benefits of exercise – Page 2

March 21, 2019April 14, 2021

Spring’s Moving in So Get Moving

Start exercising outside this Spring!

With the faint feeling of spring right around the corner, it’s time to get outside and enjoy the nicer days. We are leaving winter behind us and getting ready for hopefully warmer and sunnier days. We get it, exercising in the winter can be difficult, but with the days getting longer and flowers blooming its time to go outdoors and enjoy Spring. For older adults exercising outdoors can be daunting, but the fresh air will help add a change to your life and refresh your want to exercise.

In the study “Outdoor physical activity and self-rated health in older adults living in two regions of the U.S.” addresses the effect on older people exercising outside and the benefits they experience. The study found that people who exercise outside have a better and longer workout than those who work out inside. Exercising outside can be a short walk or even sitting in nature while doing any sort of movement. Improvements include help with vitamin D deficiency, reduced depression and increased bone health. Next time you are working on your exercises at home, try doing them in nature.

How to find motivation?

The best and easiest way to begin exercising is to find a friend. Making plans with other people to meet at the park or an exercise class will increase your motivation and help you stay dedicated. You are far less likely to cancel on your friend, but it is simple to cancel on yourself. There is always an excuse when you are by yourself but going with other people will make sure you are accountable. A friend can also be a furry friend. Walking your dog is plenty of exercise, they too will hold you accountable for your daily walk.

Sometimes we all need a change. If you are feeling down from the winter blues, now is the time to change. By mixing your routine, you will find the motivation to keep exercising. If you like walking, try changing your route or scenery. Not all change has to be extreme, small changes here and there can be enough to find your motivation. By keeping your exercise routine diverse and varied you will not become as bored with your daily routine.

Any form of exercising is better than nothing at all. For older adults exercising outdoors can make a change in your life, breathing some fresh air rejuvenating your mentality.

You can also add a spring in your step and join a Siel Bleu class near you!

***Disclaimer: The information in this post is for reference only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical expertise or advice. If you have any concerns about your own or another’s health, then please contact your doctor.

March 14, 2019April 14, 2021

Combatting Loneliness with Exercise

No one should feel alone, exercise can help you regain your happiness

Loneliness and social isolation are some of the biggest issues facing older people in Ireland today. While loneliness doesn’t discriminate, our older populations are often those most at risk. People aged 65+ who live alone are significantly more likely to experience loneliness and with one in three older adults living alone, this only adds to their susceptibility to developing dementia and other chronic diseases. In the last number of years, we’re becoming more aware of the impact of loneliness on our overall health and as our population ages, now, more than ever, it’s vital we put into place measures to combat this crippling issue.

In today’s blog post, we’re highlighting how organisations with similar intentions can work together to reduce loneliness and isolation amongst our older population.

After her husband’s death four years ago, Mary Dunne, who will turn 79 this April, found life to be very lonely. Having worked as a cleaner in London for years, Mary spent much of her later life as a carer for her husband Richard and upon his death four years ago, she found herself at a loose end. Mary’s story is unfortunately not dissimilar from hundreds of older adults who have spent considerable time caring for a loved one and find themselves alone after their passing.

ALONE is a national charity that provides a multitude of services for thousands of Ireland’s older adults who are homeless, socially isolated, living in deprivation or in crisis. Mary became linked to ALONE five years ago when she received accommodation support for her and her late husband. “My husband and I were in a dump of a bungalow, it was dreadful damp. I’d never heard of ALONE before that, but I rang them on a Friday and on Monday they’d gone to the council on my behalf and about four weeks later we moved.”

After Richard’s passing, Mary continued to be supported by the charity and became a beneficiary of ALONE’s Befriending Service, which provides companionship to older people who are socially isolated through a weekly volunteer visit. “Helen comes to me every Wednesday, she takes me shopping and brings me back home and we can have a cup of tea. Sometimes we even go for a bit of lunch. I’d be lost without her.” Through the Befriending Service, hundreds of older adults like Mary are supported with friendship and help with necessities such as shopping which can be daunting to an older person.

