7 Strategies to Renew Your Health

I often hear others comment, “It’s too late to make a change now. I’m too old!” Worse yet, so many people actually believe that, but I don’t! I believe that it is never too late to change. You are never too old or out of shape to make improvements and renew your life. Being healthy and aging well is not a single choice to be made once and then never re-visited. It is a series of constant choices that add up to a way of living and constant renewal.

Aging well encompasses all of the following aspects of our being: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. It also includes the community around us. This year, choose to make small consistent choices to renew these areas of your life. This will make all of the difference in aging well. Each person’s physical journey as he/she ages is different. Taking consistent and appropriate action now can vastly change future outcomes.

7 Strategies to Renew Your Health: 

Walk more!

Walking is one of the most fundamental activities we perform as humans. Research is very clear that frequent movements (like walking) are the key to avoiding many chronic conditions. Walking lowers your risk of Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. It can lower blood sugar levels when performed directly after meals. Elevated blood sugar levels are a major contributing factor to excessive internal inflammation which is associated with most chronic illnesses. Walking can also be an essential component in psychological well-being. Walking as exercise and generally walking more during the day should be considered the first line defense in slowing the aging process and maintaining functional independence.

Embrace fashion.

The first step in adopting a new healthy behavior is to envision and feel what it would be like as if you had already adopted that new behavior. This allows your brain an opportunity to already feel what it would be like to make a change without fully doing so. This can be very motivating. Investing in gadgets or new work out attire, including new walking shoes, can be both motivating and fun. Get in the mindset of adopting the new behavior. Envision how you will look and feel once you have made the changes. Then go for it!

Take control.

There is nothing more important than your health. You have control over most of the aspects in your life that affect your health and well-being. Take charge, and empower yourself. You must be your greatest advocate. Western medicine is designed to keep you alive, not to help you thrive. Taking a passive role in your health is not a wise choice in America’s current health care environment. Only you are responsible for your health. Decisions now will determine how successful you age in the future.

Make the decision.

Research on willpower has shown that it is a finite resource. We actually use up our willpower during the day and have to replenish it daily. This is why you are more likely to “fall off the wagon” later in the day rather than earlier. Decide on the change and commit to the decision. Then implement structure to your day that causes the behavior to be more automatic. Therefore, eliminating the need to rely solely on willpower.

Maintain your strength.

Although all muscle fibers decline some as you age, the fast twitch (Type II) fibers show the most declines. Some loss of strength is anticipated as you age. Losing strength to the point of complete debility or loss of mobility and independence is not a normal aging process.

Strength training is a critical component to maintaining and growing additional Type II muscle fibers. The stronger you are, the more resistant to injury you are. You are more likely to maintain proper functional mobility. Also, strengthening of the core area (the abdominals and back extensors) helps to manage low back pain.

Perform high intensity training (HIT).

The research on the effectiveness of HIT continues to grow. Even more impressive are the findings that HIT can be safely performed at any age and with almost every medical condition. It is now even being implemented in many progressive Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Programs, where people are recovering from all kinds of cardiac and pulmonary disorders such as COPD, heart attacks, and heart valve replacements.

Perform your cardio activity in short bursts (ranging from 30-60 seconds at a time) followed by a one to two minute recovery. The 30-60 seconds should be at a high intensity, meaning your rate of perceived exertion (RPE) is high. You should be breathing heavy. Accommodations can be made for almost any type of medical condition. For example, HIT may be performed while using a stationary bicycle, an upper body only bicycle, a rowing machine or in the pool. You can also walk uphill at a quick pace, then stop and rest. The point is to get your heart rate up, and then bring it back down for a full recovery prior to repeating.

If you feel unsure as to how to safely perform this type of training, please seek the help of a competent cardiopulmonary trained physical therapist or exercise physiologist.

Get started!

Make 2022 your year to renew your commitment to make the necessary changes that will empower you to age well. Most importantly, just get started! It’s never too late to maximize your health and well-being in 2022 by implementing these 7 strategies.

Which strategy can you implement in order to age well in 2022? Please leave your comments below.

