SKILL
Bicep Curl

WORK OUT
March in place 5 minutes
10 Bent Forward Flies, 10 Side Hip Raises, 10 Overhead Presses, 10 Knee Curls
Repeat

CHALLENGE
Tummy Tuck

BALANCE
One-legged Stork

STRETCH
Walk 10 minutes
Chest and arm / Hamstring-Calf / Quadriceps / Neck, upper back, and shoulder

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Your body has its own wisdom and will tell you what it needs

If the above scenario sounds like you, you are probably a woman and you have probably gone through menopause.

Research has looked at the relationship between sleep and aging, and experts find that individuals who sleep an average of 7 to 9 hours a night have the longest life expectancy. Basically we are designed to spend a third of our lives sound asleep.  Sadly, however, nearly half of us are not getting enough sleep, and this can lead to attention and memory problems, muscle soreness, and can exacerbate psychological stress.

 There are several contributing factors to why older adults tend to have trouble sleeping.  Many older adults take medications that can affect sleep habits.  Stress, depression and anxiety are other things that can play a role in sleep patterns.  A sedentary lifestyle, and illness also can contribute to poor sleep habits.

 While over-the-counter sleep aids can help for short-term problems, many experts have agreed that a better solution is to incorporate lifestyle changes to help you sleep better.  Some of the following suggestions have proven helpful in getting a better night’s sleep: 

 Change your sleep schedule – If you find you are falling asleep earlier, allow yourself to do just that.  Don’t fight your new natural patterns.  Also avoid napping in the middle of the day.  This will make you less tired during the night. 

Get some exercise during the day – Studies show that exercising, even light exercise has many benefits for older adults, including better sleeping habits.  Don’t exercise too close to bedtime though, as this can interfere with sleep.  

Create a peaceful sleep environment.  Make it dark and quiet and not too hot.  If you can’t block out noise, try a sound machine.  Remove computers, papers and anything else that reminds you of work.  If you keep your phone in your bedroom, make sure the light from the phone is not visible.  Take everything except your covers off your bed.  Buy a lavender scented pillow.  

Relax before bed, and incorporate some relaxing rituals – drink warm milk or non-caffeinated tea, listen to soft music, take a warm bath or soak your feet in warm water, do some gentle stretches or meditate.  Exchange back rubs or foot rubs with your partner. 

Change your eating and drinking habits – If you are hungry at night after dinner, eat only a light snack.  Also, try to eliminate caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and excess sugars in your diet. 

 Keep a pad next to your bed.  If you wake up in the middle of the night with some nagging thought or something you want to remember to do, write it down and then stop thinking about it.  Empty your mind and let yourself fall back to sleep. 

Try listening to a guided visualization tape while you are going to sleep.  A best selling one to try is Healthful Sleep by Belleruth Naparstek.  You can order this through healthjourneys at 1-800-800-8661 or www.healthjourneys.com 

Waking up early and being unable to get back to sleep before your body has gotten a full night’s rest is a symptom of insomnia.  Other symptoms include taking more than 45 minutes to get to sleep, waking up many times throughout the night, and waking up feeling tired.  If you suspect you might have insomnia, you should think about contacting your doctor. 

Try to follow a few of these suggestions, and see if you can sleep a little later into each morning.  Soon you could be on a new schedule that will leave you feeling rested, energized, and ready to face your day!

Begin to think about your relationship with your physician as a 2-way partnership, with you clearly stating problems, worries, or desires; your  doctor offering his/her expertise and experience; then both of you making decisions about treatment or next steps. 

Here are some ways you can begin to assert yourself and get the most out of your health care system:

1.  Call before Your Appointment – Ask if the doctor is running late.  If it is a routine appointment, and you do not want to wait, consider rescheduling. 

2.    Create a Health Care Journal – Turn a 3-ring binder into your health care journal.  Consider the following sections: Provider visits (record questions, answers, next steps from each visit),  Lab work results, Medications (list current /discontinued meds, prescription and over-the-counter, including vitamins, list dates meds were started and discontinued, dosages, frequency, Procedures, Treatments, Surgeries, Immunizations, Medical diary (keep track of how you are feeling, chart blood pressure, blood sugar readings, or anything else applicable to your conditions), Conditions, Diagnoses

3.  Prepare for the Visit – Write down and prioritize any issues you wish to discuss.  Bring your note book.  Don’t be embarrassed sharing any information with your doctor, such as sexual issues, depression, incontinence.  Really, if you can’t talk to your doctor about these issues, who can you talk to?!  If you are really uncomfortable, maybe you have the wrong doctor. 

