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America’s 79 million baby boomers have become the “sandwich generation” – needing elder care services for aging parents while still raising families of their own. It is often a very stressful situation to help an aging parent stay independent, yet get the assistance they might need. Elder care services are an important resource for everyone involved.

But depending on which side of the situation you are on, there can be two entirely different points of view…

The One Who Provides Elderly Services

As a family caregiver – which one in four Americans is(1) – your days are a juggling act. You have a family to care for, long days in the office and a hundred and one loose ends to tie up.

Even after all that, your day isn’t over. You still have to check on your 85 year old mother, who lives alone and can no longer drive. Her eyesight is fading, so she needs help with household tasks and getting the right dosages of her medications.

Your mother wants to stay in her home as long as possible and you understand her desire, but you just don’t know how safe it is – or how you can fit it all in with everything you have to do. Providing care services for the elderly can be overwhelming.

The One Who Needs Elderly Services

Age has snuck up on you. You’ve spent most of your life working, raising a family, taking care of a home and keeping everyone clothed and fed. You made your own decisions and felt well in control of your life.

Now you live alone and your family doesn’t want you to drive. They are constantly checking to see if the stove burners are off and suggesting big life changes “for your own good.”

When the heck did this happen?

An Aging Population

Whichever side of this situation you find yourself on, you are not alone.

Baby boomers will start turning 65 in 2011 – not exactly young chickadees anymore. And their elderly parents are living longer as well. In 1995, the elderly accounted for 13% of the U.S. population. That number will rise to 20% by 2040.(2)

Sooner or later, every child will have to look after aging parents. And one day we’ll all be seniors needing elderly services ourselves. What’s the best way to cope?

Dealing With the Issues

Several basic things need to be addressed, and again there are likely to be two points of view…

Cooking

Parent – recognize that you need good nutrition and regular meals. If you enjoy cooking, great! But if you need assistance, most communities have various meal programs for seniors. The bonus is the time and money you will save.

Child – let your parent know they deserve to have meals prepared for them after all the years they spent providing meals for a family. Consider giving a gift of restaurant cards so your mom or dad can go out with friends and family.

Driving

Parent – giving up driving is a frightening thought because it seems like you will be losing your independence. But that isn’t always the case. Check out bus services and car pool programs for seniors. You can still go wherever you like and not have to worry about gasoline, insurance and car maintenance. This gives you more freedom, not less!

Child – help out with the expense of bus and taxi programs your parent can use. It keeps them independent and frees up your time.

Memory Problems and Emergencies

Parent – if you’re experiencing memory problems, you may be fearful of going out. You don’t want to look foolish if you need help or want to contact a family member. A simple solution is to have some business cards made with your name, address and phone on them. You can include an emergency contact so the information is ready whenever you need it.

Child – help your parent keep their contact info simple and convenient. A whole book of information can be confusing and hard to access. A small card or typed piece of paper will allow your parent to retain their dignity and feel in control of their life, no matter what their age.

Finally, if you are the family caregiver, spend some time taking care of yourself. Eat well, take breaks and ask for help when you need it. Every community has numerous resources for elder care services, so take advantage of them.

And before you make any changes to your own diet, exercise or supplement routine, check with your personal physician.

Sources:

“Running on Empy,” HomeInstead.com
“Projections of Expenses for Long Term Care Services for the Eldery,” Congressional Budget Office, cbo.gov

Technorati Tags: Aged, care, elder, Providing, Services

Many years ago, I learned: “A mind is a terrible thing to waste!” I refuse to waste mine. On December 25, 2007, I turned 60. I have just begun to actively live and enjoy the rest of my life. In this article, I will share some important discoveries about what you need to do to live the successful active life that you deserve.

I have learned that we have few guarantees in life. The most important guarantee is that we have Choice. Choice about how we participate in our life. We can react well or poorly, with a smile and optimism or with anger and pessimism. We all are guaranteed 24 hours per day. No one gets more; no one gets less. We cannot stop the clock. Aging well is within our grasp, aging isn’t!  

“…..there’s one diabolical factor that does more to kill achievement, smother success, cripple happiness and castrate prosperity- than anything else you can imagine. That dastardly culprit is poor health.”   