Over the last 18 months, Siel Bleu Ireland and ALONE have been looking at ways to work together to help reduce social isolation and loneliness for older adults and ensure they can remain inclusive members of society. One such way is letting the older adults linked with ALONE know about the Siel Bleu exercise classes in their area. Exercise is proven to help older adults regain or maintain their physical function, by doing so, it can contribute to their confidence in their own abilities and their independence.

In September 2018, Mary began attending our community exercise class in the St. Benedict’s Housing for the Elderly Community Room in Malahide. “A girl from ALONE told me about the exercise class and I said ‘Oh yeah!’ I thought it would be great to get out of the bungalow for a while,” said Mary. Every Thursday afternoon, Mary attends the Chair Gym class delivered by Siel Bleu Physical Trainer Michelle Lynch. “The classes in St Benedict’s bring people who live on site and from the wider community each Thursday,” says Michelle about the class, “The work consists of resistance training, balance work, walking and some games. It’s a great social outlet for the people who come to the class as it allows them to meet new people.”

Five months on Mary is still a weekly regular of the class and is benefitting in more ways than one. “Michelle’s (Siel Bleu Physical Trainer) a great girl, she’s helped me an awful lot with the exercise and mostly, we have a great laugh, it cheers me up because I can get very low as I’m on my own, except for my dog and my cat. Everyone here (in the class) is lovely as well, they’re very welcoming and we get on great.”

“I’ve lost a stone since coming to the classes last September,” continued Mary “and I’m off blood pressure tablets, I feel great. The doctor even said to me she thinks it’s great.”

“Mary’s come on leaps and bounds,” says Michelle about Mary’s progress, “I’ve seen her grow in confidence and is determined to give her best each week. She has met new friends and is looking to join a dance class now, as it’s something she’s always loved.”

By working together and sharing information about the support of other like-minded organisations, we can make sure Ireland is a better place to grow old. We want to make sure that loneliness in older adults decreases because just as we get older does not mean we have to become less happy.

For more information about ALONE and their services visit their website. To find a Siel Bleu class near you click here.

December 13, 2018April 14, 2021

The Importance of Active Ageing

Ageing is wrongly associated with decline, when in reality it just means we have to work that bit harder to look after ourselves. As we age it’s important that we exercise regularly, look after our nutrition and stay active within the community and our social network. The longer we neglect any of these areas of our life the more difficult it can be to resume a more active lifestyle, but it is never too late to change bad habits!

Exercising daily and remaining physically active is what helps us to retain our independence and which can ultimately enable us to live on our own terms. The World Health Organisation encourages up to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity or 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week. That may sound like a lot but it’s just half an hour, 5 days a week.

Such targets can be achieved through moderate physical activity, such as walking while participation in a more vigorous exercise programme may be another person’s desired method of physical activity. As we age, resistance or weight bearing exercises are particularly beneficial in targeting muscle wastage and maintaining bone density and strength. No one mode of physical activity is right or wrong – the key is to find a form of physical activity that you enjoy enough to keep doing, whilst targeting key areas associated with age related decline. That means including flexibility (stretching), endurance, strength, and balance exercises in our routine.

As we age and become less active our metabolism slows and our energy output decreases. As outlined by the Institute of Medicine our body’s ability to process and utilise the nutrients we need to maintain healthy bones and to prevent muscle wastage decreases. This means that we may in fact need to boost the amount of nutrients and minerals we are absorbing into our body. Muscle wastage and loss of bone density (osteoporosis) can ultimately contribute to falls and loss of mobility and independence. From the age of 60 around one third of women and two thirds of men will have reduced muscle mass.

