Don't settle.... for short expectations.

    When I was a little girl, I used to worry about getting old, because I knew I would no longer be able to speak English. After all, everyone I knew over the age of fifty spoke broken English with a heavy Eastern European accent. In my four year old mind, it was a logical conclusion that this was a natural part of aging. I once asked my mother what I would do when I was a Baba and couldn't speak English anymore. She laughed so hard she couldn't speak. Uh-oh, perhaps it was already happening to her. Sad, because she still looked so young.

    It's a funny story, but the point is that we sometimes get predetermined ideas about the aging process, and we think that we have to sit back and accept certain inevitable changes. Sometimes these expectations are silly, like I had when I was a child. But sometimes, these expectations may cause us to be resigned to certain changes, especially when they come from experts. 

    I recently read an article that proclaimed getting shorter was a natural part of the aging process. According to the article, this shrinking begins at age thirty, and we lose one half to three quarters of an inch each decade after that. Along with this disheartening news came the laundry list of projected health problems that we can look forward to related to our height loss and the aging process, including bone loss, osteoporosis, decreased balance and fractures. The list also included heart and digestive problems, related to the increased pressure put on internal organs as a result of the flexed posture that comes with aging. Yikes!

    But these dire predictions aren't inevitable. You can prevent the loss of height by staying active and doing practices that help stretch your spine and improve your posture. Activities such as dance, yoga, tai chi and my personal favorites, Pilates and Feldenkrais, will help you stay strong and supple as you get older. As you add birthdays, you do not have to settle for subtracting inches, simply because the experts told you that's what you can expect.

    I have always been a planner and a problem solver. Even as a very small child, I thought about taking English lessons as I got older so I would still be able to speak the language. I have also always been a talker, and the idea that people wouldn't understand me was simply intolerable. Here I am, well into middle age, and I still have a fairly good command of the English language. I'm also the same height that I was in college. But according to the article I should  be an inch and a half to two inches shorter by now.

    So, instead of settling for what the experts tell us is sure to happen, I have another idea. Let's prove the experts wrong, and show them what graceful aging looks like. Let's do what we can to keep our spines (and ourselves) long, strong, fit and flexible. After all, why in the world would we settle for less, when we simply don't have to?

Be healthy!
Cheryl Ilov, PT, GCFP

The balance challenge continues....

     So, what would happen if you did fall? How would you respond? What would you do? I remember skiing with my father and my husband about 20 years ago. My father (who was an excellent skier as well as a martial artist) took a very bad tumble.  My husband witnessed the fall, and quickly skied up to him to offer assistance. My Dad was laughing as he got up, and my husband was stunned that he wasn't hurt. He said, "George, you fell like a 30 year old!"  And he got up again like a 30 year old. At the time, my father was in his early 60's.

     My Dad knew how to fall. Most of us do not, which leads us to develop a fear of falling. After all, most of our activities as adults are performed in an upright posture: standing, walking, running, dancing, sitting, etc.  As a result, we lose our connection with the ground, we don't trust our balance, and we also lose the  flexibility (both physically and emotionally) to get back up. So, what can we do about it?

       1) First of all, spend more time on the floor. Get down on the floor at least once a day and just lie comfortably for a few minutes. Allow yourself to get familiar with the floor and how it supports you. Try rolling side to side. Explore rolling to one side and gently spiral up to sitting. Play with crawling around the floor, and just notice what it feels like to be on the ground.

       2) Practice getting down and up from the floor. Don't make it a big deal, just play with it a little bit. Notice how you choose to do this. How can you make it easier, more comfortable and less effort? Let the floor be your friend, your teacher and your guide. Don't be in a hurry to get up, but play with different movement patterns to get down and up from the floor.

     3) Practice controlled falling. For this activity I highly recommend getting assistance from a Physical Therapist or Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner. If you have ever considered taking a martial art class, perhaps now is the time. The practice of falling, rolling, and getting back up is a huge part of the training. Some martial arts such as Tai Chi is an excellent way to connect with the floor and improve standing balance and is offered in many senior centers and well worth looking into.

    If you currently have balance problems, a neurological condition, history of falls or osteoporosis, do not attempt these exercises, but do consult with a licensed physical therapist for assistance.

    Remember, at some time in our lives, we all fall: physically, emotionally, spiritually. Having the confidence that we know how to land is crucial to being able to get back up again.

                     
       My Dad at age 77, skiing with the confidence of someone who knows how to fall. And get back up.

 Be healthy!

Balance, perturbations, and neuroplasticity....

    A lot of people are concerned about losing their balance and have a fear of falling. So, what can we do to  improve our balance? Let's start with some basic exercises in standing.

    1) Single leg standing:

       Stand in front of a counter top or other stable surface. Gently place your hands on the counter top for safety. Lift one foot off of the floor so you are standing on one leg. Don't rest the lifted leg on the standing leg, just let hang relaxed in the air. You can lift your hands off of the counter, but it's there if you need it to steady yourself. See if you can balance on one leg for 30-60 seconds.You may feel your ankle or hip wobble a bit, but that's fine....you are actually training the nerve endings (proprioceptors) in your feet, ankles, knees and hips how to adjust to maintain your balance. Don't look down at the floor; instead, keep your head up and look staight ahead.  Hold for 30-60 seconds. Stop. Repeat on the other leg.

