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TO MOVE,
TO WALK
I have different
exercises which I regularly do to help me walk and dance. The most
important thing for us to do is to strengthen our legs. Most of us
can use more exercise and will greatly benefit from being more fit.
You don’t have to go out and become a body builder, just trim down a
bit and build up what you already have. The concept is simple. You
need to strengthen your foundation to better support your body.
Rule one:
strengthen your legs and your balance will begin to improve. Go
walking for exercise and push yourself.
I’m not taking
about ambling around the block, moseying around the neighborhood, or
strolling through the mall!
I’m talking
about the type of walking where you work up a sweat and start to
pant like your dog.
Do the walking
regardless of whatever else you do. Why? You need the practice!
Vary the speed and your posture to find what works the best for you.
Fight yourself
to walk as fast as you safely can and still stay on the sidewalk or
within some imaginary lines on the road.
Walk farther and
farther each time until you’re doing 3-5 miles at a time.
It’s going to take some of you quite awhile to get to that distance.
Rest when you
need it, but push yourself to do more.
Within a short time you will
start to notice an improvement in your balance and walking
abilities.
There are also
some simple exercises which you can do to help strengthen your legs
without the need of special equipment.
You are going to
use your own body weight and something to hold on to so you don't
fall.
You can do this in your house or anywhere for that matter.
Find an area
with a smooth wall. You will need something to hang on to, on at
least one side of you, for support.
I used a tall
filing cabinet (full of whatever we put in there) for support when I
started.
Whatever you
choose, make sure you can't push it away or pull it onto yourself
if you start to fall.
Backup to the
wall until your heels are approximately 6 inches away from the
baseboard and keep them approximately a shoulder width apart from
each other. And use your support! Now put your butt, shoulders and
the back of your head against the wall.
While bending
your knees lower yourself as far down as you can go towards the
floor, then stand back up.
While you are
going up and down keep your butt, shoulders and head against the
wall.
Repeat this until your legs get tired, then take a break.
Keep repeating
this basic exercise until you can go all the way down and back up
without having to use the support to keep you from falling.
When you can
safely, and remember I said safely, step away from the wall and try
to repeat the same exercise without any support.
You may find
that you are having some difficulty with your feet side-by-side.
If
you are, then simply move one foot forward and try it again.
Use your arms
like the wings of an airplane to help you balance.
This may take
you a little while to do but it is possible.
Keep this tidbit
in mind when you start this exercise, wall or no wall.
Your feet need
to be planted on the floor before you start the squat.
When I say that
your feet are planted on the floor, I mean that your weight is evenly
distributed on your heels and the balls of your feet.
For those of us
with a cerebellar problem this is very important.
When you step
away from the wall and try this exercise without support make sure
that you begin,
and continue throughout the up and down, maintaining
your weight evenly distributed on both planted feet.
If you can do
this and maintain your “planted feet”, you will find it easier to
walk properly. Now what is walking properly?
(As you go
further down, you will naturally transfer your weight onto the balls
of your feet as your heel rises off the floor.)
Now that you
have learned the strengthening exercises against a wall and
understand how to keep your feet planted on the ground,
let's talk
about transferring your weight.
Standing away from a wall just as I
described above, bend your knees just a little bit.
Try to keep your
butt, shoulders and head in the same line that you did against the
wall.
If not, stand as
it feels comfortable to you, BUT keep your feet planted on floor!
Now I want you to think of some music that you like that has a nice
beat to it.
In fact, play
the music while you're doing this.
I want you to move back and
forth from one side to the other, from one foot to the other, little
by little.
Each time
transfer just a part of your weight onto your right foot, then
you're left foot, then back a forth from one foot to the other.
(Remind you of a
high school prom dance?)
Keep doing this
without bouncing up and down, keep your feet planted on the floor
and keep your knees slightly bent.
As you get the
hang of it start to transfer a little bit more weight as you
continue.
Now we’re going
to do the same thing with your feet in a different position.
Take
one normal step forward with one foot and plant both feet.
The only way you
can do this is to have your body centered over both feet.
Now do the same
rocking exercise, but shift forward and backward instead of side to
side,
as you did when your feet were side by a side.
What you are
doing is learning to transfer your weight from one foot to the other
without losing your balance.
A word
of caution!
Do not transfer
you weight entirely onto the ball of your forward foot yet.
If you do, it is
very easy for you to continue moving onto your toes and then onto
your nose!
Also, do not transfer you entire weight onto your heel!
The back of your
head will thank you for keeping it safe. Keep your feet planted for
the most part.
Practice all the
exercises I've just given you and they will help you more than you
can imagine.
Let's move on to
the next part of this transferring of your weight with walking.
Those of us with
cerebellar problems tend to shuffle walk, then stop and rest with
most of our weight on our heels.
This puts us in
an awkward position.
The proper way is, with each step forward, the
first part of your foot to strike the ground will be your heel.
To get ready for
this first step, one foot must be free to move, hence, no weight on
it.
Bend your knees
slightly, transfer your body weight to one foot and step forward
with the other foot.
Make sure your heel hits the floor first.
As you make this
step forward, and as the ball of your forward foot hits the floor,
you’re body weight should move forward and become evenly distributed
on both planted feet. As you continue to walk forward simply
repeat this same process.
This is a basic
which everything else is built upon.
It is much
better to demonstrate this to you and help you through it, but keep
at what I've just given you and you will walk better.
There is no
doubt in my mind because this is what helped me, and in part allows
me to dance,
and I've seen it help many other people.
You will find
that your "normal" back and forth sway has decreased and you feel
more stable. And that is the point!
It won't be
easy. It's going to take some time. And the result will be worth
it. I guarantee it. Let me know how it works for you.
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