Keeping the Moving Parts Moving

    Sometimes after sending out health tips I get questions about exercising or eating right. I love these questions and try to answer them all. One of the best questions I am asked over and over again is, "what do I do if have injuries?" 

    Being active when you are limited in your physical abilities can be quite the challenge. This is particularly difficult when your limitations involve the joints of the lower leg, balance, or even chronic conditions that leave you feeling drained of energy. A solution that is often recommended is the use of seated exercises.Stretching is often the first step in regaining range of motion, and it feels great when muscles haven’t been used in a while. Healthy Collier has some great stretches available on the web site for seated stretching, in particular the Cubicle Yoga download. You can get your copy by going to: http://www.healthycollier.org/Community_Resources/exercisehandouts/desktop_yoga.pdf. This is good for people with physical limitations and for people who spend most of their day driving the chair in front of their computer. It is usually best to stretch after a workout, but if you are focusing on increasing the range of motion of your joints, it is okay to stretch when it feels best for you.