                                                                               T. Harv Eker

You have heard it all before: we need to take care of ourselves with proper nutrition and hydration, clean air to breathe and exercise. In addition, we need a good dose of spirituality to temper our humility and stress, to keep all our parts working properly. Keeping your brain alert and figuring out how to do all of this is the most difficult task of all. You “gotta” eliminate excuses, develop a plan of your choosing and stick to it for the rest of your life. Keeping yourself motivated and active is the secret to your success. Stop moving and it all comes to an end.

I recommend that you develop a positive clear life plan and dedicate the rest of your life to following it. Once you have the plan, choosing the details about how to live your life becomes much easier.

Here are some ideas that might be useful to you.

Greet your day with a smile on your face, with yesterday done, your present and future having just begun.

A positive attitude goes along way to helping you get along. Smiles and happiness are good. Hopefully you will CHOOSE to start today, right NOW, with a smile on your face.  Before you can begin to take care of today, to wake up with a smile on your face, with passion, clarity and conviction, you need to know what you want, what you are proud of and what you want to keep that is worth keeping. You need to de-clutter: to get rid of the rest! 

Know that opportunities, that you create, await you; that your spark is self-lit.

Now that you have begun to get rid of your past clutter, you can begin to focus on the positive and on the present. You need to believe that you can create positive opportunities for most of what you want; that you can maintain and sustain your self-lit spark even through adversity. You have that choice. You can figure out the “Whats”, “Hows”, “Whens”, “Wheres” and with “Whoms” necessary to deal with these choices. Knowing this is powerful and essential to creating, maintaining, sustaining and truly living your active life your way. My recommendation is to first work on those obvious aspects of life that you have a lot of control over, choice about and success with; e.g. de-clutter, then eat, rest, sleep, relax, work, share etc. Focus on the less obvious later. They will be clearer then.

Develop, maintain and succeed at your loftiest goals and dreams.

I believe that with a realistic Plan and Lots of Support you can succeed at most anything you choose. I believe that by making the Plan as real as you can, you can Participate and find out what went well, what didn’t and can begin to speculate about how to improve your life.  You can talk with and Debrief about what happened with trustworthy others. You can then Plan again for next time, all the while getting closer to living out the ideals of your loftiest goals and dreams. 

Design your environment to have people, places and things profoundly support, stimulate and inspire you. You need to work The Law of Attraction.
Trust your intuition and your self, trusting complementary others will cooperate and support you in complementary ways.

“Either you are creating your life or the circumstances are.”                                    

                                      Thomas J. Leonard

The Law of Attraction states that you attract who you are and how you are, both the good and the bad. You have choice. You can attract winners or losers, people who support you and/or people who don’t, people who like you for who you are and/or people who have a need to criticize you and/or want to change you, people who want you to succeed and people who don’t. You can choose positive relationships: complementary others who are capable and willing to participate with you in complementary ways. Do it while you can. Toxic relationships suck you dry. Sometimes you have to find that support outside of your family. People are ready to help you if you allow them to.

Create enough energy to do whatever you want to, whenever you want to by taking care of your physical, spiritual and emotional health, eating right and exercising properly.

I finally decided to do something about caring for my health: to have a body to die for instead of to die from! I made a discovery, the personal discovery that I am worth it. If I am to succeed at my life my way, then I need my health and fitness to get me there because without it, I won’t. I go to the gym and follow the advice of a nutritionist. I don’t smoke or do drugs and drink alcohol rarely.  I de-stress regularly and purposefully. I sharpen my mind by learning from those wiser than I am, challenging myself with new thoughts, reaffirming old ones. I am confident enough to be humble, reverent that my powers and abilities are limited but that my Choices and Motivation are open ended. I invest time in my self and as a result, feel better, look better and have incredible energy to spare. How about you? I believe you can too. You must build your health and fitness plan into your committed positive life plan. Thinking about it isn’t enough.

Integrate work, play, learning and growth. They can all be one.

