Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down

It is not uncommon to see little (and not-so-little) children fall down. While they may cry for a little bit, most of the time there are only minor “boo-boos.” As we age, however, falling can become a much more serious matter. About 36 million people over the age of 65 report falling each year with 3 million resulting in trips to the Emergency Room. Falls can result in fractures, sprains, bruises, or worse; the healing process for older adults is longer and more arduous than in our younger years.

An article in June, 2023 issue of AARP Bulletin, “How the Pros Fall Safely,” discusses the best way to avoid injury when we are going down. The article is not on-line yet, but it is worth getting a copy of the print edition. There are different strategies depending on whether it is a sideways, forward, or backward fall.

In a sideways fall, bend the knees, tuck in the chin, and lift the head. Keep arms close to the chest and go limp; collapse onto the outside of your bottom thigh, then roll backwards onto the torso and upper back. This protects the head from injury, keeps hands and wrists from breaking, and results in landing on the most padded part of the body, safeguarding the hip.

In a backward fall, stumble backward (rather than just going straight back) while tucking in the chin into the chest and trying to get the body (especially the rear end) close to the ground. Bend the knees into a deep squat so you land on your rear end. Round the spine and roll onto the back and shoulders. Keep your arms at your sides. As in the sideways fall, fragile bones are protected while landing on a padded area of the body.

In a forward fall, go limp, bend the knees to one side, tuck the chin into the chest, keeping the head tilted away from the ground. Try to land on the outside of the thigh. When you hit the ground, keep the momentum going and role onto the side of your torso and upper back. Try to curl your body as much as possible. Again, bones are more protected this way.

Once you are on the ground, do not get up immediately, but rather assess the situation. It is natural to want to pop right up to avoid embarassment, but if there is a broken bone this can make things worse.

As a personal trainer for older adults, I spend a fair amount of time and energy with clients trying to prevent falls. If one should happen, though, these simple pointers can make a difference: “relax, go limp,” tuck the chin in and keep the head off the ground, land where the most padding is.

Be careful out there!

Gardening as a Workout?

In my previous home, I enjoyed having a vegetable garden–especially when my kids were younger and they could see and join in the process of growing some of our own food. My new home is surrounded by many mature trees and is situated in such a way that there is not a whole lot of direct sunlight necessary for this kind of gardening. Although vegetables may be out of the question, I have gotten into annual and perennial flowers that are hardy enough to flourish in our mostly shady area. Suddenly, I know the names of many kinds of plants and flowers; I enjoy choosing varieties that will bloom at different times or thoughout the warmer months, providing a pop of color.

One of the side benefits of gardening for me is that it is relaxing. I enjoy tending to the plants and watering when necessary. My current fascination is watching my new clematis climbing a trellis and blooming with bold purple flowers. I feel like I am in the Garden of Eden in my backyard–even though I live in a condo development and there are other homes on either side and behind us. Still, it is a kind of a haven for me.

A recent article from CNN, discusses a new trend: gardening as workout. Some personal trainers are even recommending gardening for their clients. I have several clients who garden (one in her 90s!) and it does provide a measure of physical activity. Here is a short list of tasks which demand some exertion: carrying watering cans, digging in the soil, trimming or pruning trees and bushes, lifting bags of potting soil, raking debris, and mowing the lawn–even if it is a power mower. The article goes into some detail about the benefits as well as warning about where to be cautious. Gardeners should warm up before starting work (just as you would for any other exercise), and newbies should start out slow and then move to more grandiose gardens. What concerns me most with my clients is that they use proper posture and form, like lifting from the legs and evenly distributing weight when carrying objects.

The article seems to suggest that gardening could replace “going to the gym,” but I think this is a little far-fetched. In some climates where vegetables and plants grow all year that might work, but in the northern climes this activity may only last 5-6 months. There needs to be a plan for the rest of the year.

My two take-aways are that gardening is a great way to engage in physical activity, and that the benefits go beyond just the physical. So if you will excuse me, I must go check on my begonias….

Embracing Aging

A recent article in The Cleveland Jewish News by columnist Regina Brett was so good that I felt I had to share it. I do not usually post an article and ask you to read it, but here we are!

