Prevent Fractures With Simple Balance Exercises - Save Our Bones

the balance manualMike Ross, an exercise physiologist, recently contacted me and sent me a copy of his book on balance exercises, “The Balance Manual.”

His book reveals how to train your balance and prevent fractures with simple exercises that you can do at home with no equipment in just ten minutes a day. No matter what condition your bones are in, it's always smart to improve your balance.

I was so thoroughly impressed with his work that I wanted to bring this information to you, so I decided to interview him. And as expected, Mike shared some fascinating information and tips on fracture prevention and a lot more.

After listening to the interview head over to: BetterBalanceNow.com to get Mike's FREE 6-part better balance course.

Listen to the complete interview by clicking the “PLAY” button below:

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Click “PLAY” to listen to the interview

For more balance tips get Mike's FREE 6-part better balance course at:

BetterBalanceNow.com

Full Transcript

Vivian: Hi everyone, it's Vivian and I have a great interview for you today. I'm here with Mike Ross. He's the author of a book called The Balance Manual, and I recently read it, and I really liked the information I read it in it. It has great tips about how to prevent falls, how to improve the balance, and I wanted to share this with you because I found it to be a very valuable tool to help you prevent falls, and as you know, regardless of how your bones are and regardless of the condition of your bones, if you fall you have a greater risk of fracturing the bone. I mean, even kids break bones; my kids broke bones, but here we are with Mike Ross, author of The Balance Manual, and Mike will share some excellent tips about exercises to improve your balance and how to prevent falls. So let me introduce to you Mike Ross, hi Mike.

Mike: Hi Vivian, how are you?

Vivian: Doing great; Mike, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Mike: Sure; I've been in the fitness industry for over ten years and focusing more on just quality of life and allowing people to be active and live the life they want to as they age. I went to school for this; I have a degree in fitness management and I'm also certified by The National Academy of Sports Medicine.

Vivian: Excellent; I'm very excited about having you on, and I want to go straight to it because I'm sure that everyone is quite curious by now to learn valuable information about what you wrote in your Balance Manual. So, let's get started now, and because I read your book I remember that you said some shocking statistics about balance related injuries. Can you share some of those with our listeners today?

Mike: Yeah sure; first of all, every year one in three older adults fall. It's actually the number one cause of injury in people over 50. All together, it comes out to be over three million falls per year send people to the emergency room, and of course a lot of those falls are going to result in broken bones – most commonly of the spine, wrist, and hip. So you'd think with those huge numbers everyone would want to be doing everything they could to reduce their risk of falling, but unfortunately that's not the case. But, I'm trying to turn that around.

Vivian: Yeah, actually I found the statistics shocking, as I said before, and I also thought that you provide information in your manual that's not available just about anywhere. It's not easy to find information that specifically addresses the balance issue and how to prevent falls. So now I'm going to ask you – my next question here is are there any signs that we need to watch for that could signal that our balance is actually getting worse?

Mike: Well that's one of the big problems, is that everyone's sense of balance is going to get worse as they get older, but it's such a slow and gradual process that most people aren't going to notice it until one day they have their first serious fall. At that point, their balance has probably been already deteriorating for the last ten or 20 years, and now it's just noticeable to them because they fell. But instead of waiting for that first fall to happen, we should really try to take a proactive approach and I'm trying to get people to do that and start training their balance in their 50s and 60s so they can reduce their risk as much as possible before it becomes such a noticeable problem.

Vivian: Right, so basically you're saying that this is a gradual situation, it keeps worsening slowly, and what is it that we need to watch for particularly; you say this is gradual, so if we're not fully aware, we might not realize it. So is there anything in particular that we need to watch for?

Mike: Yeah, well if a person, let's say they're just standing in place, and a person with good balance should be able to stand in place and not appear to be swaying forward and backwards or sideways, but many people, as their balance gets worse, someone else might notice and see that they're just standing there but it looks like they're kind of swaying back and forth as if they were standing on a ball or standing on a water bed, and that's the first indicator. A lot of people also tell me that as they're walking around their foot kind of just didn't go where they thought it was going to, or they thought that they were starting to lean towards the side, or they get out of a chair quickly and they kind of feel like they're going to fall to the left or to the right when they get out of the chair. And those are obvious signs that are probably a good indicator that you should have been training your balance years ago already.

