A great stretch to loosen up the hips, back, torso, and legs at the start of your running or cardio work-out:

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Safe Strength For Seniors

        You are never too old to improve your muscle strength. Building strength can ease aches and pains. It can also make everyday activities easier to perform. But seniors might want to take some precautions when starting a strength-training program.

        First, hire a personal fitness trainer. At any age, for any new endeavor, we need coaches in our lives to guide us toward success. Teaching you how to use equipment safely and effectively is the trainer’s job.

        Next, assess your needs and goals. Do you want to build strength in your arms? Do you want to prevent back pain? Do you want overall toning?
Decide where you prefer to exercise. Do you prefer to work-out at home, outdoors, in a gym, with a group?

        Determine what type of equipment you will use. If you prefer to strength-train at home, you might need to purchase equipment. There are many choices. Your experience with weights and gym equipment will influence your purchasing decisions.

        If you are inexperienced with strength equipment, such as dumbbells, learning on your own can be frustrating, and even dangerous. Furthermore, you don’t want to create bad habits, such as misuse, from the start.

        Working with a professional, in a roomy health club or personal training studio, is one of the safest ways to start a new strength-training program. Personal trainers will match the equipment to your needs. There is usually a variety of “toys” from which to choose, too.

        Strength training can enhance the quality of life for seniors. But like any new activities, support and coaching can build a safer, stronger program.

Active Rest To Revive And Heal

        What is “active rest”, and how can it relieve everyday tension and pain? How can it help you recover from injuries? Make no mistake about it: active rest refers to activities that can benefit your body without recruiting muscles to work or use much energy.

        Recuperate with sauna therapy. Saunas have been recognized by many cultures for their healing benefits. Different types of saunas exist: particularly, far-infrared (FIR) saunas have recently become popular in wellness settings.

        Massage therapy is a helpful method to speed recovery from injury. It also relieves both emotional and physical stress. Certified therapists practice many styles of massage. Sports, Thai and Deep Tissue styles can enhance a sports-conditioning regimen. Swedish or hot stone massage are beneficial for settling the nervous system.

        Other methods for recovery include focused nutrition, good-quality sleep, and following sport-conditioning guidelines.

        Practicing these forms of active rest, and listening to your body’s cues, will enable you to relieve pain and soreness faster. Then you can return to your favorite activities without the distraction of pain, while reducing physical and mental burn-out.

Feet Sense

        What do your feet say about your health? Just as the eyes are “windows to the soul”, feet may be called “windows to your health”. In many cultures, health practitioners glean clues from the feet to determine someone’s physical status, and how to treat their disease.

        In many Eastern medicine schools, practitioners study channels throughout the body. These channels refer to energy pathways, including blood circulation and nerve signals. Meridians, chakras, and sen lines are all examples of the different names given to energy channels by different Eastern medicine practices.

        Reflexology is one study of the feet and its relationship to overall health.  Trained reflexologists believe that meridian channels travel through the body, ending in points in the feet. These points correspond to muscles and organs in the body through which energy flows. Therapists stimulate these points, improving circulation to places along the meridians that might be physically compromised.

        We also know that the feet are anatomically complex structures. They support pressure, weight, impact forces and strain. For their hard work, they deserve regular care and love!