Smart Senior

Seniors Using Canes

Seniors Using Canes

 

We have already talked about the role of the cane in fall prevention and even as a fashion statement, but you are going to love the latest wrinkle.

 

The Wall Street Journal (Saturday, July 12, 2008) featured an article by Jennifer Levitz about using a cane for exercise and for self defense purposes.   Many

Senior

Centers

and Retirement Homes are offering cane exercise classes as a new way to stave off the physical decline associated with aging.

 

In addition to exercise, people interested in honing their self defense skills are finding that they already own something that can be used as a weapon.  Cane Fighting, also called “combat cane’ or “cane fu” has been endorsed by at least eight martial arts organizations.

 

All kinds of canes can be used for self defense, but the best are the ones made of hard wood like hickory or oak because they are sturdier, but aluminum and pine will work as well.   The best part is that it is a legal weapon and be carried anywhere.  Isn’t it grand to know that you don’t have to feel like a doddering old lady or gent because your doctor says it is time to start using a cane?  Picture you using a cane to bop an attacker on the top of the foot, or whipping it against the shins.  Certainly, most seniors who take the self defense classes rarely wield their canes against anyone, but isn’t it nice to know that you could?

Gardening Injuries

Gardening can exact a painful toll on an aging body.  Tara Parker-Pope writing for The Wall Street Journal (Saturday/Sunday, July 14-15, 2007) writes that gardening it tough on your body, and gives you some tips on how to garden safely.

Most people don’t view a day in the yard as a workout but gardening involves stretching high and bending low, not to mention pushing a wheelbarrow or lugging heavy bags of soil.  People who exercise regularly incorporate a warm-up and a stretching routine into their program, but people who garden seldom think about gardening fitness.

Gardening causes anywhere from 1/3 to ½ of all summer recreational injuries and can lead to carpal-tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow and other repetitive stress injuries.

Does this mean you have to give up gardening?  Gardening is therapeutic; it is a good workout and may even reduce stress and anxiety.  Good form is everything.  Approach gardening as any other workout.  Stretch your muscles and focus on your legs and lower back.  Move about and change position often instead of doing the same task for hours on end.

Use equipment that is comfortable for you and ergonomically sound.  Consider gardening benches, long handled tools or fatter handled tools.  The goal is to keep your spine as straight as possible.  Even with good equipment you need to limit your time in any one gardening activity so that you don’t overuse a muscle or joint.

Don’t laugh.  Seriously consider Yoga for Gardeners by Veronica D’orazio or a video by Gail Dubinsky on Yoga for Gardeners which includes 6 yoga sessions with yoga postures that can help gardeners prepare for and recover from a day of gardening.  If all else fails, you may have to switch to container gardening to eliminate all of that bending and stretching.

Yoga for Man and Beast

I have often encouraged seniors to try yoga for a variety of reasons and we’ve also discussed the importance of having pets in our lives.  So, why not combine the two concepts and discover a new way to communicate with your inner self and with your pets.

If yoga works for humans, why wouldn’t it work for pets?  An article in the Herald by Donna Gordon Blankinship called “Fetch Traded for Stretch” (Tuesday, April 3, 2007) talks about Doggie Yoga (Doga).  Doggie yoga is rapidly becoming a popular activity for relieving pet stress.  Yes, pets feel stress too, especially city pets.

I can certainly see where the idea came from.  Whenever I roll out my yoga mat and get ready to stretch and relax with a Rodney Yee yoga video, the rest of the family promptly arrives to “help”. It is a little hard to concentrate when a cat winds through your legs while you are attempting a Warrior Pose, or having a dog crawl into your lap while you are doing a seated spinal stretch, but it does show you that they are interested in being with you.

The classes are designed to offer humans new ways to spend time with their pets.  Part of the classes includes gentle stretching and doggie massage, but most of the time the humans use the dogs like yoga props.  For example:  in the “downward facing dog” pose, the humans rest their heads on their companions, who are relaxing or napping on the mat.

The dogs really love getting the one-on-one attention and it is an opportunity to spend time with your dog.  Oh, and least you think that cats are being slighted this isn’t necessarily the case.  I was amazed that there are actually a number of books available on cat and dog yoga.  Amazon lists a number of fun books on the topic:  Yoga for Cats by Christienne Wadsworth and

Lynn

Chang and Yoga for Dogs by Jennifer Brilliant and William Berloni to name a few.   Have fun with this new concept!

Walking Safely at Night

You may scoff and say that seniors don’t walk at night anyway, but I happen to know better.  Seniors who have dogs may not be out there jogging, but they do take their dogs for late evening exercise and potty sessions.

Traffic never ceases!  Seriously, no matter what time of day or night that you are outside the traffic is unbelievable, and you need to make sure that drivers can see you.

