Knuckles, Fist, Knuckles, Fingers

Here's a fun hand exercise to help keep the joints flexible, improve Range of Motion, and decrease discomfort by increasing the production of synovial fluid.


As you do the moves below, cue Knuckles, Fist, Knuckles, Fingers.  Repeat a few times.

Knuckles

Fist
(Cue gentle fist with thumb on the outside)

Fingers
(Open straight fingers wide)

Knuckles

Health & Fitness Affirmations

If you teach SilverSneakers' classes, you know that we include a few minutes of relaxation at the end of class.  We do this in a number of ways.  We may read a joke as they "give themselves a massage" with their ball behind their back.  We may use meditation or affirmations.  All of the techniques are designed to help manage stress and help to create a sense of well-being.

Here are some affirmations that I sometimes read as they sit back and relax with calming music playing:

     I am so grateful that I am healthy and strong.

I pay attention and listen to what my body needs for health and vitality.

I breathe deeply, bringing oxygen and energy to my body.

I have found the balance between what I eat and what I do that allows me to have a lean healthy, vibrant body.

I boldly take every step I can, whether large or small, to assist my amazing body in  maintaining health and vitality.

I radiate strength, beauty and grace.  People are drawn to my healthy vitality.

I do everything I can to assist my body in maintaining perfect health.

I enjoy feeling strong and I plan to live a long healthy life.

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"Those who think they don't have time for exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness." ~Edward Stanley

"To insure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life."  ~William Londen

Make every day your Masterpiece!

Your are one workout away from feeling and looking better!

Move it, use it,

Work it or lose it!

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Rut Blocker

  During your warm-up, have your class sitting forward on their chairs.  Practice marching while bringing arms straight out to front and then reach up with both arms and then cross R over L and cross L over R.  When they get this, add: step R leg to side 2 times (almost like stepping into bathtub) with bent R arm going to the same side and then L leg to side 2 times with bent L arm going to side.

Cue:  Out

     Up

Cross

Cross

Right 2x's

Left 2x's

Activities of Daily Living

Since we are working with seniors, it's helpful to understand "Activities of Daily Living". These are activities that we need to be able to do every day in order to live independently.  Examples are: eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, and walking (transferring).

While teaching our classes, the more we can make the connection between what they are doing in class and how it relates to what they are doing at home, the more likely your participants will stay motivated to come.  We all want to be able to stay independent!

Here are some examples of moves and how to cue them for ADL's (Some examples are taken from the SS manual):

1.  Attach tubing with handles through hole in top of chair.  Have participants sit back to prevent tipping chair and bring both sides of tubes over R shoulder.  Hold one side of tube at the top with R hand to prevent tube from going across the neck and with the other hand bring tube across body like "Putting on a Seat Belt".

2.  Modified Rotator Cuff: Lift and Pour (A gallon of milk weighs 8lbs.)

3. Trunk Rotation (Always cue to "Sit up Straight" or "Lengthen Spine" before rotating)  Look in the backseat or Look before changing lanes.

4. Diagonal Arm Raises:  Reaching for an object

5.  Ball squeeze and rotate:  Opening a jar

6.  Thumb circles and finger slides: Buttons, zippers, shoelaces

7.  Concentric Biceps Curls:  Lifting groceries

8.  Eccentric Biceps Curls (up 1 down 3): Lowering a grandchild

9.  Out, out, in, in:  Stepping in/out of bathtub

10. Overhead reach:  Reaching a high shelf

I have seen some really creative instructors add moves for shopping trips, going bowling, getting into cars, etc. in their classes.  Let's have fun and help them stay motivated to keep working!

Celebrating Your Birthday

For years we have brought in balloons for our class participant's birthdays.  I have a wonderful friend and SilverSneakers participant, Ginny Francis, who helps me with this.  The class really seems to look forward to the acknowledgement of their special day!

 I spend a few minutes asking them about their plans for their birthday and about their families.  I, also, ask them for a few words of wisdom- How have they stayed healthy as they've aged?  This is one way to get to know your participants and to help participants grow closer.

Sometimes I change things up.  I use the following poem and give the birthday person a copy of it on a bookmark, which I make.  On their copy, I use their name.  I give everyone in class a copy and we read the poem to the birthday person.  I love the words to this poem and feel that every person's life should be treasured!

Here's this special poem:

Celebrating You on Your Birthday

by Star Nakamoto

We hope you know

just how much your life means

to those around you-

how their days are brighter

because you are here.

Your presence adds something 

special and invaluable to the world.

You bring joy to those

who know you and a smile 

to everyone you meet.

Your life is a gift

that is treasured.

Happy Birthday Dear Friend!

Andy Rooney- What I've Learned

I've learned...

That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned...

That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned...

That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.

I've learned...

That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned...

That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned...

That you should never so no to a gift from a child.

I've learned...

That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in any other way.

I've learned...

That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned...

That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned...

That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I've learned...

That life is like a roll of toilet paper.  The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned...

That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned...

That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned...

That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned...

That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned...

That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned...

That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned...

That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned...

That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned...

That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned...

That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

I've learned...

That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned...

That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned...

That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away.

I've learned...

That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned...

That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned...

That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, you're hooked for life.

I've learned...

That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you are climbing it.

I've learned...

That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

Thank you, SilverSneakers Instructor, Betty Woods, for sharing this with me!

Getting To Know Your Participants

     Some of the participants in my SilverSneakers Classic classes have been coming for years, others are new.  When seniors come into class, they aren't asked, "What do you do?" or "Where do you work?"  In society, it's usually the first question asked.
     I thought it might be fun to find out what jobs they had held.  I brought a basket with slips of paper and pencils to class.  As they came in the door, I asked them to write down one job they had held.  I instructed them not to write their name and to fold the slip of paper in half and put it back in the basket.
     During the relaxation segment at the end of class, I read the jobs and we guessed who had held it.  If we couldn't guess, they told us.  It was a fun way to get to know everyone a little better!

Happy Fourth of July

This poem puts everything into perspective:

I watched the flag pass by one day.

It fluttered in the breeze.

A young Marine saluted it,

and then he stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform;

so young, so tall, so proud.

With hair cut square and eyes alert,

he'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him

had fallen through the years.

How many died on foreign soil;

how many mother's tears?

How many pilot's planes shot down?

How many died at sea?

How many foxholes were soldier's graves?

NO, FREEDOM ISN'T FREE!

I heard the sound of Taps one night,

when everything was still.

I listened to the bugler play

And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times

that Taps had meant "Amen"

when a flag draped a coffin

of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,

of the mothers and the wives,

of fathers, sons and husbands

with interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard

at the bottom of the sea

of unmarked graves at Arlington

NO, FREEDOM ISN'T FREE!

I hope you enjoy your freedom this weekend and say a prayer for our troops!

Of all the gifts you could give a U.S. Soldier, prayer is the very best one!