If you are still working and enjoying it, great, if not, please volunteer, mentor, keep busy, doing what you love to do. Read, be around people and join a church, synagogue, activities group or club. Different retirement communities offer classes in music appreciation, and art. Join a chorus, sing, dance, learn the computer and/or play video games. There are professional people available to help you if you are willing to take that first step. Many municipalities provide economical and accessible resources for community activities and classes. They have catalogues that offer a variety of stimulating classes including exercise classes. Art museums, Town Hall meetings and local libraries all have ongoing programs for senior citizens. There are senior mentor programs in the local elementary schools to teach children how to read. The local hospitals hold at least monthly health education workshops. Check the local television and radio stations; they have useful information and lists of community activities and services.

Choreograph your day so that you have all the time you need, to do and be, whatever matters most to you. Ready/Fire/Aim at your priorities.
Finish what you start on time and with the original joy that inspired “It”.

You should live your life in pencil with a big eraser available at all times.Do everything you can to follow the schedule you set, but be willing to change, as your priorities and responsibilities dictate. Your responsibility is to succeed at fulfilling your obligations to your self and others. You can’t do this without a predictable, clear plan with obvious steps and the time commitments necessary to fulfill them.  

Steps to completion are important. They must be clear, with an appropriate beginning, middle and end. The more that you set up the What you need to do, the How you need to do it, the When, the Where and the Who you need to do it with, so that you have no doubt about the order of events, the greater the opportunity you have to succeed and sustain your energy throughout the process.

Enjoy, laugh and play with your “truly” significant others. Fun energizes.

You need to take care of your commitments to your self and your complementary others first. Only then do you have the pure, free, voluntary, committed, non-distracted energy to enjoy, laugh, and play with your “truly” significant others.Fun energizes and you need to play, laugh, feel connected and relax daily to truly succeed. You need to assure yourself of fun caring people in your life. Sharing positive energies is essential to a complementary lifestyle. Loneliness kills your spirit.

Create your life to have everything that you want and nothing that you don’t want as much as humanly possible. Sometimes life throws curveballs, you can hit your pitch: strikes.

If you hold yourself responsible to do your best, no more, no less, you have the greatest opportunities of succeeding. If you know your abilities and your limitations, you can make good choices. You can work with complementary others to help you accomplish whatever you can’t do on your own. You can also do your best to help them succeed too. By respecting and including their complementary participation, you can develop and maintain synergistic relationships full of personal and mutual well being.

Operate from your passion, your mission and your positive life plan! This isn’t easy. It needs to be more than an idea that was presented by someone else!

Your positive life plan needs to become your personal guide, your mission, your passion, your code of ethics and your non-negotiable deal with yourself and with and to others. It is selfish without being selfless. When your selfishness includes the unabashed need to serve others in complementary ways that creates Win/Wins for all of you, you can lead and follow and get and give and take and serve all at the same time. Wow, that’s powerful.

Give back to others so you can sleep through the night like a baby; awakening to another day’s opportunity!

It’s legacy timein my life. How do you want to be remembered and cared for? Address it now. Avoidance leads to missing choices and opportunities and can result in chaos.

I am realistic enough to know that there will never be a plan, a system that creates and controls the “perfect life”. You can, however, always strive to do whatever you can to succeed. You cannot complete everything today. You can only complete everything that you intended to and planned for, everything that you can possibly do by yourself and with the help of others. You need to schedule the rest for later.  So list your intentions and prioritize them. By doing this, you can create successful opportunities to accomplish the achievable today and then, as necessary, the achievable tomorrow, the next day and into your active future. I believe you can do this if you want to badly enough.

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Is keeping your mind and body fresh throughout the day a tough job for you? Well, most of us know how difficult it is to be in good shape and health. It really demands a lot of dedicated effort and time. Moreover, one needs to have enough motivation. Seeing better result gives all the encouragement to a fitness enthusiastic! However, most of us tend to have only the initial enthusiasm and leave it on the half way. And, of course, keeping up with your exercise program is really a daunting task!

You might have experimented with a lot of exercise programs and found it unsuccessful most of the time. Don’t worry! All of us do it at a point in our life and the result is always the same. However, sometimes, exercise, proper diet, and good health become a necessity in our life. You reach to the point where you don’t have any option but should have a good health and fitness.

