Does anyone remember the saying? “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”
As we age one of the first things to go is often our ability to get up and down off of the floor. Unless we are motivated by grandkids or yoga, many of us are just fine letting go of this ADL (an activity of daily living). But fall down and see how important getting up off of the ground becomes! OT’s are all about modifying and adapting your activity for success. Let’s face it-exercise is really a dress rehearsal for life. Why not make it count? Try this exercise. You can practice all 3 or just the one. Remember pre and post-exercise awareness is key. If its right for you, you feel better afterwards. This is exercise has many benefits. It keeps your spine mobile and flexible-necessary for core strength, balance and endurance with prolonged standing. It is a balanced core exercise-stretches and strengthens in areas we often avoid in life. Breathe slow, exhale on the way up, inhale on the way down. A pillow under your pelvis is another modification for low back comfort. To start, it can be practiced on a bed, then gradually move to lower surfaces. Alternate this stretch with hands and knees or child pose.