Bryan D. Vargo wrote a small article about walking safely at night with reflective gear (Arthritis Today, March/April 2007).   He discusses a line of active women’s and men’s shirts, fleeces, jackets, tights, shorts and gloves that are covered in a thin layer of reflective material (www.night-gear.com) that you might want to look at.

See and be seen. Wear a hat with a built-in LED light above the brim and one where the sides are wrapped with reflective material (www.head-lite.com).  A hat like this is great because it leaves your hands free to man the leash and carry dog treats.

If you don’t want to have to buy a whole new wardrobe for your night-time walks, look into LED Arm and Ankle Bands. These bands have LED lights with a full 150 hours of battery time set in a flash mode.   The bands come equipped with a zippered pocket for carrying small essentials (www.rei.com) and have a full reflective strip.

Another fixer-upper that you can add to your favorite walking outfit comes in the form of reflective tape.  The tape adheres to most materials and won’t come off when you wash them. (www.ghsports.com or www.rei.com).

Okay, you have your reflective clothing on, your dog leashed up, and you have a cell phone with you in case you trip on a curb.  There is no reason why the both of you can’t enjoy that last outing of the day.

Hand Exercisers for Seniors

Most of us over the age of 50 have had or are now experiencing some form of discomfort with our wrists and hands.  Rest is usually the therapy of choice whenever your hands or wrists ache from typing, writing, knitting or other repetitive moves, but recovery is slow and rest isn’t always an option for us. Hopefully, if we can nip it in the bud it might prove beneficial to us.

Health Magazine (March 2007) features a brief article by Jen Matlack and discusses the idea that exercises that strengthen and stretch the muscle that controls hand movement may be beneficial for people with mild hand and wrist pain.  I am working again and can type but my hand strength is still impaired and I am doubting if I will ever be completely pain free again, but I am certainly willing to give exercise a trial. 

One of the exercise gadgets suggested was the Cats Paw (www.catspaw.com). You place the small rubber exerciser over your fingertips and flex your fingers outward like a cat stretching her paws. 

Another model called the Power Web Hand Exerciser was featured in the Living Arts (Spring 2007) catalogue by Gaiam (www.gaiammindbody.com).   The exerciser is designed to strengthen your grip (this one appeals to me because I would really like to play tennis again), stretches tight tendons, or helps correct weakness caused by injury or repetitive motion.  It looks like a large “Dream Catcher” and you weave your fingers into the lattice work (an illustrated manual is included).

Nordic Walking for Seniors

Age is not an issue in Nordic Walking.  If you are able to walk, you can do Nordic Walking.    All ages and all fitness levels can unlock the calorie burning and aerobic benefits of Nordic Walking, which uses poles to improve your balance and stability as you propel yourself along.

What in the world is Nordic Walking?  Basically it is regular walking made up to 40% more effective by the use of specifically designed hand-held Nordic Walker Poles.

This technique, specifically designed for the couch potatoes among us, is a safe form of rehabilitation for heart patients.  It is good for those who are older and need more stability when walking, because of orthopedic problems or issues with balance.

There is no upper or lower age limit.  All ages and fitness levels can benefit from the calorie burning and aerobic benefits of Nordic Walking.  The poles help you to walk with a straight upper back and will improve your walking posture.  The poles also decrease the stress to your shins, knees, hip and back.  It is a low impact but effective workout as it uses more muscle groups than regular walking.

Walking with poles is an ideal workout for athletes, seniors, and even folks with balance issues like M.S. or Parkinson’s.  Get an okay from your doctor and join a group.  People may gawk a bit but soon they will be jealous when they see you doing something that is fun, cool, and good for you.

Resistive Pedal Exercisers for Seniors

The Resistive Pedal Exercisers, which looks like the bottom pedal portion of a bicycle, is ideal for a senior who is trying to break into an exercise program without spending a lot of money on traditional exercise equipment.  The Pedal Exerciser is designed for those of you who may have a hard time sitting on a regular bike and can be used from a regular chair or a wheelchair.

The Pedal Exerciser is a good piece of equipment for cardiovascular fitness and increases circulation without jarring your joints.  You can exercise from your arm chair and it is great for improving circulation in your arms or your legs.  You set and lock the settings and pedal as hard as you like whenever and wherever you want.  The Exerciser is compact, portable and can be set at various tensions.  (www.wisdomking.com/product198327.html).

A more sophisticated model is a Motorized OxyCyle Pedal Exerciser.  Some of who are more into gadgetry may like this one a little better, but simply because it is more fun when you get display readouts and the like.  This small, portable machine can be used like a regular upright bike, a recumbent bike or on a table for upper body conditioning. (www.activeforever.com/pc-992-2-motorized-oxycycle-pedal-exerciser.aspx).

Snowshoeing For Seniors

Winter is here! You can either opt to stay indoors for the season or you can join a group for some fun outdoor activities.  Parade Magazine (Seattle Times, November 26, 2006) author Michael O’Shea writes about snowshoeing as being winters answer for those of you who like to hike.  Snowshoeing is the fastest growing winter sport and it is popular with the senior set. My husband and I started out alpine skiing many years ago, and later switched to cross country skiing, but of the three disciplines snowshoeing has become our favorite. There is nothing quite as beautiful as walking in the mountains on a clear winter day.