The above quote kind of sums it up. The only thing that I would add is that accepting aging does not mean that we should not do our best to keep ourselves healthy and in shape. In fact, the opposite is true; taking control of our futures in our senior years a key element of embracing the aging process. I know it is a part of my plan and those of my clients as well.

Turning 60

A friend of mine who is VERY close in age to me recently turned 60. He posted an article from WebMD.com about what we can expect during the upcoming decade. What follows is the (mostly) depressing list:

Most people in this decade report that they are actually happy! There is a bell curve and most sexagenarians are still near the top.
Cancer diagnoses rise in this age category; make sure to get your scans!
40% of Americans in their 60s have some kind of hearing loss, and yet only 20% of people who could benefit from hearing aids actually wear them.
Weight slowly increases. I have blogged about this before; our metabolism does not slow, but rather our eating habits get worse and we exercise and move less as we age.
Skin changes. It thins out and gets visible lines; make sure to wear that sunscreen and moisturize!
Heart disease; the mid-60s are prime time for heart failure, strokes, and heart attack. Maintain a healthy diet, stay smoke-free, and exercise to prevent these issues.
Cognitive decline. Our ability to learn new things becomes more challenging, but long-term memories, knowledge, and wisdom generally stay with us. Keep active and play brain games.
Vision issues. By age 65 about 1/3 of us have some kind of eye disease. Make sure to have regular check-ups since pain is not usually associated with eye problems.
Bones and Joints do not work as they used to. Keeping active and doing resistance exercises can help bone strength. Talk to your PCP about supplements that might also help.
Sleep quality decreases. Our bodies produce less melatonin naturally which regulates our sleep. Supplements can help, and physicians can also prescribe safe sleep aids that allow our bodies to rest and regenerate.
Blood pressure can become and issue. Years of fat build-up in our blood vessels can raise blood pressure; the vessels can also harden. Monitor this regularly as hypertension can lead to other issues.
Incontinence can become a nuisance. The bladder is not as elastic as it once was; this can lead to more frequent urination and the need to use the bathroom in the middle of the night (see #10). There are strategies to help this and a doctor is your best resource.
Immunity decreases as the body’s production of germ-destroying T-Cells comes to an end. This makes it all the more important to get immunized; pneumonia and shingles can become new concerns for those in their 60s.
Our oral health can be challenged. About 30% of those over 65 have dry mouth. The risk of oral cancer also increases 4-fold from when we are in our 40s. Make sure to have regular visits with your dentist.

This all seems pretty overwhelming, but the news is not all bad. Everything on the list can be controlled or prevented with good diet, exercise, rest, and regular health and dental check-ups. Our “golden years,” do not need to be a slow (or fast) descent into decrepitude. This is precisely why I do the work that I do. I help my clients–and myself–lived the best lives possible from a fitness perspective.

Wishing all my fellow sexagenarians good health and fitness!

What’s Your Goal?

This is one of the first questions that I ask new clients in our intake meetings. It is interesting to note that some people have a pretty clear idea of why they want to begin an exercise program. Some are preparing for an upcoming trip and want to be able to participate fully in all the planned activities; others sense that their mobility has decreased (it is harder to walk or go up stairs) and they want to do something about it; grandparents wanting to keep up with their grandchildren is also a big reason. At the same time, there are those who have given little thought to the question. They may have received personal training sessions as a gift, been “forced” into it by their children, or read that it might be a good thing to do.

I do not just ask this question at our intake meeting, but also at regular intervals. As clients progress, it is important to understand that their needs and goals may shift. When I first began working with a personal trainer in my late 30s, I did it because I wanted to look better. Later on, I was more motivated to be able to achieve challenges I had set for myself like finishing a 5K or a half-marathon. As I am about to turn 60, my goal is to continue to do the things that I enjoy most without worrying that I will not be physically capable of handling it. I expect that in five or ten years my goals will shift again.