In practical terms what we must do is ensure that our food intake matches our output. Our daily activity levels will often drop as we age and live a more sedentary lifestyle, but portion sizes remain the same. More importantly though is the content of what we choose to eat. We must follow balanced and varied diets containing fresh fruit and vegetables for fibre, protein rich foods which can maintain muscle mass and bone strength, dairy, healthy oils, whole grain foods and plenty of fluids all of which provide essential nutrients and minerals to our bodies.

Finally we must remain active within our community and social circles. Social isolation can be hugely damaging to our psychological health and as we age and it’s important that we have a support network around us. People are living longer but in smaller family networks and in a society that isn’t as familiar with its neighbours. Increasingly studies are identifying a correlation between a lack of social engagement and the development of heart disease and other medical conditions aside from more obvious negative effects such as depression and anxiety. That is why we should get active, get out and about in our local community. We have nothing to lose but everything to gain!

Why not try a community class in your area or contact us about a one to one class.

November 22, 2018April 14, 2021

Keep your Brain Healthy

A Few Ways you might not have thought of to keep your brain healthy.

As we get older we can be conscious of keeping our bodies healthy. It’s important to exercise and eat the right food to ensure we have the physical abilities to do what we need to. But with an increase awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, our brain health is becoming as important as keeping our physical health.

Over he past few decades research has shown that our brains never stop growing new connection. You’ve probably read numerous articles about the importance of brain training games and apps. Today we thought we’d share a few different ways to help keep your brain healthy as you get older.

Learn A New Language

A recent study carried out at the University of Edinburgh, showed the effects of learning a new language on retired volunteers. The study consisted of two groups, one who did an intensive course of Scot’s Gaelic and the other learned a non language related subject. The results were surprising, showing the brain was responding to the new language contrary to common belief.

“The learning process will keep neutrons firing, which assists in boosting memory, improving attention and has the potential to assist in staving off dementia.” According to Chief Executive of Mental Health Ireland, Martin Ronan, “To learn a new language, or any new skill, is literally changing the internal structures and connectivity within the brain.”

Another study in Hyderabad, India, showed that speaking two languages slowed the start of three types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, by an average of 4.5 years.

Within our classes we have been delighted to see a number of people living with dementia, taking up a new language, one gentleman in particular has had to change his exercise day to fit in his Italian class!

It might be time for us to start learning French like we always said we would, or even start to embrace our cúpla focail!

Learn to play an instrument.

Have you always wanted to learn to play the guitar or piano? Fancy learning the concertina and taking part in a trad session? Learning the musical instrument might have more benefits than you think.

It has long been thought that music can help to improve brain health, specifically for people with brain injuries, Parkinson’s disease and dementia. Until now, much of the emphasis was placed on listening to music, where as a recent study carried out at the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care in Toronto Canada showed that the benefit could actually be in the playing of music.

“Music has been known to have beneficial effects on the brain, but there has been limited understanding into what about music makes a difference,” says Dr. Bernhard Ross, senior author on the study, “This is the first study demonstrating that learning the fine movement needed to reproduce a sound on an instrument changes the brain’s perception of sound in a way that is not seen when listening to music.”

“It has been hypothesized that the act of playing music requires many brain systems to work together, such as the hearing, motor and perception systems. This study was the first time we saw direct changes in the brain after one session, demonstrating that the action of creating music leads to a strong change in brain activity.”

Take Up a Physical Activity

Seeing as we are an exercise charity, we couldn’t go without telling you how important physical activity is for your brain as well as for your body.

According to Harvard Medical School, “exercise changed the brain in ways that protect memory and thinking skills,” helping to reduce that “brain fog” often associated with the ageing process.

There are both direct and indirect effects of exercise that related to our brain health. Directly, exercise helps in chemical reactions within our brain. Exercise helps to reduce insulin resistance, reduce inflammation and stimulate the release of growth factors – chemicals in the brain that affect the health of brain cells, the growth of new blood vessels and the thriving and survival of new brain cells.