Vivian: Okay, that's extremely interesting, Mike, thanks for mentioning this and bringing up these two important points about the swaying and about the foot not going exactly where one thinks it would be going. And those are the two major signs that we can watch for. Now let me ask you another question; what can we do to improve balance and to maintain it at optimal levels?

Mike: Well, balance is really a skill. It's just like playing the piano or any other skill in that the more you practice it, the better you become at it. So when someone is say, in their 20s, or 30s, or 40s, the activities they do in their daily life like play sports, or playing with the kids, or whatever usually is enough stimulation to their sense of balance to keep their balance in good condition. But then as we get older and we get into our 50s and 60s, we start to stop doing a lot of those things and suddenly the sense of balance is not getting as much stimulation anymore and it's going to start to deteriorate. So at that point, that's when it becomes important for a person to start to consciously be doing exercises that are specifically designed to work on their balance so it doesn't get any worse.

Vivian: Yes of course, that makes so much sense. It's obvious that as we age we tend to do more sedentary activities and you're absolutely right. I realize that practicing is the best way of improving balance and not letting it get worse as we age. So, I know that in your book you recommend certain exercises, Mike, and could you tell me a little bit – why do they work and if they're easy to do no matter how old we are at any age.

Mike: Sure; when a person is doing balance exercises on a regular basis, they're stimulating a part of the brain that's controlling balance. And as you do that more and more, the brain is going to learn how to efficiently coordinate all the muscles in your legs and in your torso that keep you upright and stable. So we're just basically giving the brain a chance to practice balancing in a controlled setting, we're not going to get hurt, so that we can kind of improve and become better at balancing over time. As far as age – it's a great thing – we can do that at any age really, but I’ve had people do them that were 50 years old, and I've had people do them that were 90 years old because I've been able to customize the exercises based on how good a person is at balancing. So, you can kind of tweak them – you might make minor tweaks to the exercises and we want everyone to be able to challenge themselves, but only to the degree that they feel comfortable and that fits their unique ability level.

Vivian: Fantastic, yeah that's what actually also caught my attention in The Balance Manual is that the exercises seem to be very simple and easy to do, and you also show some pictures there that make it even easier for someone to look at that and then follow your program for increasing balance. Now, of course you know that our major concern here is bone health, how to prevent fractures, obviously preventing falls is extremely important to prevent breaking a bone, but do you have any special recommendations for people with osteoporosis?

Mike: Yeah, well first of all I just want to say that anybody that has any bone density issues should definitely be thinking seriously about what are they doing for their balance because we know that if someone is going to fall, someone with poor bone density is going to be most likely to break a bone in the event of a fall. So we need to do everything we can, first of all, to avoid that fall. As far as safety concerns while doing exercises, understand that balance exercises can be dangerous because they put you in situations that are somewhat unstable and you'll see if you see on TV, or a lot of times in the health magazines, or online, you'll see these crazy balance devices that people are standing on and they're wobbling all over the place, and those really – I don't recommend those because they're not safe and they're definitely not a place to start off with. That's something we might use for an athlete in the NFL, but not somebody that's over the age of 40 or 50 and have bone density issues. So there's plenty of exercises that we can do on the floor where you're going to be much safer than using those balance devices and challenge your balance just as good, but greatly or totally reduce your chances of having a problem. So don't go jumping on any wobble boards or a bosu ball, or anything like that. Just stay on the ground; there's plenty of good ways to challenge your balance that way.

Vivian: Yes actually that's another thing that I like very much about the information that you give in The Balance Manual, is that everything seems to be not only very easy but very safe. In fact, correct me if I'm wrong, but I noticed that just about every exercise includes holding onto something with one hand, or having something behind oneself in case something goes wrong and you lose your balance. Am I right about this?

Mike: Yes exactly; you're always going to have that to hold onto if you need it. You try not to use it of course, but it's always going to be there if you need it so that you're never going to be in a situation where we're going to fall because we'll always have something to grab onto if we need to.