4.  Focus and Use your Time Wisely During the Visit – If you use a wheel chair, walker or cane, give yourself extra time to get there.  Make sure you have glasses, hearing aids etc.  Be organized, be clear, listen well, take notes or better yet, have someone with you to take notes. 

Dr. Wayne Saltsman, Chairman of the Department of Geriatric Medicine at Lahey Clinic in Burlington Massachusetts, says an older adult should never go to a medical appointment without someone with them.  They usually take in only about 10% of what is being said at the visit. 

5.  Be Assertive and Ask Questions – If you don’t understand what your doctor is recommending, ask questions until you are clear.  It is ok to ask, why a particular medication is being prescribed, if there is a less expensive alternative, whether a certain procedure or treatment is necessary, and what would happen if you did not do anything. 

You have the right to know exactly what your choices are.  If you run out of time, and there are other patients waiting to be seen, see if the doctor can call you at the end of his day to finish the discussion.  If not, reschedule another appointment.  If you are still uncomfortable with your doctor’s recommendation, seek a second opinion.  Don’t go to another doctor within his practice, travel to the next town if necessary.  If this upsets your doctor, find a new one. 

6.  Be Prepared to Follow Through – Once you thoroughly understand the options and have chosen a course of action, set up a plan to follow through.  Take the medications as ordered, get the necessary lab tests, show up for the scheduled treatments, follow the prescribed diet or exercise plan. 

As we said earlier, this is a partnership; it is your job to comply in order to get the best results.

Warm up

March in place 5 minutes

Stretch arms overhead – 4 stretches each side

Walk 5 minutes

Knee Extension

Walk 10 minutes; take a deep breath each minute while walking.

10 Side Arm Raises, 10 Lunges on each leg, 10 Shoulder Shrugs, 10 Side Hip Raises

Repeat

Walk 10 minutes; take a deep breath each minute while walking.

Floor Back Extension   

Rock and Roll

Chest and arm / Hamstring-Calf / Quadriceps / Neck, upper back, and shoulder

Walk 10 minutes; take a deep breath each minute while walking.

When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.

_John Ruskin

Warm up

Walk 10 minutes

Arm lifts – 6 times

Squats

Walk 10 minutes

10 Shoulder Shrugs with Hand Weights, 10 Wall Squats, 10 Back Extensions, 5 Standing Forward Lunges with each leg

Repeat

Walk 10 minutes

Do as many seated press ups as you can

Posture Perfect

Chest and arm / Hamstring-Calf / Quadriceps / Neck, upper back, and shoulder

Start taking control now; what are you waiting for.

Warm up

March in place 5 minutes

Toe Stands

Finger Marching

Walk 10 minutes

Side Hip Raise

March in place 5 minutes

10 Bent Forward Flies, 10 Side Hip Raises, 10 Overhead Presses, 10 Knee Curls

Repeat

Tummy Tuck

One-legged Stork

Walk 10 minutes

Chest and arm / Hamstring-Calf / Quadriceps / Neck, upper back, and shoulder

Age with attitude; grow old with dignity and vitality.

Warm up

Take a brisk 15 minute walk

Overhead Press

Walk 5 minutes; walking on tip toes when you can (walk next to a wall, so you can hold on for balance if you need to).

10 Bicep Curls, 10 Squats, 10 Overhead Presses, 10 Knee Curls

Repeat

March, thighs straight out from hip, knee bent, for 2 minutes; count 1 for each leg lift.   

Hip twist

Chest and arm / Hamstring-Calf / Quadriceps / Neck, upper back, and shoulder

Walk 10 minutes; take a deep breath each minute while walking.

Eat until you are only eight parts full.

Focusing on breathing while doing yoga poses improves balance and coordination, helps improve blood flow, extends joints’ range of motion, and eases tight muscles, making it less likely that you will injure yourself or fall during everyday activities.  An added bonus: Yoga’s slow stretches combined with deep breathing exercises may help relieve stress. 