Exercise can also help to improve sleep and reduce stress and anxiety, which all have an impact on our brain health.

It is thought that aerobic exercise may have the most direct effects on our brain health where as weight training may be linked more to the indirect brain benefits. Research is still out on exactly which type of exercise is most beneficial, so in order to cover all your bases, try combining both walking with some light resistance or weight exercises and get your 150 minutes of physical activity in each week.

Sources:

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/learn-another-language-and-keep-your-brain-fit-1.2999911

https://www.nbcnews.com/healthmain/speaking-second-language-delays-dementias-even-illiterate-study-finds-8C11544770

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170601192721.htm

November 15, 2018April 14, 2021

Get Up, Get Dressed & Get Out!

Exercise for COPD does not have to make you breathless

Today, in honour of World COPD Day coming up, for today’s blog post we’ve talked to a coordinator, Carol Muldoon from COPD Tallaght to talk about how the group got established and how exercise has made a difference to their lives.

“Last year, myself Phil and Paddy volunteered to set up Tallaght COPD Support Group. We roped Nicky and Tisha in along the way.

Our 1st step was to reach as many people as we could, so we got The Echo a local newspaper to run a story about COPD with Phil as our poster boy. We designed a logo for our posters and stuck them up anywhere we could, with details of our 1st general meeting in Tallaght library.

We had speakers come in and give a talk on different subjects one of which was Paul from Siel Bleu who is a physical trainer. As exercise is very important for people with COPD it was decided our main goal was to get an exercise class up and running. So with the help of COPD Support Ireland our 1st session was organised to be held in Rua Red on a Thursday morning at 11am.

Since then we have come on in leaps and bounds. Our numbers have grown and we all look forward to our weekly exercise class with our Siel Bleu trainer Sean. He makes us work hard but also makes sure we have an enjoyable workout.

We also have a social side to our group and have enjoyed a trip to Kilkenny castle and the Titanic experience in Belfast. We are also having our Christmas hooley in the Red Cow.

We have come a long way in the last year and look forward to the future and what it may bring.

Our motto in Tallaght COPD Support Group is Get Up, Get Dressed and Get Out.

Breathe Easy.”

For those of you who don’t know, COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease which is the umbrella term for chronic lung disease. It’s symptoms include shortness of breath and fatigue and can be caused but not always by smoking.

Exercise is a vital therapy for people living with COPD, however there can be a misconception that due to breathlessness symptoms of the disease, it can be dangerous to exercise. There is a spiral of decline associated with COPD, a person feels out of breath, doesn’t do any physical activity due to fear of becoming more breathless, and in turn the symptoms worsen.

For someone like Carol who never exercised before starting the class with Siel Bleu she said “I found the exercises tough going at the start. Even the warm up was a challenge!” However after a few weeks of persistence the results pay off, “I find them a lot easier now and I’m not afraid to push myself a little bit more.
I enjoy the craic we all have and we don’t notice the time going by. There are great improvements in all the group. And it doesn’t take long for newcomers to catch up.”

For more information about COPD visit www.copd.ie

November 1, 2018April 14, 2021

Stand Up To Falls

This weeks blog post was written by one of our senior physical trainers, Shane. He has outlined a few fantastic exercises to help with fall prevention.

In the last year I have challenged myself to make clients and class participants stand more. When I looked into the increasingly important topic of falls prevention I soon realised how little time many of my older clients actually spend standing or using everyday situations to help prevent falls. Let’s take a standard arm curl exercise. By performing the action in a standing position instead of in a seated position a person can simultaneously work on balance and stability through engaging the core. This weight bearing task in a standing position can help give the confidence to better perform everyday tasks in the home.

