Exercise

Group of older adults sitting in a group exercise class

This is the first blog in a three-part series on exercise and balance, presented with our friends at Allard USA. Please note that if you have severe balance problems or have been losing your balance more often recently, see a healthcare provider before you get started with these exercises.

Balance exercises can not only help you improve your balance but also increase your confidence in exercising and activities of daily living. Including some balance training with your other daily or weekly exercises is also a great way to prevent injury and maintain independence.

What we call our sense of balance is actually a complex combination of multiple body systems working together. Balance is our ability to move and stabilize our center of mass (head to hips) on top of our base of support (hips to feet).

Loss of balance happens when one of those is displaced in relation to the other. When we lose our balance, our visual (gaze stability), vestibular (inner ear fluid) and somatosensory (spatial relationships) systems become flooded with information. In short, you might fall. But you can improve your balance with practice.

“To optimize our ability to improve balance, we must be consistent and deliberate in our practice of balance,” says John Reams, NCHPAD Exercise Physiologist. “Consistency and repetition will improve our ability to stabilize our body position in those moments when we feel out of balance. This is what some people call muscle memory, but it’s really just consistency and repetition.”

A good way to start testing and improving your balance is something called “faces of the clock” weight shifting.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Start from a stable position where you can stay focused and “in the moment.” This can be seated or standing.
  2. Imagine your body is positioned at the center of a clock.
  3. Start by moving your torso and hips toward and away from each number on the clock, then include each of your limbs independently. The goal here is to challenge the distance over which you can shift your weight without losing control.
  4. Try this 10 minutes a day up to 6 days a week.
John Reams - Mentor SPotlight

In this week’s edition of MENTOR Spotlight, we caught up with John Reams, our exercise physiologist here at NCHPAD. As exercise physiologist, John designs and leads our weekly exercise programming in the MENTOR program. We chatted with John about his role, his background, and his many hobbies and talents!

How long have you been with NCHPAD?

I’ve worked on MENTOR with NCHPAD for two years.

Tell us about your background & education. What brought you to NCHPAD?

I have a degree in biology and two master’s degrees: one in exercise physiology and one in nutrition sciences.

Before coming to NCHPAD, I worked at the Lakeshore Foundation for 12 years, transitioned to the UAB Center for Exercise Medicine for 5 years, and now I’m in my second year here at NCHPAD.

How long have you worked with people with disabilities?

18 years.

What do you do?

I am an Exercise Physiologist for MENTOR and NCHPAD. I combine my experience in clinical and wellness settings with my depth of education in exercise physiology and nutrition sciences.

What is your favorite thing about NCHPAD or this program?

I love sharing resources associated with the transformative qualities of exercise and nutrition with underserved populations. One of my favorite things about this job is guiding participants toward discovering resources for health-protective behavioral choices.

I love sharing resources associated with the transformative qualities of exercise and nutrition with underserved populations. One of my favorite things about this job is guiding participants toward discovering resources for health-protective behavioral choices.

What hobbies do you have outside of work?

Playing guitar.

What’s your favorite food, favorite thing to cook or favorite recipe?

Donuts…any flavor!

What’s your favorite music, movies or tv shows?

I like to listen to punk, metal and jazz. As far as tv, I am a huge fan of documentaries.

What’s the last book you read? How was it?

Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act. It was really thought provoking.

What inspires you?

Sincerity and authenticity.

What’s your favorite quote?

“Are you simply interested, or are you invested?” – Source unknown

If you could switch careers for a day, what would you choose?

Studio session musician.

What’s one thing (not related to your job) that you could teach someone else how to do?

Build a staircase.

mentor spotlight