Other Ways to Stay Active

Alzheimers Care



If you'd rather not "exercise," don't. Just put a little more oomph behind the things you do anyway every day. Most of them you can do with your loved one:


  • Take a walk. Walking is wonderful exercise. It also helps prevent bone-thinning osteoporosis, which often plagues older women.




  • Take the stairs instead of the elevator. If you're out of shape, start by walking down. When you feel ready, walk up part way, and work up to climbing all the way. When climbing stairs no longer leaves you winded, climb a little faster.




  • Park a few blocks farther away. Walk the extra distance to work, the mall, the movies, church, or friends' homes. As you gain stamina, park even farther away and/or walk more briskly.




  • Buy a backpack. Instead of driving to all your errands, walk as much as possible, and use your backpack for purchases.




  • Cancel "food dates." Instead of meeting friends for lunch, coffee, or dessert, make dates to take walks, go dancing, or go for bike rides. Or make a date to visit a health club. Most clubs allow free one-time visits to check out the facility. Try several.




  • Make breaks count. During breaks at work or during television commercials, get up and stretch or walk around. Organize your co-workers and housemates to join you.




  • Make the most of phone time. Don't sit while talking on the phone, pace. Invest in a longer handset cord so you can walk farther, or get a cordless phone. If you must stand in one spot, march in place, raising your knees up high. Or rise to tip-toes. Do this five times, then do five deep-knee bends. When you feel ready, do 10.




  • Make the most of microwave minutes. Don't just stand there watching the clock tick away the seconds. Pace, stretch, or do some weight-lifting.




  • Put more energy into housework. Washing floors, taking out the trash, vigorous sweeping and vacuuming, and other chores provide more exercise than most people think. If you step up the pace a bit, you'll get finished faster and you'll get more exercise as well.




  • Make the most of unpacking groceries. Curl and press cans a few times. When you feel ready, try it with six-packs.




  • Don't automatically reach for the food processor. When time permits, cut, chop, and dice vegetables by hand.




  • Mow the lawn. Pushing a power mower provides surprisingly good exercise (see below). Or for a somewhat more strenuous workout, retire your power mower and invest in a push model.




  • Tend a garden. Digging, weeding, raking, cutting, and hauling build strength, flexibility, and stamina.




  • Sweep some snow. Unless you're in reasonably good shape, stick to small accumulations of dry, powdery snow, the kind that can be swept with a broom. Snow shoveling can be very strenuous, and every winter people suffer heart attacks from overexertion. If you're out of shape -- or have heart disease, or significant risk factors for heart disease (a family history, smoking, diabetes, obesity, elevated blood pressure or cholesterol) -- don't shovel heavy wet snow or major accumulations.


No pain, no gain?


Absolutely not. If any physical activity causes sharp pain, stop doing it. Pain is a message that something is wrong. If it persists, see a doctor. However, it's normal to feel some muscle soreness 12 to 48 hours after exercise, especially if you're not in great shape. Soreness feels like a dull ache. It's no cause for concern, though you might want to take aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen to relieve it. Wait until your soreness has subsided, then continue exercising. Over time, as you get in shape, soreness stops -- unless you increase the duration or intensity of your workout.




How fit are you now?


This test was developed by Bryant Stamford, Ph.D., director of the Health Promotion Center at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Kentucky and author of Fitness Without Exercise. It is reprinted with his permission.
























































































1. How many flights of stairs do you typically climb each day?
  • None:
    		•  0 points
  • 1 to 5:
    		•  1 point
  • 6 to 9:
    		• 2 points
  • 10+:
    		•  3 points


    2. How many hours a week do you do household chores (cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc.)?
  • 1 point for each hour up to 5
    		•


    3. When you take your children to parks and playgrounds, how often do you run, climb, slide, and swing with them?
  • Never:
    		•  0 points
  • Sometimes:
    		•  1 point
  • Usually:
    		•  2 points
  • Always:
    		•  3 points


    4. How many miles do you walk each day (1 mile = 20 city blocks)?
  • Less than 1 mile:
    		•  0 points
  • 1 mile:
    		• 2 points
  • 2 miles:
    		•  4 points
  • 3 miles:
    		•  6 points
  • 4+ miles:
    		•  10 points


    5. Do you have trouble opening jars?
  • Often:
    		•  0 points
  • Sometimes:
    		•  1 point
  • Rarely:
    		•  2 points



    Scoring:
















    0-3 Uh-oh, you're out of shape and need to become more active starting right now. Take a walk. Mow the lawn. Do something -- anything!
    4-7 You're moderately active, but you'd reap major health rewards by picking up your pace.
    8+ Congratulations! Even if you don't have a formal exercise program, you're getting enough to add to your health and well-being.

    Calories used by daily activities






































































    Activity Calories/hr
    Sitting 100
    Standing 140
    Making beds 135
    Housework 150-250
    Strolling 210
    Raking leaves 225
    Lawn-mowing (power) 250
    Lawn-mowing (push mower) 300-400
    Gardening 300-450
    Slow swimming 300
    Moderate walking 300
    Badminton 350
    Square dancing 350
    Bowling 400
    Moderate Bicycling 660