Here you have a chance to lose your weight and keep yourself fit. Fitness boot camp is one way to get into an efficient and challenging workout program. What you need to get is finding the right fitness boot camp and trainers. It is not that easy these days as you have a number of such camps which give you standard exercise regimen and expert knowledge regarding ideal exercise and diet for your body. It is always important to make sure that you are following your diet and exercise in the right way it should be.

An ideal fitness boot camp program includes the exercises such as pushups, squats, lunges, partner exercises, team competitions, speed training, core strength and stretching. Also you can find a variety of programs for different individual groups. There are general fitness program for all and for woman there are women only fitness camps. Even kids have their own boot camps to enjoy the vacations! There are fitness boot camps for seniors and for those who are extremely obese. These camps provide you the physical training and if you require you can avail gym and personal trainers. It depends on your demand. You can search for the boot camps and should get the complete details about their program and availability.

As you look for to burn some calories and find a new fresh lifestyle, these camps are the best available option. By choosing fitness booting camp, you allow yourself to have an efficient way of exercise program as well as ensure a lot of fun going through the process. Here you get all the motivation as you are with a number of people who shares the same interest and attitude towards fitness and lifestyle. It is certainly challenging and that particular aspect keeps you going. You are with a group of people and that certainly motivate to do well and achieve your goals.

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Seniors often thrive in independent living communities due to increased opportunities to exercise, socialize and participate in active living. Populated by individuals who are committed to living life to the fullest, independent living communities encourage residents to participate in exercise programs and social activities that provide the foundation for a quality retirement lifestyle. You might say that not only are exercise and socializing “the best medicine,” they turn the spigot on The Fountain of Youth.

Those considering the move to an independent living community will be interested to learn that the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has focused on the theme “Exercise as Medicine” since 2008. In short, exercise, and the socializing that often accompanies heart, health and wellness activities, is the most potent and side-effect-free medicine available. Exercise positively affects every aspect of the body, mind and, yes, spirit.

Why is exercise such good medicine?

Growing numbers look for exercise and active living programs when evaluating independent living communities. They are aware that exercise serves as preventative medicine by helping to reduce risk factors for heart attacks such as diabetes, elevated blood pressure and high cholesterol. Exercise works as secondary prevention, too. This means that it helps reduce the risk of the next “big one.”

Wellness programs offered by independent living communities help residents understand that lowering these risk factors even just a little, boosts their strength and immune systems. For example, in general the body doesn’t need to make as much insulin when it is active. As a result, regular exercise increases sensitivity and keeps fat stores at bay to help prevent diabetes.

Exercise also helps reduce the risk of depression. Many independent living communities encourage fun group fitness activities such as heart-healthy walks and aquatic programs, wellness education, dancing, tai chi and yoga. All these activities are good for brain chemistry that helps elicit increased strength, flexibility and feelings of well being.

What kinds of active living programs are available?

Many of today’s independent living communities have embraced a wellness  or active living model, inviting residents to take “ownership” of their own goals and well being as well as offering a full range of exercise and socializing opportunities. These industry innovators encourage individuals of every age to seek opportunities to remain productive, contributing members of a community.

These independent living communities search for ways to help people stay mentally and physically independent and active. Communities such as these offer encompassing wellness and life enrichment programs that often include individually designed daily exercise and physical activities, mind, body and spirit classes, lifelong learning and community partners’ component.

How do I get going on an exercise program?

One of the best ways to jump on the exercise-as-medicine bandwagon is to look for independent living communities that encourage maximum independence through the support of exercise and socializing. Review the communities’ offerings and search for activities that you enjoy.

Also, ask lots of questions. Does the independent living community have a life enrichment/wellness director, on-site physical therapy or rehabilitation services? Does it provide a well-equipped and staffed health & fitness facility and does it offer classes that can positively affect age-related conditions such as arthritis, cancer, heart disease and stroke?

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As people age, some of them find themselves living alone and struggling to manage the feelings they get from their empty homes and their expenses at the same time. This is a time of life that brings with it various problems, such as difficulties managing medication, poor nutrition and an increased risk of accidents.

