and have poor posture.

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Let's Move that Lymph for Healthy Immune System

A healthy immune system goes hand in hand with a healthy lymphatic system.  The lymph system is our body's cleansing system.  The concept of lymph is difficult to wrap your brain around because it's a fluid system but it's not blood.  The lymphatic system is a network of tissues and organs that rid the body of all the impurities and metabolic waste products.

Perhaps the most important function of the lymphatic system is to carry infection fighting white blood cells throughout the body (Live Science, 2018).   This is especially important now as we fight the coronavirus and try to build healthy immune systems at home.

In order to keep your lymph system healthy, you have to keep the lymph moving!  Lymphatic expert Stop Chasing Pain's Perry Nickelson says that stagnant lymph is a breeding ground for disease...."the more you sit, the more clogged up your lymphatic system gets"!

LET'S MOVE THAT LYMPH FOR HEALTHY IMMUNE SYSTEM

As a Z-Health Practitioner, I specialize in all things of the nervous system, including the lymphatic system.  A healthy lymph system needs to move.  Today I want to show you how to do 'LYMPHATIC BREATHING' to unclog the lymph and keep it moving to rid the body of impurities and toxins.

The key to this method is to open up the left thoracic duct because the left thoracic duct is the king pin of the body; the entire body (except the right side of the face and the right arm) drains through the left thoracic duct.

Follow along with this video and breathe.  Do this 1-5 minutes at a time.
The more swollen you are, the longer you might want to try this type of breathing.

Practice Getting Up From the Floor While You're Able

We're all stuck at home so it's a great time to build leg strength and practice movement patterns to keep your safe at home.

Even though we're all stuck at home, I still worry about older adults who live alone and are at high risk of falls.  You have to keep moving.  I've posted several blog posts about proper breathing and recently, I posted both an upper and lower body resistance band workout.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to visit my elderly clients in their homes and one client has fallen twice.  Despite practicing crawling and using the chair to get up, he was unable to get himself up from the floor.  He's 93  years old.  Fortunately his son stopped in and helped him.

I'm so upset that he fell and more so that he forgot what we have practiced when on the floor.  It is so important for you to keep moving and to practice getting down on the floor and getting back up.

This is a life skill that can save your life if you fall at home.   Practice now, while you're able, so you have a plan if you end up on the floor.  A fall is a traumatic event; don't wait until then to practice getting up.  PRACTICE TODAY.

Watch me do this exercise and then practice yourself!
I have no idea of your ability level so start slow and work up to more attempts with each leg.
I try to do 10 with each leg, each day.

Stay healthy.  Stay safe at home.  

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Quarantine Upper Body at Home Upper Body Resistance Band Workout

It looks like we're going to be staying at home another 2 weeks, at least.

Life changed instantly; routines are disrupted.  It's kind of crazy right now.
My stress response is making it hard to stay on routine and stay motivated.

It's time to dig down deep down inside for the inner strength to keep going; to stay focused on the big picture; your health.

For me, success to getting through this uncertainty is setting small goals for each day.
My main goal is to move deliberately everyday!

I don't have a set time but sometime, anytime during the day I make myself do 20-30 minutes of continuous challenging movement.

I try to get my heart rate up and get that blood pumping!  Neuroscience research studies demonstrate that increased blood flow to the hippocampus has positive effects on cognitive ability and memory!

Academy of Sports Medicine recommends all for adults over age of 60 engage in some type of resistance training at least two times a week in order to maintain muscle mass.

Body weight and resistance bands are examples of strength building exercise.
Grab your resistance band and follow along with me in this upper body routine.

This routine plus my lower body resistance band routine are a great total body resistance band workout to do at home.

I recommend grabbing that resistance band 2-3 times a week.
10-15 repetitions, work up to 2-3 sets.
Different speeds, different tempos.

Nasal breathe.  Sit tall.  Smile.

How to Breath When You're Breathless

Breathlessness is a symptom of the Covid19 virus.  The feeling of not getting enough air causes people to do the worst thing possible; breathe in more air!  What?   You need more carbon dioxide, not more oxygen.

Because covid is an upper respiratory disease, it attacks the lungs, particularly the lung surfactant.  This substance allows for lung movement and elasticity.

Lowered levels of surfactant result in stiff lungs that do not move.
Lungs that do not move cannot take air deep enough in to feed the lower portions of the lung.  
Stiff lungs result in the panicked feeling of not being able to breathe enough air. 

Breathing expert, Patrick McKeown of Oxygen Advantage, suggests a simple breathing exercise to calm brain and get the proper blood gases in balance so the oxygen can get into the cells for energy and into the deep portions of lungs.

Gases that are produced by Nasal Breath Holds:

1. Nitrous oxide

2.  Carbon dioxide  

We need these gases to get oxygen into cells, into the lungs

We don't need more oxygen, 

we need the complimentary gases   

Check out this video for a great breathing exercise to help deal with breathlessness or short of breath: 

Breathe regular for 10 seconds.

Exhale.  Pinch nose for 5 seconds.

Inhale through nose.  

Breathe regularly for 10 seconds.

Exhale.  Pinch nose 5  seconds

Repeat for 2 and one-half minutes.  

