ToIt’s hard to believe that we have left behind such a challenging year, but now our focus is on going forward.

If you’re like many, you’ve made some resolutions for 2021, and among the most common promises to ourselves is to get fit.

With vaccinations for COVID-19 already underway and a more hopeful end in sight for all of the restrictions that the pandemic brought, you may be particularly motivated this year to get back to playing your favourite sports or interacting with your grandchildren.

While walking is a great form of exercise, offering many benefits including improving vascular health, burning calories and boosting moods, it’s not enough.

If you want to keep your bones and muscles strong, you must add resistance, or strength training, to your mix.

Resistance Chair system a powerful tool for all exercise needs

And I want to share with you why the Resistance Chair exercise system is a powerful tool to help you achieve not only your strength-training goals but also improves your cardiovascular health, balance and flexibility!

The process of aging causes a degenerative condition called sarcopenia which, quite simply, is the loss of muscle mass.

After the age of 35, most adults begin to lose 8% to 10% of their muscle mass each decade. By the age of 55, most people have lost up to 20 %, or a fifth, of their muscle mass.

The process quickens after that. After the age of 50, adults lose up to 13% of muscle mass each decade. By the time they hit 90, they have about half of the muscle mass they had at 50.

Strength training can stop loss of muscle mass from aging

Frightening statistics? Well, here’s the good news: You can slow, stop and even reverse the loss of muscle mass and strength associated with aging if you add strength training, otherwise known as resistance training, to your exercise routine.

Stronger muscles make daily tasks, such as climbing stairs, carrying groceries, hoisting grandchildren and playing sports, much easier. Your muscles and joints are also much more protected from injury and stress, and you are less likely to have pain. 

All physical activity is beneficial but only resistance training produces a chemical reaction that signals the body to produce bone marrow that is deposited on your bones to make bones and joints stronger.

That’s why strength training is recommended by doctors and health care professionals for the prevention and treatment of osteopenia and osteoporosis.

The many benefits of resistance training

Resistance training not only creates stronger muscles, bones and joints but it also:

• bolsters fat metabolism (good for helping you lose weight)
• tones muscles
• balances blood sugar
• improves aerobic capacity
• enhances balance
• increases energy levels and stamina
• promotes quality sleep
• reduces or better manages chronic diseases
• and is considered to be anti-aging

In short, resistance training makes you look and feel younger and better!

While you can use weights or even just your own body to do resistance training, the Resistance Chair system is an all-in-one piece of equipment that offers an excellent way to strength-train your arms, legs, abdominal and back muscles.

It features resistance cables of varying strengths with which you can do a variety of strength-training exercises from a safe, seated position.

The smooth motion of the resistance cables moving inside the pulleys attached to the chair puts much less stress on your joints than other weights and, with the cables attached to the chair, reduce the possibilities of hurting yourself.

The system comes with a wall chart and a workout DVD that outline the many ways you can use the chair for strength training. 

So as you make your vows to yourself for the year, remember to add resistance training to your exercise routine– just for the health of it!

Going for regular walks has many benefits for people of all ages, especially for aging seniors. Maintaining mobility is the best way to stay fit, healthy and thrive with improved mental health for years to come.

We explore the key benefits of walking for seniors, and further offer tips on how you (or your loved one) can get started! 

Do you imagine walking trails or having the freedom to spend more time outdoors but feel you can’t? Does your walker limit you? Volaris rollator walkers s may be your access to greater freedom and health! Our models feature rugged flex-frames and all-terrain wheels with seat’s built in – so you can rest as needed. 

Help you maintain or improve your weight

Walking at a brisk pace for an hour a day can significantly reduce the effects of obesity as you age. Even if you can only manage to get moving for a fraction of that, walking is going to have positive effects on your weight. Walking regularly has also been shown to reduce cravings for sugary and sweet foods.

Improve your immune system and decrease risk of disease

Walking just 20 minutes a day, 5 days each week can help boost your immune system and allow your body to better fight off illness. It can also help to lower your risks of developing heart disease, diabetes, stroke and even some cancers.

Strengthen bones and muscles

This low impact, whole body workout is perfect for those looking to keep moving without stressing out their body too much. The regular movements required when walking can help lubricate joints, strengthen the supportive muscles in your stomach and back and even reduce the chances of developing osteoporosis.

Can lower blood sugar

When you go for even a 15-minute walk after a meal your body is able to reduce the natural spike in blood sugar that some seniors might be prone to experience.

Improves mood and confidence

Going for a walk, whether outside or in, can be a great way to improve your mental health. Walking helps to release endorphins which are feel-good chemicals in your body, and helps you to breathe more deeply which can increase the flow of oxygen to your brain, thereby improving your mood.

Reduces pain

Though you might think that physical activity like walking might increase pain from arthritis and other chronic or localized conditions, it can actually do the opposite. Walking just 20 minutes, three times a week can help strengthen the muscles in your knees, hips, back, and abdomen which can decrease pain and improve your overall mobility.

