Everything we do in our daily lives involves balance.  The better our sense of balance, the better we perform.

Balance can best be defined as physical equilibrium or the ability to remain upright whether you are standing still or in motion; stability is your body’s ability to adjust to a disturbance by creating an opposing force equal to the disturbance, restoring you to your original position.  Underlying both balance and stability is proprioception, or the body’s ability to process information about its position at any given time.  (The Great Balance and Stability Handbook)

Nature endows us with both strength and balance when we are young, and we probably don’t give a thought until the day we start to lose those capacities.  Strength and balance may come naturally, but they have to be used consistently to be maintained AND must be challenged in order to be improved.  As we age we tend to lose neuromuscular strength and balance mostly due to inactivity.  This diminished awareness, combined with the loss of bone density caused by less muscle use, unfortunately leads to falls, fractures and a loss of confidence.  In general, a lower quality of active life.

Many people don’t realize that balance can be improved by simply retraining the brain with a simple routine of balance exercises. The types of exercise that are most beneficial are those that focus on progressive training for strength (force) and power (force plus speed.) Progressive means that your routine should become increasingly more challenging, because you won’t make any gains if you stay at the same level.

Give yourself a balance challenge and keep those reflexes sharp!

Susan Covey is the Acts Bayleigh Chase Fitness Program Manager

Do you remember when you last took the time to just have pure fun? To be social in a totally unstructured, creative way? Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, most of us stopped playing.

PLAY…it can be defined as simply goofing off with no practical purpose to the activity other than enjoying yourself. By giving yourself permission to play you are providing yourself with an important source of relaxation and stimulation. You can also reap many unexpected benefits.

Active play relieves stress, connects you to others, improves your brain function, stimulates creativity, keeps you energetic and will undoubtedly make you laugh! Laughter, as we have heard repeatedly, is the best medicine and will help you retain a positive attitude in the worst of times.

As autumn rolls in and temperatures and humidity levels drop, you can enjoy the perfect weather for such time-honored yard games as croquet, badminton, corn hole, bocce ball.

You are never too old to go out and play!

Susan Covey is the Bayleigh Chase Fitness Program Manager in Easton

As you probably know, a weak core impacts everyday life…but maybe more than you think.

If basic functional movements like getting out of bed or walking to the car and getting in and out of the car are becoming a challenge or feeling nearly impossible for you, it may be a sign that your core is too weak.

In order to remain mobile and independent, you cannot ignore your core. And crunches are not the only answer. After all, your core is much more than just your abdominal muscles. It includes the gluteal muscles in the butt and hips, the lats and traps in the middle and upper back, and the erector spinae muscles around the spine. Your core is responsible for keeping you upright and this is why poor balance is one of the more obvious signs that your core is weak.

Here are some less obvious signs that you need to watch for:

1. Do you need to use your arms to get out to a chair or bed? If so, it is likely that your core strength is lacking. To transition from lying or sitting to standing, your abdominals and deep core muscles must be able to brace, while your glutes must be strong enough to propel you to your feet. (“4 Sneaky Signs You Have a Weak Core – Silver Sneakers”) (Michelle Barnett, D.P.T.at TRIA Orthopaedic Center)
2. Have you ever caught yourself standing or walking with your lower back arched and your pelvis jutting forward? This is a signal that your core lacks the stability and control to keep your spine in a neutral position. If your core is weak, other muscles will compensate to hold you up but the overarched position will eventually lead to lower back pain.
3. Tilting and swaying while walking is a sure sign that your core is weak. If your obliques are not strong enough to control your torso, your pelvis ends up dropping to one side.
4. Do you hold your breath while performing core exercises? If so, this could be due to a weakness in your diaphragm which works closely with the surrounding core muscles to control movement and breath. Holding your breath increases abdominal pressure while not engaging those muscles for stability.

To help avoid these problems try including the Pelvic Tilt, the Bridge, the Squat, and the Clamshell exercises in your weekly routine. You can find descriptions of these exercises online at Silver Sneakers.