Vivian: Right, and I like that very much; safety first of course, and I know you're a big advocate of that. On the same note now, as we are covering this very important issue of balance improvement, can you tell our audience here, and describe it as best you can, what is the single most important thing anyone can do to increase their balance? Any tip that you can give us now for the audience and for us here?

Mike: Sure, the one thing I would really stress is people have to spend more time standing and being active and less time sitting. So, as we get old, people tend to spend a little bit more time sitting until pretty soon when they're 70 or 80 maybe 75 percent of the day is sitting. But, when you're sitting you're not exercising your sense of balance anymore because the chair is preventing you from falling so your brain, your sense of balance, kind of shuts off, whereas when you're standing whether you're walking around or you're playing bocce ball, or you're dancing, or you're doing some yard work, or playing golf, your sense of balance is turned on and is operating and it's getting the stimulation it needs to make sure that your sense of balance is good in the future. So, try to find activities that you might enjoy that maybe you're not doing now, that can allow you to just spend a little bit more time standing. And if you are sitting for prolonged periods of time get up once in a while and just try to move around and let your body work on balance a little bit. Of course, if you want to get serious about it, I would say that you should be training your balance doing exercises specifically for balance. You should try to do that three to four or even more days per week for ten minutes or so.

Vivian: This is great advice, Mike, in fact now that you're mentioning all the things that one can do to improve balance and the exercises, perhaps you can give a very simple exercise example. Could you describe it to us just very simple exercise so we get an idea of what you've got there in The Balance Manual?

Mike: Yeah, so first of all you want to be standing next to something as we mentioned. Hopefully you're going to do this at home. You'll stand next to your sink and you can hold onto the sink if you need to, and you're just going to take one foot and place it directly in front of the other foot as if you were standing on a balance beam. So you've got your feet in a straight line, and from there you're just going to let go of your sink and you're just going to try to balance there. This sounds pretty easy, but go ahead and try it because you're going to be not very wide if you think about it. Normally when you stand, maybe your feet is six inches apart or eight inches apart, but when you stand like this – one foot in front of the other – you're probably only two or three inches wide and suddenly you're going to wobble quite a bit more. So we have the sink there, we're trying not to hold onto it, buy you'll feel your ankles and your toes kind of wobbling back and forth in your shoe and just kind of notice that those muscles are working because the brain is telling them we're about to fall this way or that way and we have to activate. And that's just giving your brain a little bit of stimulation and helping the sense of balance get some exercise.

Vivian: Oh this is great information, Mike. I can see how doing this can actually, like you say, train the brain, and it's actually quite easy to do. I mean, everybody has a sink at home, or they can hold onto I suppose any other thing that they have at home – a chair or whatever at the proper height – so this is great. Now tell me Mike, where can we get more tips about this balance manual and more tips about how to improve balance? Where do we have to go?

Mike: Sure, you can visit my website which is Betterbalancenow.com that's Betterbalancenow.com, one word, and on that site they can see I have a Better Balance eCourse where they can learn why their balance gets worse as they get older, and there are even some videos they can look at, and also, my book The Balance Manual is on there as well.

Vivian: This is great Mike, thank you very much. So the website is Betterbalancenow.com. Mike, this is great information. Again, I want to thank you for being so gracious and spending time today here with me and with my osteoporosis community and my listeners, and well, this is very valuable information and I thank you again, and everyone have a great day. Bye, Mike.

Mike: Bye, thank you.

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Comments on this article are closed.

  1. Yemia Glen

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  2. Mary Walton

    Very important information for seniors. Prevent hip fractures and the pneumonia that follows.

  3. bea

    hi vivian could you tell me how to e-mail mike ross i ordered his balance program well i got the program and then he took my recite off i am hoping you can help me thank you bea

  4. Roy Pyle

    Some think after even a mild stroke some brain cells are blocked of oxygen and are inactive but not dead and can be rejuvenated. Some think the brain slowly atrophies and this accounts for those cells not being operational. I would suggest you go to Google and type in THE OXYGEN MIRACLE and when the selections appear, choose the one with mcss after the title. People have regained their balance and a lot of other things using a hyperbaric oxygen chamber because oxygen is now getting to those cells that have been deprived of oxygen because of the blood clots in the brain. They say 1.5 to 2 times atmospheric pressure is needed to get blood to blocked cells.
    I hope you will check out THE OXYGEN MIRACLE. It’s about a lot more than just balance. Some have tossed the wheel chair and walker and cains and now walk without any problem. Some have even recovered from a coma. They’re available almost everywhere. Please read about the chambers. I am not saying exercise isn’t important, but read it.

