This month's tip
How’s your get up and go these days? If you are on your hands and knees in the garden – is getting up again a struggle?
The ability to go from hands and knees to standing upright is a vital indicator of leg strength and balance. If you fall and aren’t hurt then it needn’t be a major disaster. Imagine however, falling in an open space, or out in public, and not being close enough to something to ‘heave’ up. This can turn an annoying fall into a traumatic event.
If you do notice that getting up from the ground is getting harder then it’s time to change that – right now!
Simply practising the move can be enough to improve your strength and balance.
How to:
- If you feel confident doing so, then try getting onto your hands and knees then back up again – and doing this several times in a row (physios love the number 10 so aim for this).
- This is best done next to a sturdy chair or couch.
- To take it a step further, actually lie on the ground and then come all the way to standing.
If this sounds a bit daunting then even one or two sessions with a physiotherapist will help. They can help you decide if you’re ready to practice all the way from the ground or whether you should build up to this with some less challenging exercises first.
Nobody likes to think about falling but remember you have the power to keep a fall from becoming a major trauma… if you act now!