It’s not just a case of performing exercises while standing that is of relevance but the nature of the exercises being performed. Leg strengthening and static balance can be a great starting point in building confidence. For example, one can start with exercises such as heel raises or leg curls. Static balance like in the picture below will also help balance and stability – positions such as a one leg stance where one foot is raised off the floor and held with no hand support. This can be done while standing near a counter if confidence is lacking. However, we must increasingly look towards exercises that challenge cognitive function and encompass movements that are multidirectional within our exercise programmes.

(One leg stance – static balance)

When we tackle falls prevention we must not look at elements of our body and movement in isolation but rather the entire process. When working on a current falls prevention programme with my colleagues – which will be coming soon to Siel Bleu Ireland – we took our visual, vestibular and somatosensory systems into account in addition to looking at leg strength and multidirectional cognitive challenges.

We can look at one aspect of falls prevention which may at first seem insignificant – toe strength. Toe strength is the best predictor of falls within the elderly. Mickle et al. (1) discovered non falling older adults have 20% more toe strength over those who fall, while no differences were found between ankle and quadriceps strength. A movement I have been using to gauge toe strength and counter this problem with clients and class participants is the Vele Forward Lean Manoeuvre, as prescribed by Thomas Micahud and illustrated below. This movement teaches strength in a position that commonly leads to falls when we lean or shift forward to reach for an object, or on the initiation of walking. Using this one aspect of falls prevention, we soon realise how something so small can have such a huge part to play in the overall fight against falls. Of course, toe strength alone will not be sufficient to prevent falls, we must look again at all patterns of movement and systems involved.

(Lean forward using only your toe strength and hold the position, press toes into floor and pause for up to 5 seconds in end range. Return to vertical position again pressing toes hard into the floor. The hips and torso should be straight and don’t allow heels to lift off the floor. Perform this exercise up to 20 times daily and introduce weight bearing as you build confidence)

We must ask ourselves if we have ever practised lateral, backwards, or cross over stepping movements or reinforced our ability to move in different directions and deal with a potential loss of balance. Current theory suggests we have an increased reliance on stepping as a strategy to deal with falls (2) but do we have motor memory of performing such movements? Falls prevention should prepare us to deal with the unexpected before it happens, whereas too often we only think about falls prevention after a fall has occurred or when balance becomes a real problem.

We must literally stand up and exercise to fight falls prevention! Seated and static exercises that don’t stimulate us aren’t sufficient to challenge falls prevention as we age. We must think about movements that are functional in dealing with everyday challenges and in different environments. We must practise movements that make us think and makes us step in different directions. We must think about our walking stride, agility and our ability to judge obstacles in the street. Stand up, move and stay strong!

1.Mickle, K, et al., ISB Clinical Biomechanics Award 2009: Toe weakness and deformity increase the risk of falls in older people. Clinical Biomechanics 2009;24:787-79

2.Lateral Stability and Falls in Older People Mark W. Rogers and Marie-Laure Mille Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois

October 25, 2018April 14, 2021

Physical Activity for Polio Survivors

Taking Steps to being Active: Facing the Challenges for Polio Survivors

Dr. Deirdre Murray, PhD

Clinical and Research Physiotherapist, Beaumont Hospital and Trinity College Dublin

Polio Survivors Ireland is a charity that provides support to people who contracted polio when babies or young children. Polio survivors have overcome enormous adversity but still need help, including customised shoes. Waiting lists for shoes can be up to 2 years or the alternative is to pay from €600 – €1,200 for special footwear essential to keep them mobile. Wednesday 24th October is World Polio Day and this year, we want to raise awareness on this season’s must haves for polio survivors- customised footwear. There are thought to be 7,000 polio survivors in Ireland, many of them suffering with Late Effects of Polio. Exercise is additionally an issue for those who are impacted, given mobility, fatigue or weakness, which are impacts of Post Polio Syndrome. Below is information on exercising, from Dr Deirdre Murray, Clinical and Research Physiotherapist, Beaumont Hospital and Trinity College Dublin.

