DVD helps build strength, stability and security

A couple of years ago (April 4, 2012, to be precise), I wrote an Aerobic Grandma column about a DVD called “Stretch In Time (to Save Your Spine and Anything Attached to it)” by California yoga instructor Elyse Briggs. She called it “adaptive yoga,” though most of us would say chair yoga. I thought it was particularly well done and relevant to Longboat Key residents. Some folks who bought and used it felt the same way.

Briggs has now released a sequel: “Balance: Build Strength — Gain Confidence.” It has three main sections: “Start Here,” a 35-minute overview that explains the how-to and why of the recommended exercises; “Good to Know,” which is commentary from the “Stretch In Time” medical team; and “The Routine,” a 20-minute guided workout. It is an exceptionally gentle, accessible program, but it has the mandatory disclaimer: “Caution: Not all exercises are suitable for everyone. Consult your doctor prior to attempting this or any other exercise program. “

In the middle section, Dr. Beth Marcus makes the case for paying attention to balance.

“About one in three people over the age 65 fall every year, and up to one-third of those people will have an injury that’s bad enough from the fall that it causes them to lose some independence or suffer some pain afterward,” she says.

She also notes that hip fracture is the most devastating injury from a fall, and that one in five will die in the year following one. The risk is clearly significant. The bad news is that it is one of the inevitable hazards of aging. The good news is that there are things we can do about it.

This workout has few requirements: a chair (no wheels or swivel), a wall or counter and access to water. The video strongly recommends that before doing the exercises, you watch the first overview section.

Briggs and her team break their subject down into five segments. The set is a classroom with a wildly diverse group of students who range from youthful to senior, fully able-bodied to differently abled. One student has what appear to be prosthetic legs; she works from her wheelchair or a walker. The mixture makes the point that the work is accessible to virtually anybody who wants to do it.

The format is similar from section to section: a description of the exercises, detailed cueing from Briggs, clear demonstrations by Kris Sanders, another member of the team, and finally the students doing the moves. The opening section, “Balance and Awareness,” teaches two simple breathing exercises, done seated: inhaling low into the belly and then adding instructions to pull the navel into the spine and contract the perineum to lift the pelvic floor on the exhale — fundamentals of building the strong core essential to maintaining and improving your balance.

Each section of the overview ends with a summary of the whys and wherefores.

Balance places demands on all the senses, as anyone who progresses to doing these or any other moves with eyes closed will vouch. Yet the eye exercises that were once routinely included in yoga classes are pretty scarce today. Four of them are in the “Balance and Vision” section of this DVD: focus far to focus near; fixed gaze, turning head; rolling eyes; and open wide, squeeze shut. The instructions are to coordinate the eye movements with the breath and to repeat each one five times, keeping the breath steady and slow. Briggs emphasizes that “use it or lose it” applies to eye muscles, just like all the others.

I don’t consider myself an expert on exercise videos but this one is notably well filmed, lit and edited, and I know a good teacher when I see one. Briggs keeps her moves simple, explains them clearly, cues in detail — and she’s an effective but not overly effusive cheerleader. You can order “Balance: Build Strength — Gain Confidence” for $15.95 from Amazon.com or StretchInTime.com. Think of what it could save you.

Build Strength — Gain Confidence
1. Balance and Awareness
2. Balance and Vision
3. Balance and Strength
4. Balance and Standing
5. Balance and Perception

Why You Should Do This and How This WILL Help You
1. Balances the central nervous system to calm you
2. Keep you in the present moment
3. Heighten mental and physical awareness
4. Tones abdominal and perineal muscles to keep you strong and balanced
5. Battles incontinence

Molly Schechter is an ACE-certified personal trainer since 1996. She has a specialty certification in older-adult fitness plus YogaFit Instructor Training, SCF Yoga Fundamentals I and II and Power Pilates™ Mat Certifications. She teaches classes at the Bayfront Park Recreation Center and the Longboat Key Club. Email her at [email protected].