Having goals is important. Without a “destination,” there is no way to chart a path. To extend the metaphor, sometimes just getting on the road and driving without a plan is enjoyable–but it is not the best strategy if you have to get to Omaha by Friday! The same is true with fitness and, more generally, with our lives. Goals help keep us motivated. They can keep us on track. They can also be unhealthy if they are unrealistic; we need to be willing to adjust as warranted.

I love to travel. My wife and I, along with my twin sister and her husband, just completed a two-week vacation in South America. It included horseback riding in the Andes of Argentina, walking and climbing stairs along the Iguassu Falls in Brazil, and hiking in the Galapagos Islands. What an amazing adventure, and what a great feeling to feel up to it (even in Quito where the air is thin). It was reasurring as well to learn that I was not the oldest one in some of our group activities. I was inspired to see that taking care of one’s health and fitness can help to ensure that we are able to do what we love better and longer.

We usually think of New Year’s as a time for goal-setting. The truth is that we can do it any time of the year. Why wait? Set some goals, get a plan, and then put it into action!

Free Weights or Machines?

A lot has been written over the years about which is better overall: using free weights (dumbbells, barbells, kettle-bells, etc.) or weight machines? As we age, there are special considerations that can help us best answer the question. A recent article in IDEA Fitness Journal gives a good summary of the issues as well as recommendations.

Free weights have some advantages. If you do not belong to a gym, it is much easier and cost-effective to have dumbbells at home; this is the case with most of my clients. In general, exercises with free weights more closely resemble the kinds of activities we do on a regular basis like picking up bags of groceries, putting boxes on a shelf, or carrying suitcases. Because the machine does not do all the thinking for you, free weights require better form and more coordination. On the one hand that is a good thing because it replicates real life situations, but it can also result in injuries due to poor form or too much weight.

Weight machines also have advantages. Most have instructions right on the side telling you exactly how to do the exercise and what body parts will be affected. As long as you follow the instructions, it is difficult to get hurt on a machine. If you belong to a gym, there will be lots of machines and many opportunities to add more weight to the exercise to increase the degree of difficulty; with free weights, you have to go buy more equipment.

From a fitness standpoint, recent research indicates that both kinds of exercises are effective in different ways. For those looking to increase muscular strength, machines seem to be a bit more beneficial. For those looking to improve functional performance, free weights are better. The truth is that most older adults are looking to do both! As in many things in life, a combination of both is recommended for those who have access to free weights and machines and know how to use both safely. The guidance of a fitness professional can help to ensure that this requirement is met.

Most imporantly, make sure that resistance training is a part of your fitness regimen. Cardio is amazing, but we can raise our fitness and functional levels most when we include weights as part of the program.

Let’s Talk About TED

For the next installment of my journey through Long-Haul COVID brain fog, let’s have a TED talk talk! TED talks began in 1984 with a conference on Technology, Entertainment, and Design. The first video of a TED talk went on-line about 17 years ago and the topics have expanded to include science, business, education, arts, and important issues facing the world. They range in length from under 5 minutes to well over one hour.

Over the years, I had seen a few TED talks that made their way onto my social media feed or that had otherwise been recommended by family or friends. A couple of months ago the speech therapist I was seeing to help with my brain fog suggested I start watching the videos as a way to help my brain. I was to aim to watch one video each day and take notes; the next day I was to try to recall as much as I could. If I was able to hit 75% recollection on a regular basis, I could move on to podcasts which are almost entirely audio-only. (I am not there yet.) This exercise was to help with my auditory processing; the continuing exercises would sharpen my listening skills and attention to details. This was to go hand-in-hand with the brain games I am also doing daily that I blogged about earlier.

What I really enjoy about the TED talks is that I can choose the topics and the length depending on the time I have available and what interests me at the time. Sometimes I will choose something that does not really interest me just to see if I can expand my horizons. Neuroscientists have long reported that the brain is plastic, ie., that is capable of change at any age. We can build new neural pathways during our entire lifespan. One of the ways that we do that is by learning new things. It could be a new hobby like playing guitar, taking a class at a local university, or even just watching a brief video. The best part about TED talks is that one can watch for free–although there is an upgraded membership–and nearly every day there is something new to watch.

