Outdoor Adventures

It’s Summer! Round of applause!!!

You complained all winter about the dreary weather and now that hibernation season is over, why are you still Netflix binging on the couch?! The sun is out and the weather is as good as it will be all year, so why not give the great outdoors some love?

As you’ve likely heard, exercise has loads of evidence on positive health benefits. Let’s spend a little time elaborating on a couple of my favorites: hiking and kayaking.

Hiking

While you won’t find a large mountain to climb in IL, you will find several local and not so local parks and canyons to explore.

To name a few:

• Starved Rock
• Matthiessen State Park
•       Shawnee National Forest
• Giant City State Park
•       Fern Cliff State Park
• Rock Cut State Park

Health Benefits of Hiking

• Fight off heart disease. Those who do not exercise are twice as likely to have coronary heart disease.
• Lower your blood pressure. Physical activity lowers BP 4-10 points. Regaining a normal body weight can lower it 5-20 points.
• Manage and prevent diabetes. Exercise can reduce the amount of insulin needed and can potentially reverse the course of the disease for those with Type II.
• Improve your cholesterol levels.
• Lose and maintain a healthy weight.
• Decrease your risk of colon cancer.
• Fight stress. Walking releases adrenaline thus helping to decrease tension and anxiety.
• Increase bone density and slow the rate of calcium loss responsible for osteoporosis.
• Manage osteoarthritis. Motion is lotion! Walking is a low impact activity good for assisting with maintaining strong, healthy bones and muscles.

Kayaking

Pick a lake. Burn calories. Rest. Enjoy scenery. Repeat. All while getting tanned and toned. Who can argue with that?

Health benefits of Kayaking

• Take in extra Vitamin D necessary for healthy bones.
• Improved breathing efficiency and cardiovascular endurance.
• Decreased fat and increased lean muscle mass. Think strong arms, legs, back and core.
• De-stress. Being by water is shown to assist with relaxation and with the endorphins from exercise, it is a win-win!

Take home: regular exercise has been proven to have a positive effect on lengthening and improving the quality of our lives. You want to be around to complain about next winter right? So, what are you waiting for? Get outside!

Katie Green, PT, DPT

ACTIVE AGING

What is active ageing? “Active ageing is the process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age. The goal being to extend peoples healthy life expectancies and quality of life as they get older.”

Active ageing does not just mean physical health, but social, religious, civic and economic as well.

I had some experience with active ageing this past week as I just came back from visiting my parents in Florida. Now, although at 60 years old, I consider my parents young, my dad and I took a few minutes to talk about some concerns he had for my mom and him.

First, he was worried about his balance. He has been doing a lot of reading about how balance decreases as one ages. One thing we talked about was trying out some yoga poses. This doesn’t mean running off to try a yoga class that may at first seem intimidating, but we went over a few basic yoga poses (tree pose, warrior I, and down dog) for him to begin working on. He was amazed at how difficult it was to maintain his balance and how tight he felt in his muscles. But after trying these few simple moves a few times, he already felt more confident in the movement patterns, more flexible into the poses and increased his time he could balance. Starting with a slow yoga flow class is a great way to progress these balance challenges and would also lead into increasing his social circle.

The age of individuals in my parents gated community range from 55 – 90 years old. They come from all over the United States and have had so many different careers! One thing my mom and dad started this “summer” is having a monthly pool party. Unlike my parents, (who are completely enjoying their retirement and go to the pool on a daily basis) many of the residents on their street don’t frequent the pool. But these monthly, themed pool parties were a huge hit! Everyone wanted to be a part of it. They were able to socialize and learn about their past experiences over a simple potluck and some water balloons.

My dad also became a part of his homeowner’s association board. He is the treasurer and attends the regular meetings, taking care of the finances for bills for outside home improvement, social functions, etc. This is a great way for my dad to be an active part of the decision making of his community, and keeps his brain working with maintaining the books!

My mom gets together monthly with the “ladies of the neighborhood” as a social gathering, but they also help put together assistance if a neighbor needs someone to look after their house, a spouse is sick, and organizes day trips to see the sites of Florida.

My parents have done an amazing job staying active physically, socially, and developing their sense of community since they have moved full time to Florida. They definitely give me a goal to aspire to!

So there you go….choose a physical activity you have always wanted to try and give it a go. Get together with some neighbors and organize a fun social event in your city. Attend a community board meeting and see how you can make your neighborhood safer….there are plenty of ways to actively age! Have fun!!

-Jen Bazan, PT, DPT

 

Spring Cleaning

                                                       

Spring into Cleaning up your Health

This winter has been brutal, snow since November, arctic blasts lasting weeks on end. It has been never ending, but March brings hope that warmth will soon be on its way. Spring cleaning is a great way to start off spring, but spring cleaning does not solely involve your house or garage. Many forget that spring is the perfect time to clean up your habits to improve your overall health. Here are some tips to jump start your spring cleaning to improve your health:

• Visit your local farmer’s market. By adding colorful fruits and vegetables to your diet you can increase the amount and types of nutrients your body receives. Benefits to incorporating fruits and veggies into your diet include: lowering your blood pressure, lowering your cholesterol, lowering your risk of eye and digestive problems, and increasing the amount of fiber in your diet to keep you satiated. Not only can you find healthy produce at your farmer’s market, but you are also supporting local businesses.
• Schedule your annual health screens and checkups. This does not only include visiting your primary care physician, but also, your dentist. Checkups allow you to develop a relationship with your physician, and provides education regarding important numbers that every adult should know. This includes blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, blood sugar, and body mass index. Depending on your age and health status, your physician can provide you with a time line of when important medical screens should occur, which will help prevent illness.
• Clean out your medicine cabinet.
  • Check expiration dates, medicines that are past their shelf life are not as effective.
  • Look at what the pills in the bottle actually look like. Check to see if the color, consistency, or odor has changed. Are they stuck together? If you notice any of these changes, dispose of them.
• Get outside… It’s SPRING! The best way to improve your health is to get active! Walk your dog, take your kids on a bike ride, register for a 5K or try something new altogether. Staying active and taking in the great outdoors will help improve your mood and beat those winter blues.

Spring is a great time to improve healthy habits. Take advantage of the sun shine and warmer weather, it is well deserved after 4 months of shoveling snow!!!

-Heather Finnegan, DPT