PS....if you cannot hold breath for 5 seconds, hold until you feel discomfort and want to breathe.  Just practice pinching nose and holding breath then breathe regularly by breathing in nose first. 

Quarantine at Home Lower Body Resistance Band Workout

As we are quarantined to our home for another 14 days, I decided to put together some strengthening routines for you to do at home to keep you strong.   

Why?  Lower body weakness is the #1 cause of falls among older adults.  The Academy of Sports Medicine recommends that adults over the age of 65 engage in resistance training at least two times per week in order to maintain muscle mass needed for independent lifestyle.  

Why?  You want to keep your immune system healthy.  Regular exercise develops an efficient nervous system.  Activation and support of a healthy lymphatic system improves immune system function. 

Body weight and resistance bands are two examples of resistance training.  

Grab your resistance band and follow along with me in this simple seated lower body resistance band routine.  If you have energy leftover, do some chair stands and side steps afterward.  

Follow along for three easy exercise:  

1.  Clams:  10-15 reps.  1-3 sets.

2.  Leg Press:  10-15 reps each leg.  1-3 sets.

3.  Toe Points:  5-10 reps in 3 different positions (Foot in neutral (straight), foot turned in, foot turned out).  1-3 sets.

Start slow.  Exhale on exertion.  Stay in tall, lengthened spine.

Lower body resistance band.

Breathing is Your First Line of Defense Against Covid19

Because the coronavirus is an upper respiratory disease that attacks the lungs, breathing is your first line of defense against the virus.   Thankfully, God created us with a powerful immune system to fight against evil viruses and bacteria so it's time to harness the power of breathing in order to stay healthy.

This weekend, I listened to a super informative webinar by breathing expert, Patrick McKeown of the Buteyko Clinic.  I learned about the power of nasal breathing and how our body produces nitrous oxide, a powerful defense against the coronavirus.

Patrick explained that nitrous oxide (NO) is a powerful gas that is naturally produced in the paranasal sinuses (aka, nose) through nasal breathing.  Our nose hairs trap NO and distribute it throughout the body.  

The benefits of nitrous oxide:

1.  Sterilizes air going into the lungs.  Nitrous oxide is proven antiviral, antibacterial, antimicrobe
2.  Bronchodilator.  NO opens UP the lungs to fight the breathlessness of the COVID19 virus

3.  Increases lung surfactant.  Surfactant in lungs is responsible for elasticity and movement of lungs.  Covid19 decreases lung surfactant, nasal nitrous oxide increases lung surfactant. 

Healthy lungs create surfactant which allows for movement and elasticity of the lungs.  

Bad news:  Coronavirus, aka COVID9 and/or SARS2, decreases surfactant.   

Good news: Nasal breathing creates nitrous oxide which improves surfactant.  

Here's an awesome breathing drill to increase nasal nitrous oxide production and get the NO into the blood for use:  Nasal breathing IN and Hum OUT.

As a health educator, I appreciate the power of prevention and know that the choices made today will affect health and vitality of tomorrow.  Just do it.  What do you have got  to lose?

Coronavirus Wellness at Home Tip #3: Nasal Breathing

Breathe in and out of your nose to reduce risk of coronavirus infection!

I'm not a doctor.  I'm not an infectious disease specialist.  I am a nervous system specialist and I've been reading a lot of government and medical suggestions to help you stay healthy at home.

I'm here to share simple, holistic practices that you can EASILY incorporate into your daily routine.  This one is as easy as it gets; breathe through your nose!

Why?

• Nose hairs trap pathogens.  
• Nose hairs increase carbon dioxide (good gas needed in blood/gas balance).  
• Nose hairs increase nitrous oxide which has been shown to defend against airborne viruses.  Nitrous Oxide is produced in the paranasal sinuses.
• Nasal breathing is the body's first line of defense against infection

I suggest breathing in AND out of the nose.  If necessary, exhale through the mouth.  Try to breathe in and out of the nose.  I have a "Relaxator" in my mouth in this video.  A Relaxator is a respiration training tool that forces you to breathe in the nose and long, strong exhales through the mouth. 

The more actions you take, the safer you will be....after all, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

From Conscious Breathing (Relaxator maker), 

another important reason why you should breathe through your nose:

1. A COLD NOSE WILL INCREASE THE RISK OF VIRUS INFECTIONS:  Our nose can be compared to a highly efficient heat exchanger that warms up and moistens the air. 

When inhaling, our nose becomes cooled and dry as it moistens and heats the inhaled air, which is usually cooler than our body temperature. 

When we exhale, the temperature inside our nose is raised, and the area is moisturized by the 37 degree Celsius (98.6° Farenheit) temperature and 100% moist air being returned from the lungs. 

If we, on the other hand, breathe in through our nose and out through our mouth, the nose will not restore it’s warmth and moisture upon exhalation. And if we breathe both in and out through our mouth, our nose will be constantly cold and dry.

Research shows that the rhinovirus, which is known to cause colds and infections in the upper respiratory tracts, will multiply when the nose cools down. The colder it is in the nose, the more the immune system is suppressed, which will create a favorable environment for the rhinovirus to reproduce (ref 2). Now, we do not know exactly how the coronavirus behaves, but it is not inconceivable that a cold nose offers an environment that is favorable for this virus to also propagate.substance.