Physical screening to improve balance

The first step to take before beginning any kind of balance training program is to have a complete physical evaluation by your family physician. Be sure it is safe for you to begin an exercise program. Talk to your doctor about what kind of exercise is right for you, and then do it regularly. Exercise makes you stronger and improves your balance!

Ask your family physician for a referral to a Physical Therapist who will be able to do a thorough evaluation of your strength, range of motion, and balance in order to set up an individualized program to correct any deficits and help improve your balance.

Join a fitness club and continue with this program once you have completed your instruction with the Physical Therapist. Sometimes the Physical Therapist can accompany you to the fitness club and train you on the specific machines that are best suited for you, and techniques that help you avoid injury. Or you can work with a Personal Trainer, a Certified Senior Strength Trainer, or a knowledgeable employee at the fitness center.

Have your hearing checked. Many balance issues can be attributed to inner ear dysfunction.

Have your blood pressure checked regularly.

Have your vision checked and make sure your eyeglasses or contact lens prescription is up to date and appropriate. It goes without saying that your depth perception can influence how you move your body through space. Have you ever tried going downstairs with your reading glasses on and suddenly everything looked blurry or out of focus?

Have your feet checked for decreased sensation or feeling. Be mindful of a diabetic condition called neuropathy. This is not only painful, but can definitely interfere with your balance.

Be aware of any other disease processes that may affect your balance, as well as changes in mental status or activity level.

Have your pharmacist or your doctor review your current medications for side effects and drug interactions that may result in conditions such as drowsiness or dizziness.

Better balance: an important issue for retirees

As we age, our balance is affected (and not in a good way!) by several factors. Gravity takes its toll on our posture, as does sitting at a computer or in a recliner chair for most of the day. Poor posture causes our spine to be out of alignment which therefore affects our balance. Loss of flexibility and strength also contribute to a decline in the body’s responses to situations in which balance is challenged. Decreased circulation can negatively influence the brain’s ability to recover from loss of balance. Declining sensory input such as hearing, vision, and sensation are additional factors that contribute to falls. Muscles that are deconditioned from inactivity are less efficient in preventing falls.
The good news is, that many of these physical and neurological losses can be compensated for. Other factors that can help us avoid falls have to do with how we manage our physical environment.
As a Certified Senior Strength Trainer and specializing in age-associated issues, I would like to offer some helpful suggestions in my next several blogs. Some are aimed at basic home safety, while others include exercises and balance drills.
As always, before beginning any kind of exercise program, be sure you have cleared this with your family physician. And if you want to try some of the balance activities, be sure you have someone to spot you, or are in an area where you can be safe while performing them.

Add more "bling" to your walking program

As mentioned in a previous blog, using walking poles can increase the amount of calories burned by using the upper body. Another way to accomplish this is by carrying hand weights, or wearing cuff weights, and exaggerating your arm swing. While this does not give you the advantage of reducing force on your joints, it does work the triceps, biceps, and shoulder muscles. Stronger muscles use more calories, and this calorie-b. urning effect tends to last even while you’re at rest. As a Certified Senior Strength Trainer, I have reviewed a lot of literature that has made me a believer in strength training. What a great idea to add this component to a walking program!

Another way to maximize energy expended and therefore burn more calories while walking is to examine your gait pattern. Try to lengthen your stride, and reach out with your heel, so it is the first part of your foot to hit the ground. Then roll forward onto the front of your foot and concentrate on lifting off with your toes. Make sure you bend your knees, and strive for a fluid leg motion instead of short, choppy strides with straightened legs. We practice this very fluid, slow walking in Tai Chi for balance class as a warm-up exercise, concentrating on using every muscle in the foot.

To really monitor your activity level, you may want to get a heart rate monitor. This way you will not exceed the fat burning zone, and especially if you are just starting an exercise program, you will not be stressing out your heart too much. It will also ensure that you are walking fast enough to get some aerobic workout. A very simplified formula is to take 220 minus your age, and multiply that by .6. If you are reading this blog, I assume you are a retiree, and perhaps 60 years old. This would mean your target heart rate would be about 96 beats per minute. If you are 70 years old, .6 of 150 is a targer heart rate of around 90.

As always, it is important to consult your Primary Care Physician before beginning a walking program.