Yoga has been shown to help people with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) in that it helps strengthen their respiratory muscles, giving them control over breathlessness.  A comprehensive yoga program can have a salutary effect on general health and respiratory health, and can thereby help increase a person’s ability to perform activities of daily living. COPD is known to increase the level of stress, emotional vulnerability, inactivity and muscle wasting. Yoga techniques are particularly suited for promoting relaxation, psycho-emotional stability and exercise tolerance.

You can get started on your own with guidance from a book, magazine or DVD, but signing up for a class may be your best bet – especially if you are a beginner.  Instructors can teach you how to hold and move your body correctly while using soft yoga blocks, blankets and other props to support your body and make poses more comfortable.  They can also offer reassurance that keeps you motivated and coming to class.

Senior centers, adults schools, health clubs, and of course, yoga schools offer classes or people of all ages.  But not all yoga classes are alike, so ask before you sign up.  For example, Ashtanga yoga involves vigorous athletic movements, while Iyengar yoga emphasizes more mental focus while using props like chairs and blocks to help align your body properly.  Hatha yoga emphasizes breathing and stretching which is a great choice for beginners.  There are also chair yoga classes, if you have physical limitations.  You will still be able to improve your flexibility, mobility and balance by performing poses in a chair.

Although yoga is generally safe for healthy older adults, it’s a good idea to talk with your doctor before beginning.

Tai Chi is a unique combination of flowing movements and quiet meditation, based on Chinese philosophies that advocate for health, vitality and longevity.  Researchers are now discovering that this ancient art form has the power to significantly improve quality of life – physically, mentally and spiritually.  In a growing body of clinical trials, scientists are finding this is especially true for older adults.  Studies have shown that Tai Chi can help seniors with everything from their balance and blood pressure to their sleeping, strength and ability to handle pain.  Even more profound for many older adults is the deepened sense of spirituality and relaxation they say they gain from the exercise.  Many people are confused and think that Tai Chi has a religious connotation, when it really is a form of physical activity and relaxation.

Master Yang, a Tai Chi expert who has been researching its benefits among seniors as a doctoral candidate at the University of Illinois, states that “Tai Chi is simple to learn, low-impact, provides a range of movements to gradually improve, doesn’t need any equipment and can be practiced anywhere.”  Yang goes on to say, “It offers a broad scope of benefits, including feelings of tranquility and happiness.”  By improving participant’s balance, lower body muscle strength and flexibility, Tai Chi can help older adults reduce their risk of falling.

One of the practices of Tai Chi is to bring participants into the present moment and help them learn to relax and focus their mind and body.

Traditional Tai Chi practice includes three major components:

• Qi Gong, which is the quiet, meditative component done standing or sitting.  Participants learn to relax their bodies, breathe deeply and release their worries and tension.
• Tai Chi Forms, which are a set of choreographed slow, flowing movements.  Participants improve their postural control and balance, flexibility, coordination, agility, strength, sensitivity, reaction time and confidence.
• Push-Hands, which is two-person balance, strength and reaction training, is not typically used with older adults.

“Tai Chi is not just physical – there’s also a mind-body component,” explained Tricia Yu, director of Tai Chi Health, Madison, WI.  “You focus on what you are doing at the time, with a peaceful, accepting perspective.  It’s about coming into the present moment.”

Some quotes from older adults who learned Tai Chi from Master Yang:

“To learn something when you are in your late 70s that you can use for however long you happen to live…what greater gift could you expect?”

“I feel more upbeat… more optimistic… I’m more hopeful.  I upped my lifespan from 80 to 100.  How’s that?!”

“When I talk to people, I say, I’ve started Tai Chi, and it’s changed my life.”

Warm up

Walk 10 minutes

Shoulder rolls – 6 times each way

Wrist curl

Walk 10 minutes

10 Biceps curls, 10 Squats, 10 Overhead presses, 10 Knee extensions

Repeat

Walk 10 minutes

Pelvic tilt

Tandem walk

Chest and arm / Hamstring-Calf / Quadriceps / Neck, upper back, and shoulder

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.
– Mark Twain