Relaxation Segment: We're All in This Together!

Cindy, a good friend of mine, e-mailed this story to me:

A mouse looked through a crack in the farmhouse wall to see the farmer and his wife take something out of a shopping bag.

"I hope it's something good to eat," the mouse thought. He was horrified to see that the bag contained a mousetrap!

Scurrying to the farmyard, the mouse squeaked this warning: "There's a mousetrap in the house! There's a mousetrap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, then raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern for you, but it's of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There's a mousetrap in the house! There's a mousetrap in the house!"

The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it. Be assured that my thoughts are with you."

The mouse turned to the cow and said, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The cow said, " I'm sorry to hear that, Mr. Mouse, but this sounds like your problem, not mine."

So the mouse returned to his house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap...Alone!

That very night, a sound was heard throughout the house-the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what had been caught. In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous snake whose tail was caught in the trap.

The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital.

When she returned home she still had a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup. So the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient: Chicken!

But his wife's sickness continued. Friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. But, alas, the farmer's wife did not get well...She died.

So many people came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for the funeral luncheon.

And the mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the farmhouse wall with great sadness.

Let's remember that we are all involved in this journey called life. Our lives are woven together for a reason!

"If you cannot lift the load off another's back, do not walk away. Try to lighten it." by Fran Tyger

Great moves with Tubes!

Elastic Tubes with Handles

Reminders:

1. No partner work with the tubes as differences in abilities could cause accidents.

2.Don't cue to have participants adjust length of tubes by wrapping it around their wrists or hands. Cue: Grasp along tube with a straight (neutral) wrist.

3. Please don't extend leg, with tube under foot, to do rows, etc., as tubes could easily roll off their foot and injure participant.

4. Remember to use the 10-second-rule for transitions: Plan your transitions so that they flow smoothly from one exercise to the next in 10 seconds or less.

5. Only use tubes with handles and check frequently for cracks in tubing.

Great moves:

1. Holding one handle in each hand (in front of the body)-bring R hand up, swing tube around head to the back of the body (Put coat on). L hand follows going around the head in the opposite direction and brings tube back to the front of the body (Take coat off). Repeat starting with the L hand.

2. With tube behind body, extend arms and hula hoop one direction and then the other.

3. Tubes around back and under arms. Holding the tubes in each hand (Can put *bracelet on): Give yourself a hug-raise R hand to triceps bend and extend (triceps extension). Repeat 8 - 12's. Hug yourself again and raise L hand to triceps bend and extend. Repeat 8-12 times.

As the instructor, remember to turn to the sides to demo triceps work so all can see the correct move.

4. Bow & Arrow: Put *bracelet on L hand. The R arm is out almost straight and R hand is holding the handle of the tube. The L hand grasps the tube- the closer you grab to the R handle, the harder it will be. (Both arms are up like you are about to shoot a bow and arrow.) Then pull tube back with the L arm, squeezing your shoulder blades together as you pull. Repeat 8-12x's and change sides.

5. Squats with tubes: Sit to place tubes under feet. Cross tubes and change hands, holding the tubes by the handles. Stand. Squat and as you stand, bring hands to hips. Relax hands as you squat-bring hands to hips as you stand. Modifications: They can uncross the tubes for an easier option or they can do the squats without the tubes.

6. Stand with tubes under feet. Hold one handle in each hand, palms facing body-pull handles up (like pulling on pants or overalls) and down. The wider the feet are apart, the harder this exercise is.

7. Stand with tubes under feet and one handle in each hand. Do alternating biceps curls, then both arms together. Can hold handles up (only go as far up as they can with a straight wrist) and pulse.

To be continued...

Please let me know if you have any questions about these exercises- It's so hard to describe an exercise without pictures!! Please share your exercises, too!

*"Putting bracelet on" refers to putting hand through the handle of the tube and then grasping the tube to adjust length. This helps to prevent the handles from swinging around.

The postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent SilverSneakers' positions, strategies, or opinions.

Too Sick to Workout?

Bob Greene shared the following information in his newsletter. His web site is: www.thebestlife.com. It has lots of good information.

Sick? When to Skip Your Workout

The start of the sneezin' season is officially upon us. Should you persist and head to the gym despite a runny nose and cough? Or should you skip it and let your body recover? Here's how to decide.

Locate your illness. It's usually fine to exercise when symptoms are above the neck-sniffles, a headache and nasal congestion are generally not serious enough to require time off. You may want to take a day or two off if symptoms are below the neck. And no matter what other symptoms you have or how you feel, if you have a temperature higher than 99 degrees, do not exercise. A fever is a sign that you're working hard to fight off an illness; exercise only increases the stress on your body.

Lighten up. Light exercise can help clear sinuses if you're stuffed and may give you a temporary respite from related symptoms, like coughing, sneezing and sore throat. Be sure to keep your intensity level low.

Work out when you're well. In one study done at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, people who exercised at a moderate pace for 40 minutes per day took half as many sick days due to sore throats as those who didn't exercise.

by Michael Scholtz, M.A., Best Life fitness expert

Great information!!

Move of the Day: Sitting in the chair with a small ball on R thigh, place R elbow on top of the ball. Press elbow into ball and "crunch" abdominals (take belly button to spine). It may help to raise R heel when you press elbow into ball. Do 8 to 12 reps. Next you can offer to have them move the ball to the L thigh, still using the R elbow and pressing elbow into ball. This works the obliques. Modification: Allow them to stay on the R thigh if this is too hard for them. Repeat on other side.

Relaxation Segment: Old Age

Some of us were lucky enough to attend the SilverSneakers workshops in Hampton, VA this weekend. Kym Gosman, our wonderful instructor, shared a poem with us during her relaxation segment. I had also heard Andi Kwapien share this poem. So many people requested a copy of it, that I decided to share it with all of you.

Old Age

The other day, a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, she was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would let her know my answer. Here it is:

Old age, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be.

Oh, not my body! I sometimes despair over my body...the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror, but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family, for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avant-garde on my patio. I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4am, and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 40's and 50's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love, I will. I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a lumpy body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the bikini set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years, my heart has been broken, but broken hearts are what gives us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray, and to have my youthful laughs forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

I can say "No" and mean it. I can say "Yes" and mean it, too. As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old! It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting over what could have been, or worrying about what will be. I will fully live every day that I am blessed with!

Author Unknown

Directions to the Hampton YMCA

We are holding trainings at the Hampton YMCA this weekend and some of you may know that getting there can be a little tricky! My GPS was not a big help! I entered the address: 1322 Lasalle Ave. Hampton, VA. My GPS took me on Interstate 64 to the LaSalle exit (265A) and told me to turn R and that the Y was on the L. Sure enough, I could see the Y! There was a traffic light with a left turn lane, so I turned left into a parking lot. I drove toward the Y and came to a fence. This sign was on the fence:

Yes, if you look closely you can see the Y! The sign gives you directions on how to actually get to the building.

It will tell you to go back out to LaSalle and turn R. Go under I64 and turn R onto N. Armistead Ave. You will immediately go under another underpass. Take the first R- Owen St. This street will take you into the Y parking lot. You have made it!!

Now, if you would like a little quicker route, here's what I suggest:

If you are using a GPS just enter the intersections of W. Mercury Blvd. and N. Armistead Ave. in Hampton, VA. Turn R onto N. Armistead Ave. Go about 3/4 mile and you will pass a Home Depot and I64. Go under the overpass and take the first R onto Owens St. This will lead you into the Y parking lot. Yeah!

Everyone else, if you are on I64 get off on the W. Mercury Blvd./US-258 N exit (Not toward the James River Bridge). You will go about a mile to N. Armistead Ave. and turn R. Go about 3/4 mile and you will pass a Home Depot and I64. Go under the overpass and take the first R onto Owens St. This will lead you into the Y parking lot. Success!

