Here are some more exercises to help keep you healthy, strong and independent as you age:
The first exercise is one to help keep you from tripping. Sitting on a chair, stick one leg out. The foot can be in the air or the heel on the floor. Pull your toes toward you and hold. After about 5 seconds, point the toe and repeat. The second exercise is just holding your foot up and writing the alphabet in the air with your foot. This exercise helps teach the body to know where the foot is in space and helps to keep you from rolling your ankle and falling.
Some upper body exercises include push-ups, rows, shoulder raises, arm curls, and overhead tricep extensions. For all these exercises, work your way up to 20-30 repetitions. Pushups can be done on the edge of the bed or against the wall. The rest of these can be done with a small hand weight or can of soup. The explanation of these exercises can be found on the Internet or contact me for further descriptions.
Exercises to keep your core strong include the pelvic tilt, supermans, and crunches. Laying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor should produce a small arch in your lower back. Tilt your pelvis to flatten this out. Keep your back flat on the floor for 5 seconds and release. Repeat 20-30 times. For crunches, start in the same position with your hands on your thighs. Slide your hands up toward your knees, bringing your shoulders off the floor. Repeat 20-30 times. Supermans can be done on your belly or hands and knees. Raise one arm and the opposite leg. Let those down and raise the other arm and leg. Continue to alternate.
Consistently perform these exercises and you will be on your way to staying independent longer.
As always, consult a physician before beginning any exercise program.
n Rich Hess is Executive Director and Fitness Trainer at the Middlecreek Area Community Center. You can reach Rich at richmacc@live.com or the MACC at maccrec.org
Sports
FITNESS: Exercise for older adults, Part 2
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Shikellamy Braves rally to stay alive
SELINSGROVE — With 11 losses, the Shikellamy girls basketball team is teetering on the brink of elimination from the District 4 Class AAA playoffs. And on Wednesday night, it looked like the Braves were going to go quietly into the offseason when Selinsgrove built a 14-point lead early in the third quarter.
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They learn to be tough young
It's difficult to recall exactly how the sequence unfolded because it happened so darn fast. Shikellamy made a couple baskets, and the crowd began to stir. It was still anybody's game, and the Braves had some momentum late in the third quarter of a recent run with Danville.
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Motorsports: Selinsgrove, Lincoln speedways to host 360 sprint series
MECHANICSBURG -- Mach 1 Chassis of Mechanicsburg will be the title sponsor of the Mid-Atlantic 360 Sprint Car Championship Series, a $120,000 six-race tour that will include five shows at Selinsgrove Speedway and one event at Lincoln Speedway in 2012.
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Girls basketball: Records fall, Red Tornadoes stay unbeaten
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT -- An overflow crowd zealously cheered Tierney Pfirman's pursuit of the South Williamsport scoring record throughout Tuesday's game, until their breathless faces matched the Mounties' royal blue.
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High school roundup: Rosini pin lifts Ironmen over Tigers
DANVILLE -- Steven Rosini's pin over Connor Houseknecht in 37 seconds in the final bout of the day at 132 pounds prevented disaster for Danville as the Ironmen pulled out a 40-36 Heartland Athletic Conference crossover victory on Tuesday.
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College sports notebook: Antensteiner starts, finishes fast
ANVILLE -- Ines Antensteiner, a member of the powerful Lewisburg girls track & field team for the past four seasons wasted little time making her presence felt in college. On Monday, Antensteiner, a freshman at Lebanon Valley, was named the Middle Atlantic Conference's Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Week after a pair of event wins at Saturday's Ducharme Invitational.
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Bill Bowman's column on college sports: Tale of two teams in the clutch
Because basketball season is so long it is easy to forget that one or two moments in a single game can essentially make or break an entire season. While teams might play 30 games or so, most of them come down to a couple of possessions, spots where one little thing can be the difference between winning and losing, between making the postseason tournament or turning in the uniforms.
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Sports court strips Contador of 2010 Tour title
MADRID -- Alberto Contador was stripped of his 2010 Tour de France title Monday and banned for two years after sports' highest court found the Spanish cyclist guilty of doping. The Court of Arbitration for Sport suspended the three-time Tour champion after rejecting his claim that his positive test for clenbuterol was caused by eating contaminated meat on a 2010 Tour rest day.
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H.S. boys basketball: Selinsgrove rallies to top Southern Columbia
CATAWISSA -- In a battle between two schools better known for their football programs, Monday's game between host Southern Columbia and Selinsgrove naturally featured plenty of physical play. After a combined 43 fouls and 55 free-throw attempts, the Seals finally pulled it out. Reserve guard Tyler Krebs made five foul shots in the final minute and a half in Selinsgrove's 54-53 victory.
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High School Bowling: Kratzer, Hartranft take home Pro-Am titles
SUNBURY -- The name might have changed, but the results were the same. Now called the 13th annual Best Bowl/Strike Zone High School Pro-Am Scholarship Challenge, the two-day tournament was another success as it pitted some of the Valley's best young bowlers against each other in friendly competition.
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