gocomics.com/theothercoast
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My sympathies are with the dog in this cartoon, but I do understand why the Center for Disease Control would recommend obedience training. Over 86000 visits to emergency rooms are connected with people’s pets. Mostly the accidents with cats are people falling after tripping over the cat or cat dish/toy, but with dogs they can also be caused by the dog jumping on people or pulling them over when they take the dog for a walk. But the CDC doesn’t just recommend training for dogs, it also recommends that the humans train themselves with strength and balance exercises. That sounds like a reasonable plan to me.
For myself, now at least, I’ll get my own doggie fixes from the internet and from pictures and visits with Sammy and Montana. But I’m also having a good time doing some strength and balance exercises. Apparently one in every three people over 65 fall each year, often with serious consequences, so I figure it makes sense to try to avoid that if I can.
What about you?
March 19, 2016
For me, the strength part is as important as the work on balance. That’s the area I neglect—I would rather spend the time writing or even doing housework! But I’m getting better at it. The gym is the only environment that works for me. Once I get there, I get into the swing of it, and before I know it, I’ve cycled, done sit-ups and even some push-ups!
Oops…I’m afraid situps can be bad news.
I now go to the gym on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays instead of every other day. After I use the weight machines for about 15-20 minutes I go to the Senior Sneakers class. They do a good job of warming up (I always warm up at home before doing the weight machines), plus hand weights, resistance bands, balance exercises, some mind-body coordination moves with balls, and then stretching. The class is only about an hour, and there’s a lot of variety. It made me aware of some things I should play with at home. The important thing is to make it fun.
I do counter push ups every morning before my yoga.
and the stairs (two flights!) give me exercise through the day.
I walk around the complex and always park as far away as possible for grocery shopping etc.
it seems to be working. the yoga for sure. yoga is wonderful for balance.
I just LOVE that cartoon! LOLOL. so sweet really. and they do love carrying and gnawing on sticks. their treasures! 🙂
I like counter pushups too. 🙂 And I envy you your stairs.
I love the cartoon too. That’s one happy dog. 🙂
I read somewhere that most falls by elderly people could be avoided if they took more exercise and their leg muscles and bones were stronger. And general fitness would also help them to recover more quickly. I do regular leg exercises, I can walk pretty fast and I have no fear of falling whatever.
It sounds as if you are in great shape. Good for you!
Tai Chi is popular here for balance and often there are free sessions if you are over a certain age, or have had balance issues…
I have a flight of steps to my front/back door for the living space and internal stairs for downstairs i.e. laundry…
Health newsletters here extol the benefits of Tai Chi. I took classes a couple of times, but right now no one teaches it in town. I do have some good DVDs.
Stairs are great exercise too.
I simply cannot afford to fall! You know the reasons!
Yes, we have to be careful!
I agree, about obedience training for dogs jumping on a person or not minding a person but I think that training for the person is even more important.
Sure, strength and balance is important but I think more important is a sense of awareness and thought.
As you know I work with dogs of all sizes and behaviors but by using common sense and a little bit of thinking ahead about what could happen, I’m able to deal with ‘most’ of them without incident.
That’s not to say that my back and my knee don’t hurt right now.
My knee is mostly the result of turning awkwardly on the uneven rocks in the play area at work and the times that I didn’t move fast enough to avoid a body/knee slam from a rowdy Lab.
At home, I’m very aware of where things are at.
I also have the wisdom that when I let Blue out of his room upstairs, after waiting to potty all day, to step back and let him race down the steps ahead of me to the backdoor rather than try to go down the stairs before him.
Lastly, I know two older people who have fallen, (one who broke her neck and had to wear this brace type of thing on her head and shoulders with bolts screwed into her head) that both fell because they were walking and the sidewalk was uneven and they caught their foot on a crack.
Yep, watch out for cracks!
(love that cartoon! of course he wanted the biggest stick!)
Thanks for this post!
xoxoxo
I agree, awareness and common sense is important. You’re still a youngster, but as we get older our response time goes down and it helps to work on that too. We can’t take so many things for granted.
I have fallen twice in the last month, once breaking my glasses and another time requiring a trip to the ER to make sure that I didn’t break ribs or hip. (I didn’t.) This is despite walking my 10,000-11,000 steps per day and engaging in other activities to improve balance as my auto-immune disease and Meniere’s (the culprit in one fall) allow. I already use a cane, but my golden retriever was partially responsible for one fall. That’s why we have decided that, despite being dog lovers, we will not be getting another dog companion after he’s gone. I, too, have looked for tai chi or Qigong classes, but they are unavailable here in the boonies. I’ll be talking to my neurologist and rheumatologist about physical therapy on my next visits.
I’m so sorry about your falls — you have enough to contend with without the Meniere’s. Is there anything they can do?
Paul Lam’s Tai Chi DVDs are easy to follow. Apparently he started doing Tai Chi years ago because of his arthritis. I’ve taken a Qigong class and have also used DVDs. I like the DVDs better because of the music and background scenery. They’re so peaceful and soothing.
Good luck. I’m so glad you didn’t break anything.