Improves socialization

Going for a walk is a great way to get out with your friends or meet new people. Whether you join a local walking club, take up mall walking or just circle around your neighbourhood, the benefits of engaging with people you see while out on your walks are significant for your mental wellbeing.

Increases the ability to age in place

When seniors take regular walks, they won’t just experience mental and physical benefits. They may even maintain or improve their physical health to the point where they can hold onto their independence and stay in their home for longer than if they didn’t exercise.

Can help slow mental decline and dementia

Studies have shown that walking regularly can help seniors experience lower incidents of cognitive decline and slow the onset of mental disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s. In fact, the more that subjects walked, the lower their rates of mental decline would drop.

Improve heart health

Walking is known to help improve circulation, lower blood pressure and help prevent heart disease and stroke. Making an effort to get your heart rate up each day can help prevent, treat and reduce the occurrence of many heart related issues.

Help you sleep better

Putting your body to work with a walk in the morning can actually lead to better sleep in the evening. Tiring out your body and muscles can allow you to have an easier time falling and staying asleep at night.

How to get started with regular walks

If you are looking to add a regular walk to your routine or wanting to help a senior you know incorporate this activity into their days, there are a few important things to keep in mind.

Start small – Just like you wouldn’t start out running a marathon, don’t start by planning too long of a walk. Especially if walking is new to the routine, start with a short walk around the block a couple times a week and slowly work up to longer ones.
Don’t walk too fast – A good guideline to follow is to walk fast enough that you feel like you’re actually exercising, but not so fast that you’re out of breath and can’t carry a conversation.
Check the forecast – As bodies age they become more susceptible to weather swings and have trouble handling very hot or cold weather.
Wear good shoes – Proper walking shoes can help reduce the chance of injury.
Walk with friends – Seek out a walking buddy if you prefer. Chatting while walking can make you walk/exercise longer than you realize. At the same time, you’ll pass time and make new friends.
Get a Rollator Walker – Don’t let your limited mobility hold you back more than it should. There are excellent, all-terrain rollator walkers available that help you walk where you thought you couldn’t at all, or help you walk further for increased health benefits! 

If you’re ready to get started, then that’s the first “step” towards better health. See you outside! 

Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, 30-year-old Tabitha Star, who has cerebral palsy and has been a spastic quadriplegic since birth, regularly attended well-equipped physiotherapy clinics to meet her exercise needs. 

But after Toronto went into lockdown last spring, she was left with no options. That sent her mother, Lisa Star, on a hunt for home equipment that could do the job.

Lisa’s search led her to the Medup V2, the newest active-passive motorized therapy bike to be introduced into Canada.

A great motorized cycle for rehab and exercise at home

This wheelchair-accessible trainer is a great tool for rehab and exercise at home for people with physical limitations stemming from a variety of diseases and conditions, including cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and spinal cord injuries.   

After only a short trial, Lisa decided the Medup V2 was a very effective choice for her daughter. Last July, she bought the first one sold in Ontario. She says that Tabitha has used it every day for at least an hour, and often for longer.

At first,Tabitha used the trainer mostly in passive mode, letting the machine do all the work. But she soon began using her own leg muscle power along with the motor.

Initially, she suffered from lots of spasms but they have decreased significantly. As well, her leg muscles, which were always tight, are now loosened after just  half an hour on the bike.

Reducing spasms and spasticity among benefits of Medup V2

Reductions in spasms and spasticity are among the many benefits of using the Medup V2. Improved circulation is another; Tabitha’s legs, which always felt cold, are noticeably warmer after a workout on the Medup V2. 

Tabitha has experienced other positive effects, including an improved gait pattern and better endurance, adds her stepfather, Nik Tsoutsoulas.

For example, when she began to use the home exercise bike, she could take only up to 30 steps with her stepdad’s support. Now, that’s risen to more than 70 steps, he says. 

The family spends their winters in Arizona.  The first month there, Tabitha asked daily for her Medup V2, which they’d left behind in Toronto. She missed it so much that her family purchased a second motorized bike for their time in Arizona.

Growing old can often feel like an intimidating process, yet it is one that we all must go through at some point. When the time comes to start considering your living situation and whether you should stay in your home or consider moving to somewhere smaller with more support there are many things to consider. Though living in a home that can offer support and assistance can be the right solution for you, there are many benefits to staying in your home for as long as you can.   

Benefits to aging in place at home

There are many reasons why people should age in place as long as they can. From social benefits to financial ones, the motivations to stay in familiar surroundings are plenty.

Surroundings are familiar

Aging in a situation where surroundings are familiar can help seniors feel more comfortable when it may seem like everything else is changing. Being able to wake up in the same bed, eat at the same table and relax on the same couch that they have for years can help with the aging process as a whole.

You can hold onto your social life

Seeing your friends and taking part in social activities is a great way to relax and maintain a positive outlook. Aging in place is one of the best ways to be able to continue these friendships and relationships.