  5. Marianne OBrien

    Attempted to get free copy of “the Balance Manual”
    It said that web page has been out of date.

    Can you help me get a copy of this balance manual?

    Thank you
    Marianne O’Brien

  6. Katherine

    Thank you so much for these exercises. They are such a great help, and I apprecite your kind efforts our behalf.I will practise more each day now.

  7. Top Golf Pro Tips

    Just desire to say your article is as astonishing. The clearness for your put up is just cool and i can suppose you are knowledgeable in this subject. Fine together with your permission allow me to clutch your feed to keep updated with imminent post. Thank you 1,000,000 and please carry on the enjoyable work.

  8. Patricia Harding

    The standing with one foot in front of the other is a marvelous exercise. It works not only your balance, but it works your brain, also. Later when you get balanced with it, try to take a step. It is really quite difficult, so it is an excellent exercise. Thanks for the neat interview. Love you, Pat

  9. Sharon

    Good exercise suggestions. I plan to do them throughout the day.

    Also great for balance is Tai Chi. I’ve been practicing daily for the past 15 years and my balance has improved tremendously!

  10. Flora

    Very nice and informative conversation. I will do the e-course and I hope to start those simple exercises to improve my balance and prevent bone fracture in future. Thank you so much.

  11. Maureen Daley

    I have a 94 year old friend that is having a balance problem. A friend in Australia E-mailed me information re bone density.

    I have been a “young” 73 year old female until recently. I am experiencing lower back pain when I stand up for awhile.I realize now that I need to take the time to attend to taking better care of my health.

  12. Virginia Parks

    Hi Vivian I like your book &thingas I have laerned about save my bones I work & walk 1 or2
    hors a day 5 days a week doing laundry & folding towla & gowns.
    Take care now
    Ps virginia
    Oregon

  13. Faye Standen

    Can anyone point me in the direction where to purchase, a Cook Book, 80% Alkaline & 20% Acidity receipes.

    Thanks Faye

  14. Faye Standen

    Vivian I am so grateful for your program and book, “Save our Bones”. I am 66 this March and was diagnosed when I was 51. There was nothing on the market and I avoided Hormone Replacement Therapy, Fosamax and chemical tablets until about 3 years ago, when the Specialist pleaded with me to take Actonel. “He said you will try anything alternative but wont try traditional” whatever he said scared me and I started taking Actonel. Stopped it December’10 after receiving your book. I am having trouble getting my head around all the vitamins required to be taken!!! or should I be looking for a multivitamin with as many as possible in the one tablet?? and then taking the balance in individual tablets? The exercises are no trouble, enjoy doing them and knowing they have been scientifically proven to increase bone density is a real reward. Kind Regards, Faye

  15. Kathie Roberts

    Hi Vivian –I love your program and I would like to know how I can get the vidio with Mike,s excercises in it . Thank you ,’
    Kathie

  16. Rita Potts

    Was delighted to hear your interveiw with Mike. I have been getting his tips for some time and bought his “Moving with Mike” DVD. surprised he didn’t mentipned it.

  17. EVA

    Dear Vivian :

    THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR INTEREST, TIME AND THOUGHTFULNESS…
    Thanks so much for being resourceful in providing valuable information on balance
    exercises through your friend Mike. Every
    bit of relevant knowledge to improve and
    save our bones is profoundly appreciated.
    Your sincere passion to help others in the
    area of your specialty reveals your deep
    compassion for those who are suffering.

    • corinne stern

      where can i get the excersises on balance that you refer to?

  18. elaine sullivan

    The video exercises in the related posts would be good to have
    in an exercise tape. Is this available? I ordered your program this
    morning, I am anxious to get the book.