Numerous seniors observe a visible improvement in their lives once they or their family decide to move in an assisted living facility.  These facilities are great for the seniors to continue their independent life, but with less effort. They will have regular nutritious meals, they will enjoy social activities with people of their own age, and they will engage in all sorts of exercise programs. They will also receive help if needed when it comes to dressing, bathing or managing their medication.

Choosing a facility for assisted living in California for a person you love should happen sooner rather than later. There are numerous establishments you can choose from; however, you need to do some research in order to choose the most appropriate one.

First, you need to decide what kind of facility for assisted living in California you are looking for. Establish whether the senior will need assistance with his / her personal care or for medical services. If the senior faces memory loss or he / she is in a wheelchair, your search might be somewhat complicated. You should always consult your doctor regarding the long-term outcomes of moving the senior into a facility for assisted living in California.

You need to decide what you can spend monthly on the fees and extra services, including, if any, fees for the outside agencies if you employ their services. You should also remember to include a reserve for the monthly personal needs of the senior.

Once you’re done with assessing your financial situation, you should take some other factors into account. Check whether the facility for assisted living in California you’ve chosen was opened recently. You might want an establishment that has been in the health care service for a while, because they certainly have more experience in working with the elderly.  Don’t forget to visit your chosen assisted living facility before signing any contract and check if it has everything that is necessary for a comfortable and peaceful living. You can also get in touch with families who have a senior there and ask for some extra information about the facilities offered.

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We all know that being overweight is unhealthy and can cause real problems. We also know what to do about it and how to trim down and lose weight. Well, since our dogs are part of the family, they often end up carrying more weight than is healthy for them. There are many reasons or “excuses” for how we let our dogs get fat.

The most obvious issue is what and how much you feed your dog. We have been programmed to think that our dogs need to eat at least twice a day without fail, yet the truth is, a healthy dog can go without eating for a day or two, as long as there is water available. Now I’m not saying you should withhold food from your dog. The point is, your pooch can probably get along just fine with a little less chow. Treats are another way we contribute to our dogs diet. Dogs love treats and we love to give our dogs treats, however, just like for us, moderation is the key. Letting your dog clean your dinner plates every night or feeding him a steady diet of table scraps will quickly add pounds.

There are other things that will affect your dog’s weight. One of the most common issues for overweight dogs is lack of exercise. It is very easy to get in a rut when it comes to exercising your four-legged best friend. We have busy schedules and taking the dog out for a walk everyday, or going to the dog park every weekend can be pushed to the bottom of the priority list. You should do your dog and yourself a favor and get outside and play. You will both reap the benefits.

Something you might not realize is that spaying and neutering lowers a dogs metabolism. If you feed your spayed or neutered dog the same way you would feed an intact dog, he will start to gain weight. Your dog will require fewer calories in order to maintain a healthy weight. Also, keep in mind that as your dog ages, his metabolism slows as does his activity level. There are special dog food formulas for senior dogs. These foods are made specifically for your senior dogs nutritional needs.

If your dog is overweight, it is best to consult with your veterinarian to decide the best way to help your dog get back to a healthy weight. Your vet may want to test for hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid. This condition would require medication. If your dog is severely overweight, you will need to be very careful about an exercise program because the added pounds will put a strain on the dog’s joints. Your veterinarian will also be able to recommend the best diet, including nutritional supplements.

Keeping your furry friend at a healthy weight allow you to enjoy more quality years together. Your pooch will feel better, and if you follow your dog’s diet and exercise program, you’ll feel better too.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_M_Sabol

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Nobody is a perfect driver. But statistics show some motorists carry a greater risk of getting in an accident.

Young drivers are easily distracted and lack experience. Senior drivers start to lose physical abilities and mental speed. But now brain fitness computer programs are available to help sharpen skills.

Getting behind the wheel is something most of us don’t think twice about. But the process of maneuvering through a maze of unpredictable traffic is really quite complicated. Just Ask Bob Parmacke. The 78-year-old has a good driving record. But the veteran motorist suspected his vision and reaction time were starting to slow. So he turned to his computer and invested in a program called DriveSharp. Parmacke says the games he plays on screen work his eyes and reaction time and are helping sharpen his abilities behind the wheel.

“You see those signs in the corner. I see more I see a bigger range I think,” said Parmacek.