Thank you for supporting The Physical Therapy Advisor! I look forward to serving you in 2022! If you have a question that you would like featured in an upcoming blog post, please comment below or submit your question to contact@thePhysicalTherapyAdvisor.com. In case you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to my e-mail list and YouTube channel as well as join our community on Facebook by liking The Physical Therapy Advisor!

A Year in Review: 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic and the events of the past two years have impacted all of us. Through this hardship, we have learned the importance of working together and being proactive in taking control of our own health and well-being. Working together and supporting one another makes taking the necessary steps to age well easier and more fulfilling. Being proactive is a key component to aging well.

The purpose of The Physical Therapy Advisor is to help people like you to take control of your health and to save money by learning how to safely self-treat and manage common musculoskeletal, neurological, and mobility related conditions safely and effectively.

A recap of my top 3 posts that resonated with you the most in 2021 include:

Fitness Exercise Won’t Help Your Low Back Pain – With so many active individuals and crazy fitness trends you would think that all of this exercise would actually help reduce low back pain, right? Wrong…It turns out that not all exercise (and especially, not all “core” exercise) is created equally. Learn how to safely self-treat your low back pain through movement and exercise as well as some helpful methods for a speedy recovery.

Want Stronger Hips? Do This – Learn how to perform a unique and advanced exercise designed to specifically strengthen your hip and lower leg in order to address common muscles imbalances found in the hip musculature. In this video post, I demonstrate a different version of the monster walk using an assistance band. This is an excellent exercise for hip strengthening.

How to Fix a Crack in your Heel – Worrying about a crack in the skin of your heel might seem a bit odd since cracks are quite common. However, they are painful and can become infected so they need to be taken seriously. Discover the risk factors for a cracked heel and how to self-treat it.

As 2021 comes to a close, more and more people are realizing the value of taking control of their health care and personal well-being. In today’s health care environment, we all need to learn how to treat common aches and pains proactively instead of reactively. We must truly focus on health and wellness care for ourselves, loved ones, and friends. Together we all can age well.

Thank you for supporting The Physical Therapy Advisor! I look forward to serving you in 2022! If you have a question that you would like featured in an upcoming blog post, please comment below or submit your question to contact@thePhysicalTherapyAdvisor.com. In case you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to my e-mail list and YouTube channel as well as join our community on Facebook by liking The Physical Therapy Advisor!

Autoimmune Disorders: What Impedes Recovery

Autoimmune disease is becoming increasingly more prevalent. Although the exact reasons for this increase are unknown, it’s likely multifactorial. Physical therapy has been important for a long time in managing autoimmune conditions such as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) that have an obvious orthopaedic impact. However, physical therapists must also understand how other autoimmune disorders (such as Crohn’s Disease, Leaky Gut Syndrome, Celiac Disease, and Ulcerative Colitis) can directly and indirectly impact the plan of care and treatment recommendations.

From a physical therapy standpoint, understanding all types of autoimmune disorders and how they impact nutrient absorption is critical to positive physical therapy outcomes for any musculoskeletal diagnosis.

The following video is a portion of a lecture created for the New Hampshire American Physical Therapy Association (NHAPTA). Kim Steinbarger, PT, MHS, DHSc Candidate and I discuss the role of physical therapy in managing autoimmune disorders and how autoimmune disorders can directly and indirectly impact physical therapy treatment plans. This lecture was specifically for rehabilitation professionals, but it contains important information for anyone impacted by autoimmune disease.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH NOW

If you or a loved one need help managing an autoimmune disease, please contact your local physical therapist for an assessment. The American Physical Therapy Association offers a wonderful resource to help find a physical therapist in your area.

Have you or a loved one been impacted by an autoimmune disease? Please share below. 

If you have a question that you would like featured in an upcoming blog post, please comment below or submit your question to contact@thePhysicalTherapyAdvisor.com. In case you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to my e-mail list and YouTube channel as well as join our community on Facebook by liking The Physical Therapy Advisor!

