Laurie Hadlock was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2009. She doesn’t have much of a tremor, which is one of the classic symptoms, but she does have lots of coordination problems. There are so many things Laurie loved doing that are nearly impossible now, like dancing and skiing. She also loves to exercise and recently discovered Rock Steady Boxing, a high-intensity exercise program based on training used by boxing pros and adapted for people with Parkinson’s.
Read More
Archives for exercise
Fitness for life: Maintaining your vitality
Have you ever thought about what happens inside your body when you exercise? At a recent presentation for people 55 and older, the fitness team at OceanView, a retirement community in Falmouth, explained what happens before, during and after exercise.
Read More
What is normal blood pressure?
What makes your blood pressure rise? Feel free to answer in the comment box at the end of the page. It may help relieve any stress you’re feeling at the moment. Stress does make your blood pressure go up. That’s because when you’re under stress, your body releases hormones that make your heart beat faster. They also narrow your blood vessels. It’s meant to be a temporary thing.
Read More
Some tips on keeping your brain (and memory) in top shape
Like many people, when it comes to growing older, one of the things I worry about most is that I’ll get some form of dementia.
Read More
Explore the many benefits of t’ai chi
It makes me tingle,” answered 90-year-old Marit Wilson, when I asked her what she likes about doing t’ai chi. “It makes my arms and legs tingle.” Ta’i chi is a centuries-old mind and body practice. It involves making slow methodical movements called postures. Movements that are both graceful and purposeful. The postures move seamlessly from one to another. It’s a gentle form of exercise. Marit thinks we’d all benefit from practicing ta’i chi. “It makes you feel good,” she says, “and you need exercise. At least, I do.”
Read More
Put a little fun in your life. Go dancing!
Joan Overton has been dancing nearly all her life. She just turned 82. I don’t know what I expected when I agreed to meet her at her weekly dance class, but when she was pointed out to me I was surprised. I grabbed a quick photo of her practicing the Foxtrot. Looking stylish in a leopard print top and low-heeled, open-toed dancing shoes, Joan is as graceful and limber as a much younger woman.
Read More
Who says 90 is too old to exercise? Not these men!
Do you have trouble fitting exercise into your life? Join the club. Sometimes, everything else comes first. And yet, being active can be key to feeling young and healthy. I know that. You know that. And so do the three gentlemen I met in the Fit to Live exercise group at the South Portland Recreation Center. All in shape, all active, all in their 90s.
Read More
The Ups and Downs of Too Much Sugar
My mother Beverly loves her sweets, especially chocolate. When I was growing up, she wouldn’t buy just one candy bar, she’d buy the whole box and she wasn’t one for sharing. You see, it was bad for our health. But for her, it was salvation at the end of a weary day dealing with eight darling children.
Read More