Increasing your mobility and endurance

Regular exercise can help prevent or manage many of the health conditions the U.S. population is facing – such as arthritis, elevated blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.

Physical activity and endurance exercises can have multiple benefits on health outcomes and are keys to maintaining cardiovascular performance. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that older adults move more and sit less throughout the day, although this is important to people of any age, especially during a pandemic. Here are some basic guidelines for exercising at home.

• Always check with your doctor prior to beginning any exercise program.
• Start off gently, and work within your comfort zone. Increase repetitions and time gradually over several weeks. Physical activity and endurance exercises include walking or cycling, strengthening exercises, household chores and taking the stairs.
• Maintain regular breathing throughout exercises, and try not to hold your breath because muscles need oxygen! Proper breathing techniques involve breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. Examples include smelling roses or blowing out birthday candles.
• Try to keep strict form with proper positioning and control and not using momentum. Keep your back straight with a slight anterior tilt of the pelvis and maintain a good base of support with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Do not undertake any exercise if you are in pain or feeling unwell. If you feel faint, dizzy or unwell while exercising, stop immediately.
• Monitor your O₂ levels and blood pressure prior to and following exercise. A normal O₂ level range is between 90-100%, and a normal BP is under 120/80 and no less than 90/60 (hypotension).

Meet Life Care Center of Plainwell’s director of rehab services

Lindsey Brand graduated from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo in 2011 with a master’s degree in occupational therapy. She has been with Life Care Center of Plainwell since August 2012, starting off as an occupational therapist then becoming the director of rehab services in January 2018. Her passion and goal for 2021 is building her team’s knowledge and programming in the rehab department to become the premier provider in the community.