    2) Progressing single leg standing:
    
         Once you are able to maintain your balance on one leg for a duration of 30-60 seconds and it feels easy, place a small pillow under your standing foot. This adds a "perturbation" into the challenge of balance, because now your standing surface is less stable. As a result, the nerve endings have to work harder to adjust to the changing environment (neuroplasticity). Hold for 30-60 seconds. Stop. Repeat on the other leg. Once this is easy, add another pillow under the standing (supporting) leg. This further decreases the stability of your standing surfaces and gives more information to your nervous system about balance.

    3) Adding more perturbations:

        If you choose to further challenge your balance, you will need a partner. Stand with both feet on the floor and have your partner gently push you. Be nice to each other! The purpose is not to knock each other over, but to gently perturb your partner's standing balance. Try pushing from different angles and directions. This gives your partner different messages into their nervous system for the purpose further challenging and fine tuning their sense of balance.

    If you currently have balance issues, a neurological condition, a history of falls or osteoporosis, don't attempt these exercises. Consult with a licensed physical therapist or Certified Feldenkrais(R) Practitioner for assistance.  

    Here is Giovanni practicing his balance, perturbations and neuroplasticity while his buddy Bruno offers encouragement. Giovanni was unable to stand or walk after being diagnosed with a neurological disorder. After 6 weeks of balance training, Giovanni was standing, walking, running and even jumping on the bed, much to his delight!

Be healthy!

From fear of falling to fearless falling.

    Most of us are afraid of falling, especially as we get older. Why is that? Of course, we don't want to get hurt, and many of us either know someone or have heard of someone falling and experiencing long term injuries. But it doesn't have to be that way.

    As babies and small children, we lived, played and crawled on the floor. As we grew, we continued to frequently get down on the floor. The occasional spills we experienced were no big deal, and we would bounce back up and be off on our next adventure. But as adults, we keep ourselves upright. We stand, walk, sit in chairs and lose our intimate relationship with the ground. As a result, we develop a fear and distrust of the ground, of our ability to fall safely (yes, there is such a thing) and gracefully get back up.

    My last hiking trip to the mountains included maneuvering through glacier fields. It was a challenge going up, and in the back of my mind I was a little concerned about the trip down, knowing that it would be a slippery descent. I, myself, have never been a huge fan of falling and used to avoid it at all costs. Oh, well. I was already pretty far up the trail, so I knew I would have to figure a way to get down.

    It was interesting to observe some of the other hikers and the strategies that they were choosing to get down the mountain. One group of teenagers took a running start and then slid down the glaciers as if they were skiing on their sneakers. An interesting technique, considering the huge rocks, large trees, sharp drops into the canyon as well as the fact that most of them were carrying large, pointed sticks for balance. I envisioned a few trips to the ER.

    One woman chose to walk behind her husband, holding onto his waist for support. She was bent forward with her center of gravity behind her base of support, staring at the ground, tentatively and cautiously placing her foot on the snow with each shaky step.  I watched her fall twice, once with her husband hanging on to her arm. I was more concerned about him dislocating her shoulder as he tried to "help" her than her injuring herself with the fall. Another family had 2 small girls that looked terrified as their Dad tied a rope around their waists. Yikes! What if Dad was the one to fall and take the little ones down with him?

    Without even thinking, I found my strategy. I set my weight down into my pelvis, lowered my center of gravity directly over my base of support, kept my upper body flexible and shifted my weight side to side. I quickly and confidently scampered down the mountain. Even if I did fall, I intuitively knew that I would not get hurt. My center of gravity was so low and close to the ground that I didn't have far to fall. Of course, I have the advantage of having studied a martial art where we learn how to fall. I also have the advantage of spending a great deal of time on the floor with my Feldenkrais practice. As a result, I am no longer afraid of falling, and am able to trust my instincts to know how to land without getting hurt.

    The physical therapist, Feldenkrais practitioner, teacher and ultimate caretaker in me was tempted to teach the other hikers how to safely get down the mountain. But the truth is, we all fall; literally and figuratively. Life often pulls the rug out from underneath us and we go tumbling down. It's up to each one of us to develop a strategy that not only allows us to fall safely, but also to be able to get back up again. We can hold onto someone else, and hope that they can support us as we fall, without causing more damage than the actual fall itself. We can tie ourselves to someone else, and hope that they themselves don't fall and take us crashing down with them. We can throw ourselves down a slippery slope littered with dangerous obstacles and hope for the best, and that somehow we will survive.  Or, we can figure out a safe way to fall, take care of ourselves, and get back up again.

    Recently someone asked me "Who catches you when you fall?" My answer was immediate and honest: "No one. I learned how to fall so I don't get hurt".

Be Healthy!
Cheryl Ilov, PT, GCFP