Posts

Showing posts from December, 2013

Body and brain are crucial to good balance

One thing is for certain: Balance can’t be taken for granted past a certain age; it must be maintained — both in mind and body. If you’ve ever seen a friend or family member fall and suffer a major fracture, you know it’s serious business. It seems obvious that general physical fitness and targeted exercises can improve balance and prevent falls. But you might be surprised to learn that staying mentally active to maintain cognitive fitness also plays a big role. A sharp mind helps you to think — and stay — on your feet. “ We need careful planning of our movements, decision making, reaction time, and attention,” says Brad Manor, Ph.D., an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Mobility and Falls Program, Hebrew SeniorLife of Boston. “Staying mentally active is very important to avoiding falls.” How do we keep our balance? The inner ear, which senses head motions, is an important part of the intricate system of balance. So is the body’s somatosenso

Simple, everyday activities can strengthen balance

If you love tennis, golf, running, dancing, or any number of other sports or activities, working on balance buffs your abilities. Not an athlete? Just walking across the room or down the block requires good balance. So does rising from a chair, going up and down stairs, toting packages, and even turning to look behind you. And good balance helps prevent potentially disabling falls. There is a lot you can do to preserve and improve your balance, and it doesn’t take special fitness classes or exercises. Incorporating balance and strength activities into your daily routine could be enough to lower your risk of falling. Researchers in Australia tested a program called Lifestyle Integrated Functional Exercise (LiFE) on a group of 317 people, ages 70 and older, who had fallen in the previous year. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: the LiFE program, a structured exercise and strengthening program, or a control “sham” program of gentle exercises. Those in th

Be Healthier Through Gratitude

Image
Our brains are hardwired to pay attention to the negative, and for good reason. Our ancestors who were alert, watchful and worried, survived. Those who weren’t got eaten. But today our DNA’s disposition puts us into a state of unnecessary chronic stress – stress that raises our blood pressure, causes anxiety or depression, and hurts our health in many ways. “To survive better in our 21st century lives, it’s important to learn to react less automatically and negatively to the stresses that bombard us. We can do this by practicing skills that increase our capacity for appreciation, and for calming our bodies and minds,” says RenĂ©e Burgard, LCSW, a psychotherapist who teaches mindfulness and stress reduction classes at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and at Silicon Valley companies such as Google and Apple. How? One way is to cultivate an “attitude of gratitude.” Gratitude is about more than saying “thanks,” Burgard says. “Gratitude is paying attention to what we have, and c