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Quality is not an act,
it is a habit.
- Aristotle
Stretching and flexibility
Stretching is a powerful part of any exercise program. Most aerobic and strength training programs inherently cause your muscles to contract and flex. Stretching after you exercise promotes equal balance. Stretching also increases flexibility, improves range of motion of your joints and boosts circulation. Stretching can even promote better posture and relieve stress.
Balance Exercises
To get all of the benefits of physical activity, try all four types of exercise — endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. This section discusses balance exercises.
Important for Fall Prevention
Each year, more than one-third of people age 65 or older fall. Falls and fall-related injuries, such as hip fracture, can have a serious impact on an older person’s life. If you fall, it could limit your activities or make it impossible to live independently. Balance exercises, along with certain strength exercises, can help prevent falls by improving your ability to control and maintain your body’s position, whether you are moving or still.
Physical activity contributes to health by reducing the heart rate, decreasing the risk for cardiovascular disease, and reducing the amount of bone loss that is associated with age and osteoporosis. Physical activity also helps the body use calories more efficiently, thereby helping in weight loss and maintenance. It can also increase basal metabolic rate, reduces appetite, and helps in the reduction of body fat.
Falls
A fall can change your life. If you’re elderly, it can lead to disability and a loss of independence. If your bones are fragile from osteoporosis, you could break a bone, often a hip. But aging alone doesn’t make people fall. Diabetes and heart disease affect balance. So do problems with circulation, thyroid or nervous systems. Some medicines make people dizzy. Eye problems or alcohol can be factors. Any of these things can make a fall more likely. Babies and young children are also at risk of falling – off of furniture and down stairs, for example. Falls and accidents seldom “just happen.” Taking care of your health by exercising and getting regular eye exams and physicals may help reduce your chance of falling. Getting rid of ripping hazards in your home and wearing nonskid shoes may also help. To reduce the chances of breaking a bone if you do fall, make sure that you get enough calcium and vitamin D.
Keep your eyes on the stars,
and your feet on the ground.
- Theodore Roosevelt
Balance Problems
Have you ever felt dizzy, lightheaded, or as if the room is spinning around you? If the feeling happens often, it could be a sign of a balance problem. Balance problems can make you feel unsteady or as if you were moving, spinning, or floating. They are one cause of falls and fall-related injuries, such as hip fracture. Some balance problems are due to problems in the inner ear. Others may involve another part of the body, such as the brain or the heart. Aging, infections, head injury, certain medicines, or problems with blood circulation may result in a balance problem. If you are having balance problems, see your doctor. Balance disorders can be signs of other health problems, such as an ear infection or a stroke. In some cases, treating the illness that is causing the disorder will help with the balance problem. Exercises, a change in diet, and some medicines also can help.
Nobody cares how much you know,
until they know how much you care.
- Theodore Roosevelt
Aphasia is a disorder caused by damage to the parts of the brain that control language. It can make it hard for you to read, write, and say what you mean to say. It is most common in adults who have had a stroke. Brain tumors, infections, injuries, and dementia can also cause it. The type of problem you have and how bad it is depends on which part of your brain is
damaged and how much damage there is. There are four main types:
- Expressive aphasia – you know what you want to say, but you have trouble saying or writing what you mean
- Receptive aphasia – you hear the voice or see the print, but you can’t make sense of the words
- Anomic aphasia – you have trouble using the correct word for objects, places, or events
- Global aphasia – you can’t speak, understand speech, read, or write
Some people recover from aphasia without treatment.
Explore the Stroke Awareness Resource Center
Learn how to raise stroke awareness during National Stroke Awareness Month in May and throughout the year. Explore the Resource Center for programs and activities aimed to increase public awareness of lifesaving stroke information and provide the stroke community a role in the act of raising awareness. Join stroke champions across the U.S. by encouraging others to be aware and share knowledge about stroke.