Health and Exercise Professionals

Stronger Seniors Chair Exercise Program Manual Outline

By Anne Pringle Burnell

Exercise Guidelines

For use with the Stronger Seniors Chair Exercise Program

Stronger Seniors is committed to helping seniors live the healthiest life possible.  Since a healthy lifestyle includes regular exercise and physical activity, we are providing the Stronger Seniors ^â Chair Exercise Guidelines to you.

The Stronger Seniors program was created specifically for seniors and those with limited mobility. Stronger Seniors exercises are gentle and safe, and designed as a balanced program. Used together, the Stretch and Strength DVDs provide a variety of routines with specific benefits. Exercisers should alternate the use of the DVDs for the best results.

Table of Contents

Safety Tips ……………………     page  3

Benefits of Exercise…………    page  4

Equipment ……………………      page  5

Stretching……………………       page   6

Strength Training……………    page   6

Motivation  …………………..     page   7

Chronic Illness ………………    page   9

Resources……………………….   Page 12

Safety Tips

The Stronger Seniorsâ Chair Exercise program was created with safety as the highest priority. While exercise and nutrition are important to the overall health of seniors, we do not want to injure ourselves in the process.

The Stretch and Strength DVDs include a safety insert that should be read before beginning the program, but some important tips are emphasized below.

Always consult your healthcare professional before beginning any exercise program (see page 4.)

So, before you begin exercising-

• Start slowly, especially if you have not been active for a long time. Little by little build up your activities and how hard you work at them.
• Do not hold your breath during stretching or strength exercises. This could cause changes in your blood pressure. It may seem strange at first, but you should breathe out as you lift something, and breathe in as you relax.
• Unless your doctor has asked you to limit fluids, be sure to drink plenty of water before, during, and after, performing exercise. Many older adults don’t feel thirsty even if their body needs fluids.
• Always bend forward from the hips, not the waist. If you keep your back straight, you are probably bending the right way. If your back “humps,” that is probably wrong, especially if you are suffering from Kyphosis (forward rounding of your upper back).
• Warm up your muscles before you stretch. Try walking in place and light arm pumping first.

You should NOT exercise until checking with your doctor or health care provider if you have:

ü     Chest pain

ü     Irregular, rapid or fluttery heart beat

ü     Severe shortness of breath

ü     Significant ongoing weight loss that hasn’t been diagnosed

ü     Infections such as pneumonia, accompanied by fever

ü     Fever, which can cause dehydration and rapid heart beat

ü     Acute deep-vein thrombosis (blood clot)

ü     A hernia that is causing symptoms

ü     Foot or ankle sores that won’t heal

ü     Joint swelling

ü     Persistent pain or a problem walking after you have fallen

ü     Certain eye conditions, such as bleeding in the retina or detached retina.

ü     Before beginning to exercise after cataract surgery, lens implant, or laser treatment.

Benefits of Exercise

As an older adult, regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. It can prevent many of the health problems that seem to come with age. It also helps your muscles grow stronger so you can keep doing your day-to-day activities, thus becoming less dependent on others.

Exercise should not cause pain or make you feel really tired. You might feel some soreness, a little discomfort, or a bit weary, but you should not feel pain. In fact, in many ways, being active will probably make you feel better.

Older adults who have found a way to weave exercise into their lives have lowered their risk for serious health conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, poor digestion and obesity.

Benefits of Exercise (Continued)

Not only does it stave off health problems, exercise actually adds independence and confidence to your life. There are many positive outcomes including flexibility and posture, help with balance, increased strength, coordination and reduction of falls.

Strength training also helps alleviate the symptoms of chronic conditions such as arthritis and helps older adults maintain or lose weight because it revs up the metabolism and increases muscle mass as it helps to burn more calories.

Many benefits of exercise aren’t just physical. Exercise aids your sleep by helping you to fall asleep more quickly, sleep more deeply and awaken less often during the night.

It’s a mood booster, too! Endorphins produced by exercise reduce feelings of sadness or depression. Being active and feeling strong naturally helps you feel more self-confident and self-assured. This improved sense of well-being enhances your overall mood and attitude about life.

Equipment

The only equipment you’ll need to do practice the Stronger Seniorsâ  Program is a straight-backed chair such as a kitchen chair.  Do not use a folding chair.

The ‘Strength’ DVD requires a 1-3 pound hand weight.  If you do not have a hand weight, a can of soup will work as well.  Beginners need not use the weight.  Simply perform the movements without weight as you build up your strength.

Stronger Seniors^â program is unique in that the routines include not only the ‘Basic Four’ of fitness (Cardiovascular, Stretching, Strength Training, and Balance), it also focuses on the “Functional Four’ of fitness (Coordination, Posture, Core Strength, and Breathing.)