    Thank-you,

    Elaine

  19. myrtle

    THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MIKES VIDIO& THANK YOU FOR
    ALL YOUR MOST WELCOMED E-MAILS. NEVER CHECKED MY E-MAILS EVERY DAY BUT NOW I DO AS I FEEL BAD
    IF I MISS ANYTHING YOU PRESCRIBE.
    KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!

    MERT

  20. Barbara Herrin

    I have osteoporesis and rheumatoid arthritis.
    I notice since my ankles and knees were so
    stiff and sore I have very poor balance. I need all the info I can about improving my
    balance.

  21. Donna Bouchard

    Hi all,I just read the interview that Vivian had with Mike about balance and fractures,I was wondering if there are any workouts for the wrist? i fell back in April and broke my left wrist 9aagain, the 1st time was back in Dec. of 1997 it was the same wrist and same fracture this time as it was in ’97 I am going to physical therapy just would like to know other than what my therapist gave to do at home, what else I can do?

    Have nice day,
    Donna

    • Lorraine Bunk

      Ifell and broke my wrist.I Had surgery 2 pins and a plate put in.What therapy can I do??

  22. thinker

    Vivian, I am shocked to see my full name listed with my comment about your ‘improving balance’ article. Your registration for leaving a comment was misleading — “NAME REQUIRED.” That suggests one must use his/her real name. No suggestion one might use an alias. Please withdraw my comment.

  23. Marilyn F. Hayman

    The conversation with Mike on improving balance was unnecessarily long. Cut to the chase. The important thing was the exercise — placing one foot ahead of the other. Too much discussion, too little info.

  24. phil

    Thanks a lot, Vivian for stressing
    the importance of balance as we age.
    This is something that I have been aware
    of since I fractured my foot a couple of years
    ago, so I’m happy to say that my balance is
    not bad for my age, but I work at it!…nothing comes easy!

    Thanks again!

    Ever-grateful admirer.

    Phil

  25. Ms. L. Carmel

    Hi! Vivian,
    Thank You VERY MUCH For Telling Us About Mike Ross’s FREE Balance E-Course. I’m Very Interested In It. And I Enjoyed Your Interview With Him.

    LOVE, L. Carmel

  26. Nu Ly

    It is a great information – balancing exercise.I can do it in 1-2 minutes, not holding anything,one foot stands and other foot makes a circle ten times.

    thank you.

  27. Carole Hayes-Berg

    I attend the Silver Sneakers exercise classes for seniors three times weekly. There are balance exercises, weight routines, pilate stretches, muscle strenghtening, cardiovascular workouts and dance routines that keeps you alert (brain exercise). Great!!
    Carole

  28. Gina

    I have been taking EZorb and have been doing
    the Ann Smith breathing and stretching exercise
    for mobility and balance and walking. I plan to
    add your exercises to my list. I have shown a
    slight improvement in my dexa and am encouraged
    as I do not want to take the prescription drugs
    since having a bad experience with taking two
    doses of Boniva. It took me 8 months to regain
    a good gastrointestinal tract.

  29. Elizabeth

    Hi Vivian, such an interesting conversation with Mike hilightening the Importance of Balance. Thank you so much for drawing our attention to this and for the website where his book and video are available. I will certainly be persuing this and again thank you for your support and valuable assistance.

  30. Irene Turner

    Dear Dr Vivian

    I am following your tips on food and exercise.Thank you for your help. How long before I should see an improvement in my Dexa scan?

    Irene

    • mary ann bontrager

      love the idea of balance exercises,will do almost anything to keep my bones in good health at 69

  31. lois everett

    I am presently taking Co-Alendronate Sodium, 70mg / weekly.
    I have taken 5 tablets, they burn like lye all the way down and into my stomach, and for 24 hrs after each time – I feel like some one is shooting darts at me ………. from my leg calves to my cheeks and ears. My hands and feet get puffy. Please tell me how this can be building bone? Dr. says I`ve lost 20% bone density

    • charmian evans

      You must drink two pints of water when you take the tablets and then they are ok. I also take colostrum tablets which negate the erosion. Look them up on line – we can buy them over the counter here in the UK. I take two when I’m over the half an hour period.