A Year in Review: 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic and the events of 2020 have impacted all of us. Through this hardship, we have learned the importance of working together and being proactive in taking control of our own health and well-being. Working together and supporting one another makes taking the necessary steps to age well easier and more fulfilling. Being proactive is a key component to aging well.

The purpose of The Physical Therapy Advisor is to help people like you to take control of your health and to save money by learning how to safely self-treat and manage common musculoskeletal, neurological, and mobility related conditions safely and effectively.

A recap of my top 3 posts that resonated with you the most in 2020 include:

The Clamshell: A “go to” Exercise for Treating Foot, Hip, and Knee Pain – The clamshell exercise is a commonly prescribed exercise designed to target the hip abductors and hip external rotators. However, this exercise is often performed incorrectly or ineffectively. In this video post, I demonstrate my preferred method of performing the clamshell exercise in order to insure optimal effectiveness.

3 Easy Exercises to eliminate Wrist and Elbow Pain – In this video post, I describe three easy exercises to help you quickly eliminate pain in your hand, wrist, and elbow. I demonstrate two simple stretches with an easy variation to improve their efficacy and teach you how to easily improve your hand and wrist strength using a simple rubber band.

How to Improve your Recovery from Injury, Illness or Surgery – In this guest post for Smart Strategies For Successful Living, I share two basic reasons why nutrients are not getting to the injured area. There is either a nutrient delivery problem (which includes proper intake) or there is a nutrient absorption problem. This may be affecting your ability to physically recover from injury, illness or surgery.

As 2020 comes to a close, more and more people are realizing the value of taking control of their health care and personal well-being. In today’s health care environment, we all need to learn how to treat common aches and pains proactively instead of reactively. We must truly focus on health and wellness care for ourselves, loved ones, and friends. Together we all can age well.

Thank you for supporting The Physical Therapy Advisor! I look forward to serving you in 2021! If you have a question that you would like featured in an upcoming blog post, please comment below or submit your question to contact@thePhysicalTherapyAdvisor.com. In case you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to my e-mail list and YouTube channel as well as join our community on Facebook by liking The Physical Therapy Advisor!

Good can be Great

Have you ever heard the following saying? “Don’t let great be the enemy of good.” We can often fall into this trap when considering our heath and aging successfully. If we can’t do something perfectly, then we just don’t do it.

However, this is exactly the wrong type of thinking. Successful aging is a worthy goal for all of us to strive toward. To be successful in the aging process, great initiative is necessary as we are solely responsible for our health.

Each person’s journey will be different. It’s not just about the destination. The journey is an evolving process. There will be starts and stops, ups and downs, and twists and turns. Focus on being consistent and making better choices. You don’t have to be perfect…Good can be great! As you make choices in your journey, focus on habits that over time will lead to successful aging.

5 Habits to Help You on your Journey to Aging Well: 

Walk Daily 

A walking routine can help you to manage each of these critical components to successful aging including: physical health; mental health; emotional health; community; and finances (particularly, if leading a healthy lifestyle helps you to avoid the ever growing costs of health care).

Walking has many benefits including:

  • Lowers the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
  • Lowers your risk of cancer, including breast cancer.
  • Improves circulation and blood flow to the entire body.
  • Releases stress reducing hormones.
  • Releases hormones that can control blood sugar levels for up to 24 hours. This helps to reduce your risk of diabetes while keeping your energy levels stable throughout the day.
  • Keeps your mind sharp and reduces your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
  • Boosts your immune system.
  • Improves sleep quality.

Maintain your Strength

Strength training is critical as you age. All muscle fibers show some decline as we age although the fast twitch (Type II) fibers show the most decline. Strength training is a critical component to maintaining and strengthening Type II muscle fibers. The stronger you are, the more resistant to injury you will be. Most importantly, you must maintain adequate strength to insure the ability to be independently mobile.

Maintain your Balance

Balance is critical to safe mobility. Assuming you have the strength to be mobile; you must also have adequate balance to be safe when moving around. Without adequate balance, you increase your risk of falling or injury.