Keep in mind that while both DVDs are over 45 minutes, you are encouraged to listen to your body and do only what you are able to do, even if it is only five minutes.  As exercise becomes a regular part of your lifestyle, your endurance and strength will increase.

The Stretch Program

Slow and gentle exercises designed to increase range of motion, flexibility, and mobility.
 Focuses on Functional Fitness, that is, keeping you in shape to do all the things you do in daily life that we have come to take for granted- bending over to tie shoes or pick something up, reaching up for a teacup, etcetera.

The Stretch Program is 44 minutes long, but you can complete as much as you feel comfortable, and pick up the next time!

The Strength Program

Maintains Circulation, Muscle Mass, Bone Density (to prevent osteoporosis and fractures), and Balance.

The Strength Program is 51 minutes in length, and includes a warm-up, 17 minutes of chair aerobics, and 20 minutes of strength exercises.

There is a nine-minute segment at the end of the Strength Program where the participants stand, holding on to the back of the chair and do balance exercise.

Again, if you cannot do these standing exercises, do not feel badly.  The important thing is that you are doing something that will improve your overall quality of life.

Motivation

If you have not exercised in a while, the motivation to start and motivation to keep it up could be tough. Frail and out of shape people may be discouraged at how little they can do right away.

Listening to your body will tell you when to rest. Record how many minutes of exercise you do each day.

Time to exercise is for you, so make it an appointment in your book. It takes 3-6 weeks to create a new habit, and also the same amount of time to feel the training effect of exercise on your body.

Give it a try for at least six weeks.  For a simple log to record your progress,  see below or go to

www.strongerseniors.com/exercise-log-for-seniors/

Also, research shows that if people have a “buddy”, or feel part of a group, they are more likely to stick with an exercise program.

Common Chronic Health Conditions

A) DIABETES

Our bodies change the foods we eat into glucose.  Glucose travels through the bloodstream to fuel our cells.  Insulin is a hormone that helps our bodies use glucose for energy.  People with diabetes either do not make insulin, or do not use insulin properly, or both.  This means they have too much glucose (sugar) in their blood.  As a result they may feel tired, hungry, or thirsty, they may lose weight, urinate often, or have trouble with their eyes.  In time these high levels of glucose can damage their kidneys, eyes, and nerves.  It can also cause heart disease, strokes, and even the need for amputation.  Type I diabetes is often first seen in children, teens, or adults under 30 and requires insulin every day.  Type II diabetes is when the body produces insulin, but doesn’t use it the right way. Formerly known as “adult-onset diabetes”, type II is linked to obesity, lack of activity, and family history.  African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, and some Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are at high risk for type II diabetes. (* National Institute on Aging)

DO: Endurance, stretch, strength, coordination, balance

AVOID: overexertion, become dehydrated.

B)       ARTHRITIS

With osteoarthritis the joint cartilage breaks down resulting in stiffness and reduced mobility typically with onset during middle or old age that is characterized by degenerative and sometimes hypertrophic changes in the bone and cartilage of one or more joints and a progressive wearing down of apposing joint surfaces with consequent distortion of joint position and is marked symptomatically especially by pain, swelling, and stiffness.

Rheumatoid Arthritis: usually chronic disease that is considered an autoimmune disease and is characterized especially by pain, stiffness, inflammation, swelling, and sometimes destruction of joints. (* Mayo Clinic)

DO: Stretch, coordination, posture, core

AVOID: Overexertion, joint pain.

C) MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

An unpredictable disease of the central nervous system, multiple sclerosis (MS) can range from relatively benign to somewhat disabling to devastating, as communication between the brain and other parts of the body is disrupted.  Many investigators believe MS to be an autoimmune disease — one in which the body, through its immune system, launches a defensive attack against its own tissues. In the case of MS, it is the nerve-insulating myelin that comes under assault. Such assaults may be linked to an unknown environmental trigger, perhaps a virus.

Most people experience their first symptoms of MS between the ages of 20 and 40; the initial symptom of MS is often blurred or double vision, red-green color distortion, or even blindness in one eye.  Most MS patients experience muscle weakness in their extremities and difficulty with coordination and balance.  These symptoms may be severe enough to impair walking or even standing. In the worst cases, MS can produce partial or complete paralysis.  Most people with MS also exhibit paresthesias, transitory abnormal sensory feelings such as numbness, prickling, or “pins and needles” sensations.  Some may also experience pain.  Speech impediments, tremors, and dizziness are other frequent complaints. Occasionally, people with MS have hearing loss. Approximately half of all people with MS experience cognitive impairments such as difficulties with concentration, attention, memory, and poor judgment, but such symptoms are usually mild and are frequently overlooked.  Depression is another common feature of MS. (* National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

DO: Stretch, Coordination, Balance, Upper body strength

AVOID: Sudden movement, or contractions of multiple muscle groups at the same time, isometric contractions.