Susan Covey is the Acts Baleigh Chase Fitness Director 

For many of us, sitting is a huge part of our day. In order to alleviate the physical consequences of being in one place for long periods, consider the following exercises:

ARMS BACK: Sit up tall, bring your arms straight out in front of you. Turn the palms up. Now move your arms away from each other out to the side keeping the hands shoulder height. Now bring your arms back as far as you can and pull your shoulders back sticking your chest out. This stretches the chest and shoulder muscles and strengthens your upper back muscles that get stretched out from being at the computer too long.

NECK PULL BACKS: Stick your neck out and jut your chin forward, then pull the head back as far as possible tucking the chin in. This is strengthening the muscles in the back of your neck that hold you head back where it’s supposed to be instead of jutted forward.

WRIST STRETCH: Extend one arm out in front of you with palm down. Bend the wrist, fingers pointing down and use the other hand to pull those fingers towards you. Repeat on other side.
TWIST: Twist as far as you can to one side like you were trying to look straight behind you. Grab the backrest of the chair and hold there for about 30 seconds. Then twist to the other side and hold.

BRIGHT BREATH: Lift your arms and cross your wrists above your head, fingers pointed up. Bring the back of your head between your arms. You may feel a slight backbend in your upper back. Inhale to a comfortable level. Then begin short, sharp breaths out of the nose with mouth closed.

Remember that when you’re sitting too long especially leaning forward, the pressure in your lower back changes a lot and can lead to back pain. Try to get up every 30 minutes and stand tall or walk around for a couple of minutes to allow the pressure in your lower back to be redistributed.

Susan Covey is the fitness director at Acts Bayleigh Chase in Easton

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Every year, one in four deaths are caused by heart disease. The good news? Heart disease can often be prevented when people make healthy choices and manage their health conditions, even for people who already have heart disease.

Only you can change your lifestyle. It’s time to take action and get moving now!

Wear, share and rock your best RED on Friday, February 3rd. Meet in the auditorium at 10:00 and join our group walk around the block, followed by healthy snacks!

Susan Covey is the Fitness Director for Bayleigh Chase in Easton

For many of us holidays become a mixture of family, traditions, gratitude, giving and, often, challenges too. More than any other time we seem to find ourselves with a few plates in the air. So, in keeping with this theme, I offer a literal juggling challenge.

Juggling is more than just a cool party trick. Keeping a few balls in the air can make our brains and bodies healthier! Any activity that requires you to move in patterns and think about what you are doing are called “complex ideomotor activities.” Ballroom dancing, tai chi and juggling are just a few examples.

Juggling has other benefits as well. It is a form of aerobic exercise which we know improves everyday thinking and reduces dementia risk. It activates coordination and balance skills and keeping an object in the air requires hand-eye coordination too. Juggling makes you think fast; it improves reaction time and your brain’s processing speed, all of which often diminish with age.

Ready? Let’s Juggle!

Gently toss and catch a ball, bean bag or even a scarf in your dominant hand.

Gently toss your object of choice in your non-dominant hand.

Toss it with the dominant hand and catch it with the non-dominant hand.

Now, using two objects, one in each hand, toss the object in the dominant hand toward the non-dominant shoulder while switching the object from the other hand to the dominant hand. Catch the first object with the empty hand.

Continue this circular motion gently catching and throwing with swinging forearms.

Got it? Well, if not, just keep trying! It really is fun, especially if you make it a group event…and your brain will thank you!

Susan Covey is the Acts Bayleigh Chase Fitness Director

As the weather cools, the temptation to move less can be strong. However, we must resist this temptation and strive to stay active no matter the number of daylight hours or less than perfect weather.

Since November is the month that reminds us of all the things in our life we are thankful for, let us make movement one of them. Our bodies were built to move, to walk, to bend, to reach, to stretch. Though everyone may not be ambulatory, chances are there is some part of your body that is still motile. Be grateful for whatever ability you do have and build on that. 

In addition to functional exercises, do not forget how great it is to get out and explore your surroundings. There are many beautiful and motivating places to see in our area and these in themselves are something to be thankful for.

Some of the wonderful adventures awaiting you on the Eastern Shore include Adkins Arboretum, Tuckahoe State Park, Martinak State Park, Pickering Creek, Blackwater Refuge just to name a few. 

How lucky are we to have so many outdoor destinations within an hour’s drive!

Make it your monthly mission to take a hike or stroll through one of our area’s magnificent attractions!

Susan Covey is the fitness director at Acts Bayleigh Chase in Easton.