I do find that I am able to recall quite a bit the next day. I know that I will have to graduate to podcasts soon…but I have the feeling that I will continue to watch my TED talks even after graduation. It never hurts to learn something new every day. In fact, it helps keep the brain healthier and more capable.

Looking to Grow (?)

What do most older adults want to achieve as we age? Yes, we want to have financial security, but the biggest concern is that we do not want to suffer from physical and cognitive ailments. It is no secret to readers of my blog that physcial activity helps to ensure both physical and brain health. Working with older adults is rewarding because I am able to see the progress my clients make that allows them to live life more fully.

I am looking to grow my business for just this reason. Of course, I want At Home Senior Fitness to be successful from a financial standpoint, but I know that there many people out there who could benefit from the services we offer. They just do not know about us yet, or they think that there is no one out there who understands them and their particular circumstances. To try to reach out more, I am expanding into social media to help get the word out.

If you are interested in your own personal growth or know someone who is, check out our instagram account or our FaceBook page. These are updated on a regular basis and share the latest that is going on–even some great pictures of my clients doing their workouts! As always, more info is available at my website, or you can email me at michael@athomeseniorfitness.net.

Let’s help each other grow!

Report from the IDEA Personal Trainer Institute

Last week I had the opportunity to participate in the IDEA Personal Trainer Institute. For the record, I did not see this guy there…and if I did, I might have run in the other direction!

This was my third time at the PTI–and the second since the pandemic necessitated two years of on-line sessions. There is an interesting mix of personal trainers at the conference; I seem to recall that the first time I went in 2019 there were a lot less “senior” trainers. Now it looks like we are almost a majority! I think that many older adults who have worked out with personal trainers in the past decided that they would get certification during the pandemic. In any case, it definitely reflects a shift in perceptions about what personal trainers do; it is not all about training elite athletes and well-to-do clients.

The theme of the conference (two years running now) is Train with Purpose. I am not exactly sure what that means, but I will give it a shot. It challenges us to look beyond athleticism and to focus on what we can do to make peoples’ lives better. This is especially true for those of us who work with older adults. A few of my clients are looking to tone up or participate in competitive events, but most are either trying to build or maintain muscle strength, mobility, flexibility, and balance. It is less about prowess on the playing field and appearances, and more about being able to live the lives we want with courage and confidence. This is part of what motivates me.

This year I took four courses: 1. shoulder health and posture, 2. pricing and programming, 3. how to overcome mind traps in building business, and 3. adaptive fitness–working with individuals with disabilities. I was able to learn something in each of the classes. Every month I also do continuing education in order to maintain my certifications. Of course, I do it for the credits, but I find that more often than not I learn valuable insights to bring back to the work that I do with my clients.

I look forward to next year’s conference. The learning never ends. And that helps make me a trainer with purpose!

Does Your Brain Have Time for a Quickie?

Almost two years ago, I blogged about the benefits of shorter workouts. Studies show that short bursts of activity have positive effects on one’s physical health; this is good news for those who do not necessarily have a lot of time in their day to exercise, but who might have smaller chunks of time throughout the day. Getting up from a desk or couch and engaging in moderate physical activity can still have a positive effect.

New research was reported on this week that not only can Quickie workouts have physical benefits, but they can also improve our brain health. A study at the Institute of Sport, Exercise, and Health at University College London found that people who spent even smaller amounts of time (6-9 minutes) in vigorous activity each day had higher cognition scores compared to those who did not. Vigorous activity was defined as aerobic dancing, jogging, running, swimming and biking up a hill–activities that boost heart rate and breathing. The researchers looked at how this affected participants’ short-term memory, problem-solving, and processing skills.

This is just one more important piece of research that proves how important exercise is–and reinforces the connection between physical activity and brain health. Although there are some brain games and other activities that help build brain health, the single biggest factor in improving cognition is physical activity; the more we exercise, the more blood our hearts pump to the cells keeping them properly nourished and doing their jobs. Of course, this includes all those cells in the brain.

In upcoming blog posts, I will explore this further and talk about ways that brain health can be boosted further by exercises that combine both physical and cognitive tasks.

Until then, get up off the couch–even if it is for less than 10 minutes–and get moving! Your body and your brain will thank you.