Millside Fitness Center Senior-Cise
By Beth Ranagan
DEXTER — One third of Americans over age 65 experience falls each year. That is astounding if you consider that falls result in 21,700 deaths, 734,000 hospitalizations and 2.5 million injuries treated in emergency rooms. Falls are the leading cause of injury death for seniors, and if death doesn’t occur the quality of life for an older adult can be significantly limited. Even if unhurt after a fall, fear of falling will impact a person’s approach to movement during daily activities, leaving them overly cautious. These facts come from the National Council on Aging (NCOA).
Throughout the country, physicians, therapists, fitness instructors and other interested stakeholders are working with individuals and state and local governments using NCOA’s 2015 Falls Prevention National Action Plan to teach folks how to prevent falls by improving community conditions and programs to achieve that goal.
On Sept. 4, the Skeleton Crew welcomed Marcy King, instructor and owner of the Millside Fitness Center, to speak on ways to prevent falls and to demonstrate exercises to improve balance and build muscle strength to move efficiently, maintain good posture and build bone density. She teaches seniors the requisite exercises in her senior-cise program, which meets once a week on Wednesdays from 8:30-9 a.m. As a lifelong resident of Dexter, King is interested in the community’s health and well-being.
King reported the following bodily changes in seniors that cause falls: (1) weakness in hips and legs, as a result of inactivity; (2) poor posture, as a result of spinal degeneration; (3) decreased ability to lift feet; (4) drug interactions; (5) poor vision; (6) and, blood pressure, particularly low blood pressure, which causes dizziness.
“Inactivity contributes to poor balance as well as weakened muscles,” King said. The prescription is to keep active. “Work on mobility and stability, and be mindful of your posture by standing with your feet comfortably apart, your core engaged with hips tucked under, and your shoulders back and down,” she recommended. Good posture helps balance.
Liz Breault asked about the role of flexibility in good balance. King responded that, of course, flexibility is important especially in the recovery of one’s balance when in the throes of a fall.
The senior-cise program includes basic, easy exercises to encourage more bodily activity for better balance and muscle strength. To improve balance, King suggested shifting your weight from side to side while standing. “Practice standing on one foot each for three seconds, at first using the support of the back of a chair,” she advised. While holding onto a chair, practice raising each leg first forward, then to the side and, then, to the back. “Heel to toe walking is helpful for gravity centeredness,” she explained.
Simple exercises for strengthening muscles of the lower body include toe stands and leg elevations in a seated position. King demonstrated that core strengthening exercises such as ab crunches, core twists, and arm circles can be done seated or standing. No floor exercises are recommended if an individual suffers vertigo or is unable to get down or up again from the floor.
With regard to building bone density, King reminded listeners that, “We must impact the earth or floor with our feet for the best result.” Simply walking on a regular basis and climbing stairs as necessary are helpful. Use of a treadmill works as well.
Other exercise programs are available at Millside Fitness that seniors might enjoy, such as yoga. The program changes quarterly with a new one slated for October. Anyone interested in participation can call King at the center at 924-7360 for a schedule of classes.
The Skeleton Crew is a community program dedicated to education and support for those with bone issues. Anyone is welcome. Meetings are on the first Friday of each month at noon at the Abbott Memorial Library. The next meeting on Oct. 2 will feature the Cambridge Bone Builders program with information and demonstration.