Focus on your Mental Health 

Regardless of age, it’s important to remain engaged and mentally sharp through constant and varied mental stimulation. This means stay engaged by turning off the television and playing a game or reading a book instead. Better yet, join a book club so you can discuss your latest read with friends.

Other activities to keep mentally challenged include taking an online course, learning how to paint or play a musical instrument. Challenge yourself.

Proper nutrition and exercise also have an impact on your mental health and can help to prevent depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia.

If you are hard of hearing, get appropriate help. Research has shown that a loss of hearing has a direct correlation to isolation, depression, dementia, and mental decline.

Focus on your Emotional Health

Active engagement in your community is a critical part of successful aging. People find community in a variety of ways including family, friends, church, civic organizations or volunteer projects. Others may choose to continue to work.

Remember to share the love. Research clearly notes that those who are more loving and caring tend to live longer and healthier. Be generous with the knowledge and wisdom that you have acquired throughout the years. Love others and purposefully share that love.

Research also validates the importance of friendship in living a long and meaningful life. Many argue that a sense of belonging and purpose combined with a strong social support system will have more influence on the aging process than more traditional factors such as diet, weight control, and exercise.

The importance of having strong meaningful friendships cannot be understated. Research continues to validate that friendship is a key to longevity and avoiding heart disease.

There are many aspects to healthy aging. Maintaining psychosocial support and friendships along with independent mobility and cardiovascular health are key components that can insure you’re living a successful purposeful life. Each person’s journey is different and unique.  We are all capable of successfully aging if we take the initiative and are intentional about the process.

Trying to make something great can actually prevent us from making it just good. Instead of pushing yourself to something impossible and getting nowhere, accept good. You are in control of your journey, so enjoy the ride!

This article appeared on Smart Strategies for Successful Living:

https://www.agegracefullyamerica.com/good-can-be-great/

It’s Up to You to Manage Your Health

Being proactive about your health has never been more important. The health care system in the United States is set up brilliantly to prevent you from dying and for maximizing profits of all parties involved. In fact, the United States spends more money by a wide margin than any other country on health care. Our health care system is set up to keep us from dying, not thriving. Our average life span barely makes it in the top 30 when compared to other nations.

As it stands now, the American health care system is poorly equipped to help us maximize our health span. Health span is defined as a period of time in which a person is generally healthy and free from serious disease. It’s up to you to manage your health and maximize your health span.

As health care costs in America continue to increase without actual positive change in our health status as consumers, our overall health delivery system continues to be strained. Medical professionals are being over burdened by daunting rules and regulations that limit patient care. There are rules that prevent creative personalized solutions because of “standard of practice” rules.

Thankfully, there are more consumer driven options to maximize health through novel self-quantification strategies. These individually designed options can help you to maximize your health.

  • Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is a type of medical testthat identifies changes in chromosomes, genes or proteins. The results of a genetic test can confirm or rule out a suspected genetic condition or help determine your chance of developing or passing on a genetic
  • Microbiome testing allows for individualized supplementation protocols in order to address unique epigenetic factors that can help you to maximize your health span while avoiding disease.
  • Concierge medical services enables you to have a long term relationship with a physician (who is dedicated to a small number of clients) in order to help you to prevent disease and manage health concerns early.

It’s imperative that we take a leadership role in our own health care by continuing to be proactive.

Image courtesy of Unsplash.

Top Reasons Why You should Manage Your Health:

Money – Health care is expensive. Many of the most common treatments and fancy diagnostic methods are not necessary. Costs are only going to rise more in the future. As this occurs, it will be even more important to be able to take care of the simple common place injuries and illnesses. It will save you a lot of time and money!  Benjamin Franklin was right: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Empowerment – There is nothing more important than your health. You have control of most of the aspects in your life that affect your health status. Taking care of yourself and your health needs leads to a sense of empowerment. Understanding your body and your health is liberating and empowering. Our ability to understand our own unique body has never been more possible.

Improved Care – If you understand how to be healthy and take care of yourself, you will be able to assist your medical practitioner in making the best decision on how to manage your care. Remember, it is your body and your health. By being your own advocate, you can insure that you receive quality care. Knowing yourself is the best way to insure the healthcare you receive is appropriate for you as a unique individual.