The DriveSharp program is geared at drivers 50 and older. It includes two exercises for the brain to work on divided attention and useful field of view. That’s what a person sees in a single glance without moving his or her head.

In one exercise, you have to find jewels hidden in jellyfish as they move around.The games get more difficult as the player gets better.

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Maker PositScience says the program is scientifically proven and it’s based on research to help drivers see more and react faster in hopes of preventing accidents.

“Following thousands of people over 5 years we showed we could reduce their at fault crash risk in half and this a lasting change over a couple year period,” said Steve Aldrich, CEO, PositScience.

AAA endorses the product and offers it to members at a discounted rate. Another company Cognifit has an online program for seniors and is now targeting teen drivers with training for skills such as distance estimation, response time, and divided attention.

Researchers at UIC studying driving in older adults say, even in our 20s, as our eyes begin to change we start losing our critical useful field of view. They are not ready to weigh in on these computer games but stress that cognitive skills are just one part of a driver’s ability.

“Driving is a very complex thing,” said Kinsuk Maitra, Ph.D., occupational therapist, Rush University Medical Center.

Neurologist Richard Kraig at the University of Chicago Medical Center says there’s growing clinical evidence the computer games work. He says these games tend to annoy the brain in a good way that in turn encourages it to secrete chemicals, helping it function better much like exercising a muscle. The brain researcher is not surprised Bob Parmacek now senses a greater awareness on the road.

“What’s happened is by practicing he has reawakened brain circuits that bring it to his consciousness more quickly,” said Dr. Kraig.

“My range of vision even just looking straight ahead I see more,” said Parmacek. “I think I’m definitely going to be a safer driver.”

A recent study in the journal Nature found online games designed to improve cognitive skills *did* not make people smarter. Other researchers say there’s still little proof these games transfer to the real world.

Dr. Kraig says there are simple things you can do to keep a maturing brain sharp and your reflexes quick such as bouncing a ball or trying to balance a pencil on your finger.

Technorati Tags: Could, driving, Games, Improve, skills, video

Life long health is such which indicates that health is the source of all happiness by focusing a life without facing any health hazards in life. Life long health shows happy life throughout the whole life. But life is made up of sobs, sniffles, smiles and sniffles predominating. Dr. Bob Delmonteque says,” Grow younger as you grow”. In my opinion, Youth is the best season of life and such youth is possible to be achieved by adopting the policy of health care. If we grow young we should know that such season needs to be continued till death by dint of merit and hardihood. Life long health is a very intricate object because it is such phenomena with which a man can fulfill his self-actualization needs rather than physical, safety, security and egoistic needs.

Dr. Delmonteque is America’s premier senior health consultant. At 84 years of age, Bob Delmonteque runs marathons, cycles 120 miles, and bench presses over 250 pounds. It is possible in case of other humans because physical care in respect of livelihood side by side is essential by a thorough planning virtually. We can plan for regular physical exercise like running, jumping, walking, mediating, and moving limbs by way of modern techniques and tools. Dr. Delmonteque has trained Hollywood legends like John Wayne, Errol Flynn, Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, and contemporary stars like Matt Dillon. He is a senior editor and consultant to Joe Welder’s Muscle and fitness magazine. At the age of 65, Dr. Bob Delmonteque observed that his cadaver was early to go downhill. Rather than face a gradual decline in physical ability, he made a clear decision to challenge aging and develop younger as he grew older. Almost 20 years later, his most recent untouched; photos prove that that you can be in better shape at 84 than you were at 64.

I think that life long health is an arduous achievement by virtue of self-determination and dedication of honest health care system to enjoy happy life in weal and woe through thick and thin. It is a basic critic to rectify errors in life by cultivation of physical exercise. It should be the finite criteria to acquire such periodicity on human goals.

Principle of Safe Exercise: When people initiate to exercise, they often push their bodies too far. The more exercise that is done, the higher the risk of overuse and traumatic injuries. Self-control is the key to safe exercise. In this respect, sufficient measures need to be taken not to try to do too much too soon. Safe exercise programs should always establish at a snail’s pace and step by step build up rapidity, power, and concentration.