Physical inactivity contributes to many health problems including diabetes, obesity and heart disease. Taking one of the key positive steps to improve health – being active – can be very challenging for a person with limited mobility, often due to pain, fatigue and a lack of access to professional advice or equipment.

‘Healthy Ireland’ was established to promote health and wellbeing for the Irish people (http://www.healthyireland.ie). The National Physical Activity Plan, launched in 2016 recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity 5 days per week for adults over 18. The recommendation for adults with disabilities is ‘to be as active as your ability allows’. The ‘National Exercise Referral Framework’ was published to provide a vision for the structures and resources required in meeting the needs of people with chronic conditions to be active. Unfortunately, there has yet been limited progress in implementing this vision.

A polio survivor, who needed two callipers to walk short distances, once told me her story of receiving a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes along with some leaflets about taking a 30 minute walk every day. Clearly this was a ridiculous recommendation for her. However, she figured out that exercising in the pool was a way to get this physical activity in a manageable, safe and pain-free way.

There is some research evidence that pool based exercise (not necessarily swimming) is beneficial for polio survivors and many regularly enjoy this activity. However, for many others, finding an accessible pool or the fatigue associated with getting to the pool and safely home again, prove too much. Clearly, other convenient ways to exercise are needed.

Research completed in Beaumont Hospital looked at arm cycling using a small pedal exerciser placed on a table. Participants in the programme received individual recommendations about how hard and for how long to exercise and slowly progressed over 8 weeks. The group who exercised had lower blood pressure and the majority had no increase in pain or fatigue after 8 weeks of exercise. This research was funded by Polio Survivors Ireland and has been published internationally.

Other researchers looked at using exercise bikes at home. The participants were able to complete the programme and although there were no huge changes in fitness, there was no worsening in fatigue or pain. In some (lucky) European countries there are structured supervised exercise programmes available to polio survivors which are well tolerated and allow access to the benefits of exercise.

The key messages are:

Before making a big change to your activity level get the ‘all clear’ from your doctor and some personalised advice from a health professional such as a Chartered Physiotherapist.
‘Some activity is better than none’. 30 minutes is rarely the starting point for anyone – so aim for as much as you can do. Maybe 2 minutes to start, then slowly working up to 10 minutes. (Increase by 20% once comfortable with the level you are at).

If you can, try to take a 10 minute walk. There is evidence that 10 minutes of continuous walking benefits health. Choose a flat, smooth and safe surface and consider a walking pole or stick if needed. The Irish Heart Foundation has ‘Sli na Slainte’ routes all over the country, mapping short walking routes for those who are suited to this.

If you like technology, use it to help get motivated. Many people like activity watches (set your own realistic level – it doesn’t have to be 10,000 steps!). The UK health service promotes an app called the ‘Active 10’ which tracks two 10 minute walks a day.
Do something that you enjoy – or listen to music to distract you, e.g. when using an exercise bike or arm pedals.
Everyone is different so the key is to do what you can do and keep it up.
Do not exercise when you are tired and don’t push to fatigue, muscle ache or worsening pain. Listen to your body!

October 18, 2018April 14, 2021

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Tag: benefits of exercise

Spring’s Moving in So Get Moving

Combatting Loneliness with Exercise

The Importance of Active Ageing

Keep your Brain Healthy

Get Up, Get Dressed & Get Out!

Stand Up To Falls

Physical Activity for Polio Survivors

Exercise and Non Communicable Diseases

Managing Arthritis Through Exercise

Siel Bleu on Phoenix Fm

Start exercising outside this Spring!

No one should feel alone, exercise can help you regain your happiness

The Importance of Active Ageing

A Few Ways you might not have thought of to keep your brain healthy.

Exercise for COPD does not have to make you breathless

WHO Release exercise toolkit to help prevent and manage Non Communicable Diseases.

What are non-communicable diseases (NCDs)?

What can we do to help prevent or manage NCDs on an individual level?

World Arthritis Day – The importance of exercise to manage Arthritis.