  32. caroline gerrie

    Great video with very simple and clear exercises that any one can follow. I am enjoying the informative e-mails – Thank you! x

  33. BARBARA

    Are these exercises okay for a spine with osteoporosis with very little bone mass left? I am in the fracture stage.

  34. Helen

    Valuable information!! Thank you!

  35. Grace

    Dear Vivian

    I have been diagnosed with thinning bones or osteaporious,I think that this is spelled right. It has been 5 months now since my doctor prescribed fozamax. He said I would have to take it for the rest of my life. He didn’t say much else even when I asked him. He said it was a prescription thing. My son was talking to a nutritionist today and it really concerns me because she seems to agree with fozamax. It is scary because I am a widow who has to look after things and the last thing I want is my adult children having to look after me. I am 51 years old. So far I haven’t taken any fozamax. The second reason being that I can’t even afford it. It is not covered and very expensive. To just disregard the doctor is scary and to take fozamax is scary.

  36. betty schultz

    had back surgery over 2 months ago still having lots of pain. any exercise I can do ??

  37. ANN Rappa

    Hi! Vivian
    wonderful advice about balance from Mike &just at the right time for me, I will be going to his web site checking & doing these balance
    exercises, thanks so much. Ann

  38. pat

    thanks mike and vivian

    • Aura

      Thank you for your valuable help .Greatly appreciated!

  39. sandra morgan

    Hi
    It’s so nice to read your emails and especialy nice to be told about the excercises.
    I do these daily with no trouble at all.
    Thankyou so much for all your advice

    Sandra

    • anne Hart

      I’d like to order a copy of your manual but find this hard to do! Pls be more specific. I check visa and that’s as far as I can go. ????

  40. Lin Baker

    Vivian,
    Thank you for this life-changing package of books and e-pamphlets. I am all eyes. I just narrowly avoided Foxamax again! I told the Doc “NO WAY JOSE” and will be taking your book to an appt. soon after getting started on the program. I got on the treadmill today for the first time in months and it felt good. I was afraid of falling off but when I read your 10 ways to reduce stress with one being “DO NOT FEAR” I jumped into my tennies and away I went for a good but slow 10-15 min. walk. It won’t be the last time. I know a lot of this material being a retired med-prof but I was not doing it. I have a book called “Alkalize or Die” and gave it to all my kids but failed to use it myself. Now I will because you have added more necessary info. I will never be able to thank you enough! But again, THANK YOU!

  41. Nancy Jo Welch

    I need exercises to strengthen my back.

  42. Eva

    My comment is regarding the signs of balance deterioration, well before the one mentioned in the otherwise great interview.
    By the time swaying and unsteady gait appear, the 2 signs mentioned by Mike, the loss of balance has been well along the progression line.
    The first time you notice that you can’t put your socks or shoes on while standing, your balance is already on the waning. If you have to sit down to take your shoes off, BEWARE and get busy regaining your balance!
    Thanks for the information, very intrested in the Mike’s book, hopefully inclusive of scientific references.
    Eva (Clinical Laboratory Scientist)

  43. Patricia Little

    Thank you Vivian for this info. I have notice some balance issues and it has been causing me concern and to wonder what is going on. This info has been very helpful. I am signed up for the 6 tips, I am a advocate of doing exercise for my health. I look forward to adding exercise for my balance issues. I am willing to do anything that I can to help myself avoid a fall and especially now that I am in osteoporosis.

  44. Chloa

    This was most informative. Thank you!

  45. Colin Harris

    Thank you Vivienne on behalf of my wife who has osteopenia.

    The website is great and she has found all the advice given within it very helpful.

    Regards,
    Colin Harris

  46. Julie Hernandez

    Vivian :

    Thanks so much for being resourceful in providing valuable information on balance
    exercises through your friend Mike. Every
    bit of relevant knowledge to improve and
    save our bones is profoundly appreciated.
    Your sincere passion to help others in the
    area of your specialty reveals your deep
    compassion for those who are suffering.

  47. Ingrid K. Salmon

    Dear Vivian:
    Thank you again for the valuable info. regarding bone and balance exercises. I will start incorporating them in my daily workouts.

