Who Am I and What Do I Do?

I was at a Christmas party this weekend and met a few new people. Of course, one of the first questions that always comes up is "What do you do?"

It always takes a while to explain exactly what I do, and people often seem a little confused until they fully understand it, so I wanted to set the record straight.

I'm Mike Ross and I help people over 60 live healthier. I do this several ways. First, I work with seniors by way of classes, one-on-one training, consultations, and lectures. Second, I provide written information through my website, newsletter, articles, and my book, The Balance Manual.

I am constantly searching for new and innovative approaches to senior fitness. I try to absorb as much health and fitness information as possible, and then apply it in a way that helps people live longer and better.

All that's a little harder to explain than the average job, but once people understand it, they're usually pretty interested.

Senior Exercise Clip on YouTube

Check out my new YouTube video.  It's called The Four Essential Components to an Effective Senior Exercise Program.  It covers:

Cardio

Strength

Balance

Flexibility

The video explains the basics of each area, like how often you should do them and why they're important, and also gives some examples.

Introducing the New Total Senior Fitness Blog!

I've started a new blog called Total Senior Fitness.  Whereas this blog is more centered on balance exercises for fall prevention, the new blog will cover all areas of senior fitness like:

• Strength training
• Stretching
• Cardiovascular training
• Healthy eating
• Mental fitness

Of course, you'll still see some balancing information over there as well.

Click here to check it out.

Better Balance Lecture

I will be giving a lecture on balance training and fall prevention at Gottlieb Hospital in Melrose Park on Thursday, October 2nd, at 7 pm.  We will discuss:

• Why balance gets worse as you age.
• How to improve balance.
• How to strengthen your legs.
• How to prevent falls at home.

The lecture is free and is open to the public.

How to Improve Balance

There's three things you need if you want to improve your balance.

1. You have to believe that balance can be improved.

2. You have to do the right balance exercises.

3. You have to devote ten minutes a day to doing the exercises.

It's a very simple formula.  Each point is equally important.  If you don't believe balance can be improved, check out this article on Balance and Aging.

If you need the correct balance exercises, check out The Balance Manual at Balance-Exercises.com, which will show you everything you need to know to start doing simple balance exercises at home with no equipment in just ten minutes a day.

Linked in Profile

You can view my LinkedIn profile here http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeross81.

Exercises to Improve Balance

More and more seniors are starting to engage in regular exercise. It's no surprise, given that almost every day another study comes out about how exercise can improve longevity and vitality. Most senior exercise programs focus on cardiovascular exercise to increase energy levels and improve heart health. Some seniors will also throw in some strength training. Every one of these people should also be doing exercises to improve balance. We know that if your sense of balance is not used much, it will deteriorate, just like your muscles and heart will deteriorate if they are not used. So if you are doing exercises for your heart, and exercises for your muscles, why wouldn't you also add in a few exercises for balance? The great thing about balance exercises is that they only take a few minutes, and they won't wear you out. Also, you can do that at home or at the health club, whenever is convenient for you.

Exciting Research

The cover story in U.S. News and World Report this week dealt with keeping your brain fit as you age. The gist of the story is that even in old age, the brain is still capable of improving its function if given the correct stimulus. Doing exercises that stimulate your brain can cause your neurons to form new dendrites. These new connections can lead to improvements in mental sharpness.

This supports the general idea that led to the idea for my book, The Balance Manual, which is that you can improve your brain and body by giving it the right stimulus. Exercise can make your heart and muscles stronger. Mental exercise can improve your brain. And balance exercises can improve your balance. When we do balancing exercises, we are trying to harness the process described in the previous paragraph. We hope that the brain will form new connections in the area that regulates balance and equilibrium.

Click here to read the whole brain fitness article.

Balance Training - The Missing Link

These days, more and more seniors are joining health clubs. Great! The typical exercise program involves using treadmills, stationary bikes, and weight machines. The only problem is that these machines don't do a very good job of training your sense of balance.

Most people hold on to the handles when on the treadmill, which means their brain doesn't have to worry about balance. Using an actual bike does train your balance because you have to make sure it doesn't tip over,but when was the last time you saw a stationary bike tip over? Not a chance. No balance necessary. Then there's the weight machines. Almost all of them put you in the seated position. Some even have seatbelts!

You get the idea. If your exercise program resembles the above, you need to be doing balance exercises as well. Otherwise, you will have strong muscles and a strong heart, but poor balance. That would be like having a truck that has 400 horse-power and gets 60 miles per gallon but also tips over everytime you try to turn.

Visit www.balance-exercises.com today to see how you can easily add balance training to your exercise program.

Components of Fall Prevention

There are three big things you can start doing right away to help prevent falls:

1. Start doing balance exercises.

2. Strengthen your legs.

3. Eliminate tripping hazards in your home.

If you are unfamiliar with balance exercises for fall prevention check out www.balance-exercises.com.

Welcome

Welcome to the "Balance Exercises for Fall Prevention" blog. This site is devoted to improving quality of life in senior citizens by improving balance and reducing falls. We will also cover a variety of topics within the senior fitness realm, like strength-training, flexibility, cardiovascular training, and mental stimulation. For now, if you want to learn more about stability exercises for senior citizens, visit http://www.balance-exercises.com/.