Climb Stairs Till You Are Just Out Of Breath

If you are unsteady on your feet, wait until you get stronger to try this, or start off by holding the rail. If you hold the rail, try to barely touch it until you acquire the confidence to do without it. Instead of keeping your eyes on the stairs all the time, try to look ahead a few steps at a time as you descend. If you find this difficult, build up to it by stepping on and off a low step stool while alternating feet. Once you master that, check the stairs again. Work on increasing the number of flights you’re taking and on letting go of the rail. Your goal is to descend an entire flight without looking at your feet and without touching the rail. Climb stairs till you are just out of breath. Now let go of the rail and look straight ahead, not down at the stairs. Then increase the number of flights. If you don’t have too many flights to climb, take every opportunity to choose the stairs rather than the easier method. Did you know that going down stairs is a more effective bone stimulus than walking? Astronauts in space put their pants on both legs at a time! How do you put yours on and take them off? And how do you put on and take off your shoes, socks, or pantyhose? Do you place your heel on your other knee for balance? What you ultimately want to aim for is to maintain your erect posture and bring the foot up as high as you can.

Tomorrow Never Knows

This way you’ll be building the best balance skills. My good friend Judy tells me I owe her a lot of money for the pantyhose she tore when she was working on mastering this habit! It is a small price to pay for regaining good balance. Morning and evening, try to improve your technique when you put on and take off your socks, shoes, and trousers. You will be amazed at your progress within two weeks. This is one of the best and easiest habits you can build into your daily activities to improve your overall balance, and it couldn’t be more convenient. You are going to be getting dressed and undressed anyway, so you might as well use the process to your best advantage! Without visual cues, you have to rely on good posture. Standing correctly will automatically cause your abdominal muscles to contract, which keeps you from toppling over. You will come to realize how much you depend on your eyes for staying upright, instead of using your sense of gravity. Using a manual can opener gives benefits, too. Plus, it’s energy efficient, reaches into every corner, and sweeps your stress away. After a light snowfall, I use a broom instead of the shovel. It does a much better job, and it is quiet and fun.

Stick To Your Guns

Don’t you envy their erect posture and strong spines? Though most of us do not have to carry water on our head, we can form the same habit. Working at your computer is a good start. You will get better at this with perseverance and the activity’s star rating will rise. A variation is to make a game of it, especially if you have children or grandchildren in the house. Timing how long one can keep a plastic bowl of water from falling is a great game for young and old. Failure means getting wet! Children may find it harder to do sitting down because they will have to sit still. Now there’s a challenge! Do not do this if you have glaucoma or high blood pressure without first checking with your doctor. I remember being very upset when my teenage kids would loll in their beloved bean bag chairs, feet up in the air, doing homework! They probably did a great deal of good to their brains. It is said that 20 percent of the body’s daily energy is used by the brain, and most of it is for basic maintenance of its neurons. The brain does not make its own glucose, so it depends on blood to transport oxygen and glucose to the neurons, the brain’s nerve cells you want to keep healthy. The oxygen is needed to burn the glucose and so provide the energy to make the proteins the brain needs to function. Did you ever notice how children seem to spend so much time with their head down, looking through their legs? Sleep with one pillow, or none.

A Leap Of Faith

Lie on your back, legs up, then push your hips up, supported by your hands, upper back, and shoulders. Why did we ever stop doing that? Rediscover the thrill of exercise. How high can you go? It is a great acceleration stimulus for your inner ear and balance. Instead of meeting your friends at a restaurant, organize a swing picnic! Or meet your friends at a playground for an hour after school to play and supervise children that may join you. Both children and parents will love you for it and it is a great activity. If no one shows up, you get the swings to yourself! Even just rocking in a rocking chair, though obviously not as powerful, still provides gravity benefits to the mechanism in the inner ear that helps us maintain balance and orient ourselves to our surroundings. Ballroom dancing may look sedate, but when done with good form it is surprisingly taxing. With each small, quick step, you allow your upper body to bounce in rhythm. Other folk dance styles, such as Irish step dancing, provide similar benefits. Many switch to conducting as well, which is very physically taxing. You only have to watch to appreciate the intensity of their concentration and effort. If you cannot play an instrument, how about learning to play one? Do you carry your own golf clubs from shot to shot? If you are not up to this level of fitness, at least consider forgoing the electric