D) STROKE

A stroke is when blood can’t flow to a part of the brain.  When the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen and nutrients it needs from the blood, its cells are damaged or begin to die.  If brain cells are only hurt they can sometimes be repaired.  But brain cells that have died can’t be brought back to life.  This means that the brain may stop sending signals to other parts of the body that control things like speaking thinking, and walking.

Warning signs: CALL 911 RIGHT AWAY if you see any of these warning signs

• Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, leg, especially on one side of the body.
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden problems seeing in one eye, or both eyes
• Sudden dizziness, loss of balance or coordination, or trouble walking
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause

(National Institute on Aging)

DO:  After doctor’s release and rehabilitation, mild cardio, stretching, coordination

AVOID: Overexertion

E) PARKINSON’S

Parkinson’s disease (PD) belongs to a group of conditions called motor system disorders, which are the result of the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells. The four primary symptoms of PD are tremor, or trembling in hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face; rigidity, or stiffness of the limbs and trunk; bradykinesia, or slowness of movement; and postural instability, or impaired balance and coordination. As these symptoms become more pronounced, patients may have difficulty walking, talking, or completing other simple tasks. PD usually affects people over the age of 50.  Early symptoms of PD are subtle and occur gradually.  In some people the disease progresses more quickly than in others.  As the disease progresses, the shaking, or tremor, which affects the majority of PD patients may begin to interfere with daily activities.  Other symptoms may include depression and other emotional changes; difficulty in swallowing, chewing, and speaking; urinary problems or constipation; skin problems; and sleep disruptions.  There are no blood or laboratory tests available to diagnose PD.

DO: Breathing, balance, stretch, strength, coordination, posture, PT functional training of sitting and standing for caretakers and client.

AVOID: Directional changes, walking backwards, and crossing legs over the other while traveling. (grapevine)

F) HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

High Blood pressure or hypertension may have no symptoms that you can see or feel.  It is sometimes called the silent killer.  It can lead to stroke, heart disease, eye problems, or kidney failure.  The first number is your systolic pressure.  This tells you how much the blood flowing through your blood vessel pushes against the vessel walls as your heart beats.  The second number, diastolic pressure, measures the pressure while the heart relaxes between beats. Normal is: systolic less then 120 and diastolic pressure less than 80. (i.e. 119/79) In older adults the first number is often high, but the second number is normal.  This is isolated systolic hypertension.

DO: Stretch, balance, coordination, core,

AVOID: Strength training with both arms overhead, systemic movements

G) CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE

In CHF, the heart can’t empty it’s load of blood with each beat, resulting in a backup of fluid throughout the body, including the lungs.  Disturbances in heart rhythm also are common in CHF. The muscles tend to waste away badly in people with CHF, leaving them weak, sometimes to the point that they can’t perform everyday tasks.  No medicine has a direct muscle-strengthening effect, but muscle-building exercise can help them improve muscle strength. Keeping in touch with your doctor or healthcare provider is very important for people with CHF. Endurance exercises may improve how well the heart and lungs work in people with CHF, BUT only those who are in a stable phase of the disease.  These endurance exercises could be harmful to people who are in an unstable phase of the disease. (National Institute on Aging)

DO: Strength, balance, stretch, core

AVOID: Endurance while in unstable phase

H) OSTEOPOROSIS

Bone is living tissue.  To keep your bones strong your body is always breaking down old bone and replacing it with new bone tissue.  As people enter their 40’s and 50’s more bone is broken down than is being replaced. When you have osteoporosis the honeycomb like spaces inside the bones grow larger and the bone becomes thinner.  A bone density test is recommended for those over 50.  Osteopenia indicates that you have bone loss, this may develop into osteoporosis.  Weight-bearing exercises are best for prevention of osteoporosis. (National Institute on Aging)

DO: Strength, balance, posture, endurance

AVOID: unstable surfaces, falling, heavy loads overhead

I) OTHER MEDICAL CONDITIONS

These require a doctor’s release: Abdominal Aortic Aneurism – a weakness in the wall of the heart’s major outgoing artery. Critical aortic stenosis – a narrowing of one of the valves of the heart.

Resources

Helpful links to information you can use to live a longer, stronger life.

www.cigna.com/cmgaz/healthyliving/seniors.html

www.ncoa.org

www.webmd.com

www.cdc.gov

www.strongerseniors.com

Other DVD Programs by Stronger Seniors~

Core Fitness

Core Strength

Chair Yoga

Balance and Posture

WeightedToning Ball

Stronger Seniors® is a subsidiary of Spectrum Music & Video LLC.

c.2011 all rights reserved.