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Be Ready and ProtectedWritten by Heidi Nestor, Writer and Editor, Life Alert
One of most important relationships you’ll ever have in your life doesn’t involve family, friends, or your dog. It’s the relationship you have with yourself. To be more specific, it’s the relationship you have with healthy-you.
Healthy-you is that annoying little voice saying you should be doing leg-lifts instead of fork-to-mouth lifts. Or when you’re relaxing in bed fully enjoying your retirement, it’s healthy-you telling you to get up and get moving. Healthy-you isn’t the angel of consciousness sitting on your shoulder steering in the right direction, and although it feels more like the devil at times, it’s really you telling you want you need to do to keep you healthy because when you have your health, you have your independence and the freedom to maintain the lifestyle you’ve earned.
The best way to quiet that little voice is just to do what it wants; so get out of bed and start working-out on your relationship with healthy-you.
Health needs to be in all areas of your life from eating well, sleeping enough, remaining mentally active, and exercising. And though some people see exercise as the hardest habit to maintain, it actually can be the easiest.
Here are some easy to use basic tools that can turn your bedroom into an inexpensive home gym.
Yoga Mat ($20-$30): Keep a yoga mat next to your nightstand so when you roll out of bed you can roll onto to the floor to do some morning stretches to wake up your bones and muscles. Stretching is important for ligament flexibility which provides movability, strength, and speed. The mat cushions and protects you from sliding, just make sure you don’t have socks on. More importantly, check with your doctor first on the types of stretches you should be doing.
Free Weights ($4 - $20): Free weights usually cost $1 to $2 dollars per pound. Once you’re done with your stretches, you can sit on the edge of your bed and do arm and bicep curls to build strength and prevent muscle lost. Weight lifting improves balance and the more balance you have the less likely you will fall. Protecting yourself from falls allows you to remain active and independent. Consult your doctor on how heavy the weights should be and how many repetitions you should do.
Exercise (or resistance) Bands ($5 - $15): These long rubber tubes can give you a variety of work outs that aid in stretching and muscle building. For legs, lie on your back and place one end of the band around your foot while holding onto the other end of the band. Next, lift your leg up while holding the band tight from the other end. The resistance builds strength and balance. As always, you must get your doctor’s approval first before venturing into any kind of exercise program.
Life Alert is another tool you can use to enhance your health, longevity and independence. Our services can solve many safety issues by getting you help fast in an emergency and possibly eliminating permanent damage.
So the next time you hear that voice telling you to put down the T.V. remote and pick up a hand-weight – listen! It’s your healthy-you voice telling you what to do to maintain health. The more you work on your health and the relationship between you and healthy-you, the happier you’ll both be.
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For more information about Life Alert and its many services and benefits for seniors – available in New York, California, Florida, and other states nationwide -- please visit the following websites:
http://www.lifealert.net
http://www.seniorprotection.com
http://www.lifealertnewyork.com