It’s likely cheaper

Moving into a supported living facility often comes with a higher cost than that of independent living. If you are able to live on your own you will be able to save some money until the time comes when you are ready for the support that a seniors’ facility can offer.

You’ll maintain your independence

One of the most difficult things about transitioning into a space where you have more support is likely losing some of your freedom and independence. Aging comes along with the difficult knowledge that you’ll reach a point when you can no longer move around as easily on your own. When you are able to stay in your home, you can hold onto this freedom as long as you can. 

Tips to help you age in place

1. Meal and grocery delivery services – If going shopping or cooking meals is starting to feel difficult or dangerous, grocery and meal delivery services can be just what you’re looking for. Take all the guesswork and stress out of having to cook for yourself by having your meals delivered and avoid the struggles of making it to the store with the help of a grocery shopping service.
2. A modified shower or bathtub – When stepping into the bathtub, standing for a shower or getting down and up out of the tub start becoming too hard, modifying your space might be the answer. Whether that means using a shower chair, installing handrails or installing a sit in bathtub, there are many ways to modify your current situation.
3. Stairlifts – At some point walking up and down stairs might become prohibitive. Installing stairlifts can help ensure you can make it up and down with little issue.
4. Handrails – If walking around your home and up and down stairs without support has become too much, installing handrails to go up stairs or down hallways can help you get around.
5. A rollator walker – As walking without support becomes more of a struggle, using a rollator walker to get around can make all the difference. A rollator walker can help you in many ways:

• get around your home with more support
• go shopping independently
• take walks around the neighbourhood
• take rests as needed
• maintain your posture as it helps you stand up straighter
• maintain a higher level of independence

Aging in place has many benefits

For those who are faced with the difficult decision of whether to stay in their home longer or consider moving into an assisted living facility, there may be many factors in play. Though it can be a tough decision to make, there are several benefits to staying in their own home for as long as they can. While you may have some difficulties around your home when it comes to getting around, there are several tools and supports that can offer their assistance and help you stay in familiar surroundings.

As people age their priorities and outlook in life will often change along with them. Today’s seniors’ likely value different things than they did 20 years ago and taking a few minutes to understand what they do value today can help you both identify with them, and know how to support them day to day.

Senior’s top 6 Keys to Living Well

Ask a senior what they value in life, and you’re likely to get many different answers. At the forefront, however, emerge answers relating to these 6 points that relate to maintaining health, connections and independence: 

1. Optimism is a necessary attitude
Today’s seniors are typically an optimistic group. As they get older and start facing more of their future, seniors seem to be maintaining a fairly positive outlook on things. Most seniors reach a place in life where they feel confident that they can maintain a high quality of life and hold onto their motivation day to day. Setting health-related goals can help seniors to keep that optimistic attitude.
2. Maintaining health is important
As people get older the need for physical activity takes a different shape than it did in their younger years. Rather than exercising to build muscle and lose weight, most seniors will instead exercise to improve flexibility, maintain heart health and increase circulation. These health concerns are important to target because the maintenance of each will help seniors continue to live independently and maintain their freedom and independence for much longer than they would otherwise.
3. Connections and relationships
With the ability to move around freely and independently possibly decreasing with age, relationships with friends and family become that much more important to maintain. Strong relationships with your support system can help combat feeling of isolation and depression, which can set in as people age and may have to stay home more.
4. Getting used to technology
Though many seniors struggle with learning how to use technology and incorporating it with their lifestyle, most recognize that this can be a key way to stay connected with family and friends. Learning how to use technology is definitely a difficult process, for some more than others, but once they come to terms with how to use bits of social media it’s a great way to stay connected with family, particularly those who live further away.
5. Their community
Though connections with family and friends are an important part of life, many seniors also recognize that the community they involve themselves in can be very beneficial as well. From participating in local group events to joining in on organized outings, there are many ways a senior can grow their community. Many local community centers put together seniors’ activities and excursions that can help improve both the well being and mental health of seniors.
6. Independence and control
One of the biggest things many seniors want in their life is independence. Though there is often a level of thankfulness to still be healthy and able to live a full life, it’s often not enough when they have to depend on the assistance of others to really get around. The ability to independently move around, live life and control their own schedule is the key to not only surviving, but to actually thriving.

Rollator walkers help maintain independence

One easy way for seniors to hold on to their independence and mobility is to adopt the use of a walker. A rollator walker has many benefits, and can help seniors to continue with a lifestyle full of freedom and mobility.

How a rollator walker helps maintain independence:

• A built-in seat allows for breaks when needed
• Height adjusted handlebars help seniors stand upright and avoid back injury
• The ability to attach bags or a basket so they can do their own shopping
• Compact frame to help them get around both indoors and out
• Sturdy wheels to cope with rougher terrain 

Maintaining great health allows seniors thrive (not just live)!

Today’s seniors often recognize that setting health goals and maintaining their overall health is a key factor in enjoying their day to day life. Maintaining their independence and quality of life is much easier to do when they focus on living well. With good health seniors will experience most other things in a positive light: with less pain and stress comes more comfort and mobility!