Stay Healthy at Home with Hal & Joanne of Body Break!

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There has never been a better time to take control of your health! The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that age is not the best predictor of health outcomes – frailty is. This is a condition of reduced health and function that can make your body more susceptible to illnesses like the flu, shingles, or COVID-19. Keeping your body physically and mentally fit is the key to improving these outcomes! Things like getting vaccinated, optimizing your medications, and improving your diet can help you to AVOID frailty. But the most important thing you can do, is to increase your activity level! The Canadian Frailty Network is proud to partner with Hal and Joanne of Body Break to highlight some of the ways you can stay active and healthy as you age! Want to find out more? Watch here:

Combining aerobic, strength, and balance exercises into your daily routine can help you to improve muscle and bone strength. Aim to get 30 minutes of exercise each day – try dividing this into three 10-minute intervals! Here are some examples of simple activities you can incorporate into your daily routine to reduce your risk of frailty:

Aerobics:

Go for a walk or a jog: walking is a great way to get your heart rate elevated and strengthen your leg muscles!

Strength:

Use household items as weights – soup cans, books, or jars can all be used. As this gets easier, you can use heavier objects! Here are some ways you can build strength at home:

• Shoulder press: sit down, stand with your knees slightly bent, or hold a wall or counter for balance. Hold your weight and bend your elbow so that the weight is at your ear level. Press up towards the sky and straighten your arm. Repeat this 5-10 times on each side.
• Squats: start by sitting safely at the front of a sturdy chair. Use another chair in front of you if needed to stand up, then slowly sit back down. Repeat this 5-10 times daily. If this is easy for you, then you can remove the chair and practice bending your knees and sitting your weight back in your heels, and then standing up straight.

Balance:

Balance is so important to reduce your risk of falls. Here is an exercise you can practice daily to improve balance:

• Leg lifts: stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a counter or wall if needed. Slowly lift your knee, hold, and slowly lower. Repeat this 5-10 times on each leg!

Sign up for our newsletter Connections here, or visit avoidfrailty.ca to learn more about how you can AVOID frailty!