Move Your Body
Moving your body every day can help you feel better and enjoy life more. Being active gives you the energy you need to climb stairs and do household chores. It will help you stay flexible so you can wash your hair and tie your shoes. Keep your body moving to stay independent.
Click here for easy tips to move your body
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Get the Green Light
- Talk with your doctor or health care provider before becoming physically active.
- Share with them your goal of preventing a fall.
- Ask for suggestions to get you started.
- Thirty minutes a day of exercise is recommended but break it into 10-15 minute blocks if that is easier — it’s the daily total that matters.
Walk, It’s an Easy and Free Way to Move
- Walk every day, even if it’s only around the house.
- Start slow, 5 to 10 minutes a day.
- Walk wherever and whenever you can.
- Get off the bus a stop earlier or park your car farther away.
- Find an enjoyable, safe place to walk – go to a lake, a park, indoor shopping mall or walk the hallway in your building.
- Find a partner - you can walk farther when you walk with a friend.
Easy Moving at Home
- Stretch your arms wide open when you get up in the morning.
- Roll your shoulders forward, making small circles. Then roll your shoulders back, making small circles.
- Stand on one foot for 10 seconds (while washing dishes, brushing your teeth, or watching TV). Change feet.
- Do side leg lifts. Stand behind a sturdy chair and place both hands on the back of the chair for support. Slowly lift leg out to the side. Pause. Slowly lower your foot back to the floor. Repeat up to 10 times. Switch to other leg.
Learn More
Physical therapists (PTs) are health care professionals who diagnose and treat individuals who have medical problems or other health-related conditions that limit their abilities to move and perform functional activities in their daily lives.
PTs examine each individual and develop a plan using treatment techniques to promote the ability to move, reduce pain, restore function, and prevent disability. Find a physical therapist in your area visit www.findapt.us or www.mnapta.org
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To learn ways to be active visit Exercise and Physical Activity: Getting Fit for Life at http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/exercise.htm
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To learn how you can fit physical activity into your life visit Be Active Your Way at http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/