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26 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | FEBRUARY 2025 Happy Heart Month! We are pleased to announce for our next meeting … e Community Awareness Committee will be oering a CPR/AED Class on Feb. 12 in e Lodge Ballroom at 10 am. All residents are encouraged to attend. is class is free with no sign-up required. e American Heart Association provides the following recommendations to keep your body and brain healthy: Move More, Sit Less: Get up and move throughout the day. Any activity is better than none. Even light-intensity activity can oset the serious health risks of being sedentary. Add Intensity: Moderate to vigorous exercise is best. Your heart will beat faster, and you will breathe harder than normal. As you get used to being more active, increase your time and/or intensity to get more benets. Add Muscle: Include moderate to high-intensity muscle strengthening, such as resistance or weight training, at least twice a week. Feel Better: Physical activity relieves stress, improves mood, gives you energy, helps with sleep and can lower your risk of chronic disease, including dementia and depression. Consult with your health care professional to determine your level of eort for physical activity relative to your tness level. HOW MUCH EXERCISE DO I NEED? Older adults should do a variety of physical activities that include balance training as well as aerobic and muscle strengthening activities. e American Heart Association recommends a target of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous- intensity a week, or a combination of the two. If you are unable or have a chronic condition that aects your ability to do physical activity safely, you should be as physically active as your abilities and conditions allow. If you think you have balance issues and might be at risk of falling, talk to your health care professional. BALANCE EXERCISES: Balance exercise is one of the four types of recommended exercise along with strength, endurance, and exibility. Ideally, all four types of exercise would be included in a healthy workout routine. e American Heart Association website provides easy-to-follow guidelines for endurance and strength training in its Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults. Again, it is important to consult with your health care professional before starting any exercise routine. Having good balance is important for many activities we do every day, such as walking and going up and down the stairs. Exercises that improve balance can help prevent falls, a common problem in older adults and stroke survivors. ey can also benet those who are obese since weight is not always carried or distributed evenly throughout the body. A loss of balance can occur when standing or moving suddenly. TRY THESE BALANCE EXERCISES: • See how long you can stand on one foot or try standing on each side for 10 seconds. • Walk heal to toe for 20 steps. Steady yourself with a wall if you need a little extra support. • Walk normally in as straight a line as you can. • If you nd standing on one foot very challenging at rst, try this progression to improve your balance: Hold on to a wall or sturdy chair with both hands to support yourself. Next, hold on with only one hand. en support yourself with only one nger. When you are steady on your feet, try balancing with no support at all. Remember, "If you see something, say something." Join us for our next month's Community Awareness Meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 10 am in e Lodge Ballroom. AJ Reilly and her team will be conducting CPR/AED training for all interested parties. ank you to our Block Captains and Community Awareness Committee members for all they do to help keep our community safe. ~ Frank Hilberg, hilberg frank@ gmail.com Community Awareness FREE CPR CLASS Feb. 12, 10 am Lodge Ballroom Free! No sign up required Community Awareness celebrates Heart Month with a free CPR class for all Four Seasons residents. Taught by resident RN AJ Reilly on our state-of-the-art Manikins!

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