Now, if all this fails, here's the phone number to the Y: 757-722-9044. Good luck and I hope to see you soon! Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions. My address is: j.carroll@hughes.net.

Relaxation Segment: Keep Life Rich and Interesting!

A man I was dating, many years ago, invited me over to his high-rise apartment in downtown Denver. He was going to cook dinner for me. He prepared a roast and put it in the oven at a high temperature to sear it. Then he remembered something he had forgotten to get and said that he needed to walk across the street to the grocery store. He asked me to turn the oven temperature down in ten minutes and said he'd be right back.

Well, being ever vigilant, I decided to check the roast after about five minutes. When I opened the oven door, smoke poured out!!! The smoke caused the smoke alarm in the apartment to go off. I didn't know how to turn off the alarm, so I closed the oven and opened the windows. To my horror, I heard sirens approaching and saw fire trucks pull up. Surely they weren't here because of the smoke alarm, were they?

By this time, people were pouring out into the halls and sure enough - Here came the firemen!!

As the firemen approached, I knew that my fear was real and that they were, indeed, coming to his apartment! When they got to the door, I told them that it was just a roast. I heard disgusted people everywhere saying, "A roast!"

About this time, my date returned. He just shook his head and said, "I've only been gone for ten minutes!"

I was so embarrassed! Luckily, he saw the humor in what had happened. I'm sure it was a story he told many times over the years!

Have you ever had something like this happen? Something that seemed so bad but later was a favorite story to tell? Maybe you've gone through a hardship that gave your life new meaning.
Maybe something happened that made you feel like a failure but later you saw new opportunities arise. Each of these experiences are pieced together to make a beautiful handcrafted quilt that tells the story of your life.

May your life be filled with many different textures and vibrant colors to keep it rich and interesting!

Make Someone's Day!

I love this poem which Connie, from the Luter Family Y, shared with me. She received it from the Y of Cincinnati. It helped me to remember that we are seen as leaders where we teach and every person we come into contact with is important! Let's help them feel appreciated!

Pay it Forward

Take 5 pennies and place them in your right pocket.

That's where you'll want to begin.

Take one out each time that day,

You go above and beyond. It's easy to play!

To your left pocket that penny now goes.

Members are great, make sure everyone knows!

One at a time, right pocket to left.

Has someone walked in that you've not helped yet?

Use their names, make sure to smile.

It's easy to go that extra mile.

Warm up their coffee, ask about their dog.

Make sure they enjoy their afternoon jog.

Comfort their children, commend them with pride.

Stand when you great them, it's so rude to hide.

Give them direction, help them to see,

How awesome belonging to the Y can be!

Before you know it, 5 pennies are switched.

That seemed very easy, so what is the hitch?

It's easy to forget and get in routine.

There's more to our building than just being clean.

We care about members, we won't turn you away.

We help brighten your spirits when you've had a bad day.

We won't be judgemental if money is tight.

We work very hard to do what is right.

Without members to walk through the front doors each day,

The YMCA would soon turn very gray.

So what will it hurt to go out of your way.

Exceed at your job and "Make Someone's Day"!

Work on retention. Save cancels with ease.

You'll find it quite simple when you're eager to please!

Make your YMCA the best facility yet.

Use your 5 pennies so you will not forget!

Challenge your co-workers, get them to see

How cool changing lives can turn out to be.

Give them their own set of pennies to try.

Don't be afraid, spread the mission of the Y!

Get everyone to do it, what do you have to lose?

2010 is our year, now get up and move!

We know we're the best but we've got to prove why.

You can join anywhere, but you BELONG at a Y!

Isn't that a great reminder! I remember being new to *Virginia and going to a class at the Y. It was great to have someone notice me and know that I was new to class. Every one wants somewhere to belong!

*I'm not from Virginia, but I got here as soon as I could!

The postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent SilverSneakers' positions, strategies, or opinions.

"Heel Drops" Exercise to Help Strengthen Bones

Mary, one of the participants in my senior exercise class, suggested that I look at the web site: http://www.saveourbones.com/. Since she is a highly respected science writer, I decided it was worth checking out.

I was intrigued by a video on the site about an exercise to help prevent bone loss in the hips and in bones in general. I watched the video, which was very well done, but I still had a few questions. I found a few other sites about Dr. Bassey's "Heel Drop" exercise and even another video.

Here's what I learned:

1. The Save Our Bones web site shows three levels of the exercise: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.

2. The Save Our Bones video showed the exercise done with no shoes on - the other video showed it done with tennis shoes on.

3. It is recommended that you do 50 repetitions/6 days a week. They can be spread out throughout the day, if needed. Try to work up to doing them all at one time.

4. When this exercise was done for at least 5 months, with pre-menopausal women, it resulted in a 3% increase in bone mineral density which translates to at least a 15% reduction in fracture risk.

5. They did not see the same increase in bone mineral density in post-menopausal women, but they did see the bone mineral density stabilize, instead of continuing to decrease.

6. Each "Heel Drop" repetition is equal to the force of 3x's the person's body weight.

7. Dr. Bassey reported this information in the 1998 Journal of Bone Mineral Research.

8. This exercise should be started at pre-menopausal age, if possible, and continued for the rest of your life. Pre-menopause is the time to prevent bone loss.

Here's the exercise:

Heel Drops

Always warm up before doing this exercise.

 Stand behind a chair and hold on to make sure you are stable. Don't use the strength of your arms to propel you upwards - use your muscles. Keep knees slightly bent and make sure that when you land you keep the pressure on the back of the heels.

Standing behind the chair and holding on for support, rise up on your toes as high as possible and then let your heels drop forcefully back onto the floor. Repeat 50 x's.

This is the original exercise and that's all there is to it! You can look at the video to see the other two levels, if you want.

This would be great to share with all the other women we know! Please let me know if you have any questions. Also, let me know how it works for you and your class!

Note: As with any exercise program, if you are unsure if this exercise is right for you, check with your doctor. Also, remember, if it hurts, don't do it!!!

Improving Balance & Stability for Fall Prevention

Have you seen the SilverSneakers DVD: Balance & Stability for Fall Prevention? Deborah Redder is back with lots of new ideas to help us keep our classes fresh and effective!

A great instructor shares fitness information throughout the class and this DVD has lots of info to share, such as:

1. Agility is the body responding to a change in the center of gravity.

2. Agility training increases liveliness and vitality!

3. Using opposites (R heel, L arm) challenges coordination.

4. Stepping to the side trains muscles to recover from a potential fall. Example: Standing behind chair with ball on the top of the chair back-participants R hand holds ball as they face the side of the room. Cue to step wide with the L leg and back in -Out & In for 8 reps

5. Good posture is the first step to good balance.

6. The ball placed on the top of the chair back offers a less stable support to challenge balance in a safe way.

7. Most falls occur when someone is stepping backward. Practice stepping backward: In the same position as Stepping to the side -behind chair, ball on chair back, R hand holding ball as participant faces side of room- do a mamba by stepping back and then forward with the L leg.)

8. Hamstrings are normally weaker than quadriceps. Deborah includes lots of hamstring work (kick yourself) in DVD.

Deborah does a balance segment that I would like to share:

Ball on top of chair.
Turn to the side with R hand on ball.
R (inside) leg comes up (knee bent)
Come knee to knee (R knee bent)
Toe touches back
Heel down.
Push off from heel down position and back into:

R leg comes up
Come knee to knee
Toe touches back
Heel down

Some may be able to do this without holding on. Others may need to hold the chair instead of the ball for more stability.

Let me know if I need to explain a move better or if you have any questions. Fall prevention is one of the most important things we do!!