Quicker Recovery Time – Often by taking out the middle man, you can help to increase the speed of recovery.  You can address the condition and help your body to initiate the healing response to insure a faster recovery.

Emergency Situations – You never know when an emergency, such as a motor vehicle accident, inclement weather or pandemic, may occur. You may experience an injury or illness during a camping trip when resources are a far distance away. In the event of an emergency situation, you will be knowledgeable and equipped to take care of yourself and your loved ones. The healthcare system may not actually be accessible when you need it. (If necessary, please seek appropriate medical assistance as soon as possible.)

Healthy Living – Take the time to focus on your health. Often, small changes in your diet, activity level, and relationships can make a big difference. You can take control of your health and your life! Don’t underestimate what leading a healthy lifestyle can really do for you as you look to improve your overall health span.

Western medicine is designed to keep you alive, not to help you thrive. Taking a passive role in your health is not a wise choice in America’s current health care environment. Only YOU are responsible for your health. Decisions now will determine how successful you age in the future.

There is nothing more important than your health. You must be in control and manage your own health. You have control over most of the aspects in your life that affect your health and well-being. Take charge, and empower yourself. You must be your greatest advocate. Don’t delegate the most important job of taking care of yourself and your health and well-being!

This article first appeared on Smart Strategies for Successful Living: https://www.agegracefullyamerica.com/manage-your-health/

Balance: What Is It and How to Improve It

Balance is so important–particularly as we age. We are concerned about balance because we are concerned about falling (and we should be). Falling is the number one cause of hip fracture. Nearly 20% of all hip fractures in the elderly will result in death within the first year, and 50% of people will never regain their prior level of function.

Poor balance and the fear of falling are the primary reasons for declining mobility and can ultimately affect how well you age. Lack of mobility leads to further decline including: worsening balance; worsening arthritis and pain; and negative effects on diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis. It generally leads to a declining quality of life.  Mobility is an important element of life. The worse one’s balance becomes, the more difficult it is to be mobile.

Understanding Balance

Balance is primarily affected by five different body systems working in combination with each other:

  1. Muscle Strength and Boney Stability – In general, we have to have the strength and bone structure to actually hold ourselves upright. If we don’t have this, the other aspects of balance don’t mean much. Consider a baby or someone with paralysis. Without adequate strength or if you have a severe fracture, you are unable to balance.
  2. Somatosensory – This is the integration of the neurological system (including the brain and nerves throughout the body) with the musculoskeletal system. This includes all the touch and movement nerve receptors in the muscles, tendons, and joints. This also includes our ability to distinguish between hot and cold. One term you may be familiar with is proprioception. It’s a fancy word describing our brain’s ability to know where we are located in space. For example, if we close our eyes and lift our arms overhead, we know where our arms are located. A common problem affecting the somatosensory system is neuropathy. One very common form of neuropathy is from diabetes. Neuropathy is when the nerve cells (typically in the extremities like hands and feet) will die. This may be due to poor blood supply, trauma, infection, disease or even side effects from medication. The death of the nerve is the “neuropathy” which presents initially when a person may feel cramping, shooting or burning pain. Ultimately, it affects the one’s ability to feel sensations which causes numbness. Having numb feet makes it very difficult to balance!
  3. Eyesight – Humans are very eyesight dependent when it comes to balance. We rely heavily on our eyesight for mobility and to know where we are located in our environment. Have you ever tried closing your eyes when standing or been in a room that was so dark it was hard to tell which direction was up? Now imagine you have an eye condition such as glaucoma, cataracts or you wear bifocals. This affects your ability to see and your depth perception—ultimately, affecting your balance. Your eyesight is not just about the acuity at which you see, but is also important when you think of how you see. Gaze stabilization is how well you can stabilize a target in your field of vision. For example, can you stay focused on a moving object or can you move and keep the object in focus? Your eyes must be able to hold an object in focus or quickly move from one object to the next. Your eyesight is also interconnected with your vestibular system.
  4. Vestibular System – Our vestibular system is our inner ears. It provides us with information on head acceleration and gravity. It also works closely with our brains to process information on the head’s position in its environment. It helps us produce reflexes which affect our sense of equilibrium and our eyes’ ability to hold a gaze on a desired target. If you have ever experienced vertigo, then you understand how bad it feels when your vestibular system is malfunctioning. Like a child on the merry-go-round, this system may be fun to stimulate. The vestibular system is one of the more adaptable systems, and with practice, it can be improved.
  5. Central Nervous System – The brain is responsible for coordinating all of the information gathered by the body’s other systems. If the brain is damaged through trauma such as concussions, motor vehicle accidents, and war, then its ability to process information relating to balance could be affected. Another factor could be infections from virus, bacteria, fungal or a disease process such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.  Strokes or aneurisms can also affect balance. If you have been affected by any of these, treatment should be sought from a qualified medical practitioner.