Safe Exercise Guidelines: There are lots of guiding principles for safe exercise that may be enumerated as follows:

To Use Proper Equipment. We can replace our athletic shoes as they wear out. Such wearing happen to be comfortable, loose-fitting clothes that allow us moving freely and are light enough to discharge body heating. When exercising in cold weather, dress in removable layers play vital role and suitable for proper cleanliness. To Warm Up. We can warm up to prepare to exercise, even before stretching. We can run in place for a few minutes, breathe slowly and deeply, or gently rehearse the motions of the exercise to follow. Warming up increases our heart and blood flow rates and loosens up other muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints. To Stretch. Beginning stretches slowly and carefully until reaching a point of muscle tension. We can hold each stretch for 10 to 20 seconds, and then slowly and carefully release it. We should inhale before each stretch and exhale as we release. We need to do each stretch only once. We should never stretch to the point of pain, always maintain control, and never bounce on a muscle that is fully stretched. To Take our Time. We should move through the full range of motion with each repetition. Breathe regularly to help lower our blood pressure and increase blood supply to the brain. To drink Water. We need to drink enough water to prevent dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. We should drink 1 pint of water 15 minutes before we start exercising and another pint after you cool down. Have a drink of water every 20 minutes or so while you exercise. To Cool Down. We should make cooling down the ultimate segment of our keep fit routine. It should take twice as long as our warm up. We need to slow our motions and lessen the intensity of our movements for at least 10 minutes before we stop completely. This phase of a safe exercise program should conclude our skin is dry and we have cooled down. To take Rest. We should reschedule regular days off from exercise and rest when tired. We should bear in mind whilst in fatigue, soreness, and pain is good reasons not to exercise.

In view of the above it is evident that we should exercise safely otherwise like over exercise, it is harmful for health and as such we should take regular physical exercise which is essential to maintain physical health all the time. Physical exercise should not be adopted on irregular terms but it should be based on tentative planning and on the basis of proper guidelines.

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Chair Yoga can easily work in harmony with most physical rehabilitation prescriptions. Many physical therapists have knowledge of Yoga or are teachers of Yoga. Many doctors, physical therapists, and medical professionals recommend Yoga to patients who are making a “come back.”

Yoga gives these patients the strength to move ahead, when many would be discouraged. The comebacks that I have personally witnessed are inspiring to me as a Yoga teacher. Over time, I have seen come backs from strokes, heart attacks, and car accidents.

It touches me that they thanked me for teaching them Yoga or Chair Yoga.
The courage to go on came from within their minds, but Yoga became a significant part of their lives. As a Yoga teacher the inspiration was mutual and made me feel helpful. After all, being of help, and being appreciated, are prime motivations for teachers of any subject.

Muscle tone is a result of stretching and flexing any muscle group. Active muscles display themselves on anybody that chooses to use them. This is also a good way to relieve oneself of anxiety, stress, tension, and prevent depression. Like the other benefits, previously mentioned, this results in whole body health. A healthy body does, indeed, compliment a healthy mind.

For those clients who are confined to a chair, it is wise to include some form of a weight bearing, or weight resistance, exercise program. For those who can stand, Chair Yoga is another weight bearing exercise that will stimulate bone building.

With progressive weight resistance, you use free weights or machines, but with Yoga you bear your own body weight. The end result of these exercise programs would be increased bone density and prevention of Osteoporosis.
Seniors spend more time alone, than any other age group. Sometimes, we all need a little solitude, but too much solitude can lead to depression, in some of us. Living life like a monk is not for everyone.

Chair Yoga classes offer a social activity that helps to stimulate the mind and body in a positive way. This becomes an uplifting activity that participants look forward to. Regular attendance, and socializing in Chair Yoga classes, is a healthy activity that leads to building strong relationships.

It also exposes seniors to the many activities that are going on within the community center. Participants of chair Yoga classes are exposed to whole health and gain a nutritional education as a member of a senior, community, or wellness center.

Lastly, all participants in Chair Yoga classes learn to relax and quiet the mind, through breath awareness, meditation, stage-by-stage relaxation, a combination, or another method. The end result being that these Yoga students can control their minds, focus on the good things in life, and prevent depression.

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