SFL welcomes today’s guest blogger, Kathleen Wood, Columbia SC, an NASM certified personal trainer. Her passion is working with and training seniors and fragile clients. Her free weekly newsletter on healthy living is Palmetto Fitness Focus.

Nothing strikes fear in the hearts of seniors (and those who care about seniors) like the word “FALL.”

Perhaps it’s the knowledge that a fall can end your ability to live alone, or at least temporarily make you dependant on someone else. Not being able to get up can also affect the grandma who desperately wants to play with the grandbaby on the floor, but knows what goes down must get up and that isn’t pretty – but it can be pretty painful!

It is critical for seniors to be physically and functionally strong. Strengthening your leg muscles will keep you from dragging your toes and tripping. Strong legs lift you up stairs, and get you up off the floor when playing with the little ones. Strong arms will allow you to hold on tight, push or pull yourself up if you do find the floor unexpectedly.

Get strong:
1. Sit to Stand – In a gym, we call it a squat. All a squat is, is sitting slowly (no plopping!), then stand up without using your arms to push. A wide foot stance will give you better balance. Lean forward so you can see your toes before standing up.
2. Push-ups – No, not the traditional down-on-the-floor kind. Put your hands on the wall to begin with, and push your body away from the wall. Progress to the kitchen counter. This will strengthen your upper body.

Falling can happen because of a lack of balance, reaction, and /or strength. Know what? We live in an unstable world. Our world is full of bumpy ground, uneven pavement, rugs with toe-catching edges, stones in the path and steps. It was there in our younger years, too. Perhaps our eyesight was better and we saw it and adjusted for it. More likely it has to do with our ability to react to the stimuli we encounter. When a young person steps on the pavement edge, the foot sends the message to the brain to shift weight to self-correct much quicker. Also, young people find it play to challenge their balance. We are less likely to practice balance as we age, but we should.

Train for balance:
1. Stand on one foot. You may need your hands near or on a stable surface. Find a fixed focus point to look at. Next, brush your teeth or talk on the phone on one foot. How long can you hold?
2. Straddle a straight line on the floor. Stand on one foot and hold 2 seconds, then shift and stand on the other foot. When this is easy, hop one foot to the other.

These might seem like simple exercises, but they can keep you healthy and safe from a fall for years to come.

-Kathleen Wood