Snowshoeing is easy.  After just a brief introduction by your leader (or you can just figure it out by yourself), you will be ready to experience the joy of a snowy winter day.  No pressure and no huge commitment to do anything except enjoy yourself.  Chances are, your local senior center will be offering group outings, with hikes ranging from beginner to moderate levels.  These outings include transportation and a guide to help you get started.

Snowshoeing is a low-impact aerobic activity that works all of your muscle groups and burns more than 600 calories an hour (it is a little bit more strenuous than just walking, but you are having such a good time that you hardly notice).

If you can put one foot in front of the other you can snowshoe.  The shoes no longer look like tennis rackets and are quite compact (streamlined and lighter weight).  They come in three basic types: for recreational hiking (that is for us), for aerobics/fitness use, and for serious hiking/backpacking.  Poles are optional, depending on if you want to work your arms, shoulders and back for an upper body workout at the same time.  Dress in layers because you will generate a lot of body heat as you walk along, but you don’t want to get cold either.  Tips to remember:  Take a hat, tissues, lunch, plenty of water, layered clothes, sunscreen and sunglasses.

Endurance Training for Seniors

We might as well round off our fitness series by discussing endurance.  Endurance is a combination of aerobic capacity, cardiopulmonary performance and stamina.   Big words you say?  What it means is that whether you are training for a big race, walking your dog, or learning how to use that new walker (at any age) it is endurance that makes it possible to do what you want to do for as long as you want to do it.  These wise words are from Marilyn Moffat who wrote Age-Defying Fitness just for you.  You may have already noticed that as you age you have to work harder to maintain the status quo, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t hang in there.

Raising your endurance level will make it easier to work on your stamina, balance, strength and flexibility.  There are two types of endurance: muscular endurance that allows you to do things like climbing a flight of stairs, and cardiovascular endurance which enables your lungs, heart, and circulatory system function efficiently so that you won’t get short of breath or excessively fatigued as you go about your daily activities.

Your doctor and your physical therapist will teach you how to monitor your heart rate and figure out what your target (optimal) heart rate is. Your heart rate is a reflection of how hard your heart is working (and yes, even folks who have had a heart attack do endurance training).  Your heart and lung functions decline because of age related changes, disease processes and little or no exercise, but you can help yourself by embarking on an endurance program.

Over time, aerobic conditioning will improve the performance of your heart, circulation and lungs.  Endurance training will include walking (jogging, running, skating) depending on your base level of fitness. Other suggestions include: bicycling, jumping rope, water jogging and aerobic exercise classes, stepping, skiing, rowing or a circuit program (the sky is the limit here, find something that you love and just do it).

Source:  Age-Defying Fitness by Marilyn Moffat, PT, PhD, FAPTA and Carole B. Lewis, PT, PhD, FAPTA (2006)

Strength Training for Seniors

Weight Lifting! You can’t be serious!  I can hear you now.  I am serious.  According to Marilyn Moffat (PT, PhD, FAPTA) in her book Age-Defying Fitness and others, strength training can safely increase mobility for people of all ages.  Strength training is safe, but be sure to have a physical examination and the blessings of your doctor and your physical therapist before embarking on a strength training program.

Strong muscles help you move easily and function normally.  You can gain strength and muscle size throughout your life.  We aren’t talking about “six pack” abs here, we are talking about increasing muscle mass so that you can lift, climb stairs, get out of a chair and pick up your grandchild…we are talking about activities of daily living.

Between the ages of 30 and 80, most people experience a decline in physical strength.  This means that you have to do more to maintain and increase your strength as you get older.  As tasks like walking, climbing and lifting get more difficult the natural tendency is to conserve your energy by not doing them.  The result is that you gradually become weaker.  This is not a good thing if you want to maintain a healthy active lifestyle.

You cannot, at any age, take your strength for granted.  It is important to do a little more each day in order to fight off increasing weakness.  Physical fitness becomes a full time job.  You can retire from your “day job”, but you can’t retire from health maintenance or you will be in big trouble.

Your muscles can continue to serve you well despite advancing age.  You don’t have to accept and live with weakness.  Research shows that people of all ages, on individualized exercise programs, can experience increases in strength.

Strength can be affected by a number of conditions, including disease, inactivity, or failure to exercise properly.   When you get older you can’t just go to the gym and start “pumping iron”.  First you will need to consult your physician and a physical therapist, because the last thing you want to do is injure yourself.  Insurance companies are big on health maintenance these days and they will be happy to point you in the right direction at little or no cost. 

Source:  Age-Defying Fitness by Marilyn Moffat, PT, PhD, FAPTA and Carole B. Lewis, PT, PhD, FAPTA (2006)