The key to helping you improve balance is to understand why your balance is worsening in the first place. Balance is affected by any one or a combination of the body systems listed above.

In my video, Prevent Falls, Improve Balance, and Age Well, I address the five body systems that are responsible for helping us maintain balance in more detail and what can we do to improve them.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH NOW

Now that we understand some of the basic components to balance, it’s easy to understand why balance is so complicated, yet so important, and why it must be an area of focus. To effectively treat balance disorders, we have to determine what system or systems are leading to the deficits. That is usually the most difficult part.  If a person spends time evaluating why his/her balance has worsened, then an effective treatment program can be designed to address the issue.

For specific and practical approaches to improve balance in each of the five body systems, please refer to How Do I Improve Balance? (Part I) and How Do I Improve Balance? (Part II).

What is one area that you can focus on to improve your balance? Please share below.

If you have a question that you would like featured in an upcoming blog post, please comment below or submit your question to contact@thePhysicalTherapyAdvisor.com. In case you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to my e-mail list and YouTube channel as well as join our community on Facebook by liking The Physical Therapy Advisor!

Playing it SMART to outwit Dementia

Preventing dementia is a critical component in successful aging and a healthy lifestyle. Regardless of age, it’s never too early or late to fight against dementia. Dementia is not actually a specific disease. It’s a term used to describe a group of symptoms affecting a person’s memory or ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs). There are six basic ADLs: eating; bathing; dressing; toileting; transferring (walking); and continence.

At least two brain functions, such as memory loss and impaired judgement, need to be affected for a person to be diagnosed with dementia. A person may experience memory loss along with difficulty of performing ADL tasks such as how to cook or drive. Loss of memory only would not necessarily mean that a person has dementia. Although there are many potential causes of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia.

The good news is that the fight to prevent dementia may be easier and more fun than you might think. Combining healthy and fun activities is the smartest way to remain consistent with the behaviors that can help to prevent dementia. Continue reading for 7 tips on how to outwit dementia and cognitive decline.

5 Strategies to Improve Your Physical Resiliency

Why do some people age well while others do not?  The answer may in part lay in a person’s resiliency.  Resiliency is defined as an object’s ability to return to an original form or position after being bent, compressed or stretched.  When this definition is applied to a person, it gives us a clue as to why some people recover quickly after illness or injury.  This more scientific definition helps us understand why resiliency is nothing more than your own margin for error in life.  The greater margin for error you have, then the less likely something catastrophic will occur.  Continue Reading to discover 5 Strategies to Improve Your Physical Resiliency.

How to Improve your Recovery from Injury, Illness or Surgery

There are many reasons and factors that affect a person’s ability to heal and recover from an injury, illness or surgery. One of the most common reasons is poor nutrition. The healing tissue along with the body may not be receiving proper base components to actually heal. Poor nutrition can negatively impact how one heals from an injury or illness. Consuming the right foods can provide the proper nutrients for your body to fully heal and recover from an injury, illness or surgery. If you truly want to take all of the steps possible to improve your chance of recovery, then addressing nutritional needs and food quality is a must! Continue Reading