    Both exercises remind me of Qi gong. The Grandmaster visited Honolulu and reminded everyone that heel/front walking was a cancer prevention tool.
    He also gave us a “pyramid” made out of plastic. You have to stand daily with the feet together at the top of the pyramid for 25 minutes and five minutes with the feet apart. During that time you do certain arm and breathing exercises (from the navel). Most people could not keep their balance and said they would practice at home. The principle is the same, I think. I found it very easy (to my surprise).

    Thank you for taking the time to let us know of these tools.

    Aloha,
    Ingrid

  48. joan

    THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR INTEREST, TIME AND THOUGHTFULNESS…

  49. Marysia Dunlop

    Hello Vivian 🙂

    I have mention in earlier emails that I use the Wii Fit Board. In it I do all the balancing games, jog, some yoga but only the easy bits 🙂 as I also have Rheumatoid Arthritis and some of those balancing exercises are way beyond my capability, but none the less I find it an easy way to relax, reduce stress and keep fit all at the same time.

    Thank you for sharing the vide with Mike Ross.

    take care
    best wishes from Bonnie Scotland 🙂
    Marysia

  50. Rita Burley

    I have been doing Yoga for years but find now with wedge compression fractures of the T6,7,8 I have bouts of pain in my lower back which has restricted me a great deal. Even turning over in bed is painful and all the Dr can do is give me pain suppressants and offer me long term drugs.
    I am 78. ,agile and well otherwise. I keep going with gentle exercises but taking steps can be painful at times. Perhaps your book will give me some new ideas. Hate this age THING !!

  51. June Anne Brorsen

    That was very good, I am thinking of ordering his book. I have signed up for the 6 parts.

  52. Marla

    Why not just ride a bicycle for balance exercise?

  53. Laraine Bore

    Dear Vivian, I haven’t actually looked at the balance info yet, but here in the UK I belong to the Osteoporosis society and they send out booklets with exercises to improve balance and they have been very helpful. I also receive quarterly magazines with latest updates on new information. Balance is very important indeed.
    Thank you for your continued interest. Laraine

  54. Susan

    We definitely need balance. As I keep saying the most important balance we need is hormone balance. Bio-identical Hormone balance with plant based compounded substances that are made identical to YOUR body and to what YOUR body needs. All your hormones play a part in bone growth, but the most imprtant hormones to promote bone growth are progesterone and testosterone. Dr. Lee spent many years researching the wonderful benefits of progesterone. He showed in his yrs. of practice that you DO build bone w/progesterone. I have researched bio-identical hormones for 14 yrs. I have written a book, attended seminars, conferences,and have read over 15 books by dedicated drs. for the passion of bio-identical hormones like myself. I am a coach for woman all over the US, giving the knowledge needed for woman to become proactive with their health. I only charge $25 to help women get the knowledge they need. I even find you a dr. that works with bio-identical hormones wherever you live, and follow you through the whole process. Contact me for my brochure and testimonial of one of my clients.
    Thank you,
    Susan Berkey (sberkey@teacher.com)330-354-7077
    Bio-Identical Hormone and Health Coach, LLC
    Juice Plus Wellness Cordinator

  55. Catherine

    Dear Vivian,
    Thanks for the audio with Mike Ross, while he was describing the balance exercise as if you were on a balance line I was doing it and found it harder to do than I used to find it when teaching infants. That really puts me on my mettle! I walk a lot, garden a lot. use my body and so was surprised at my loss of easy balance. I will certainly PRACTISE. Thank you Mike, too.

  56. Sidney Frank

    Thank you very much, Vivian. The subject of balance is very timely for me, especially so since I suffer from peripheral neuropathy. This is a condition often associated with diabetes, but, fortunately, I am not diabetic. The result is that feedback from my feet is poor, and my balance is, therefore, poor. I have been wanting to learn ways to train my balance, and it appears that Mike Ross’s manual will help me to do that.

  57. Amitie-

    Thank you so much Vivian for the Mike Ross interview. l have signed up for the course and look forward to getting started. Balance is certainly an issue with me so this information is particularly relevant.Mike is so right when he says that as you get older you tend to gravitate towards the chair which of course is not good especially for osteoporosis sufferers.

    • Jane Carroll

      I just received my 3 DVD’s Moving With Mike and have tried to locate how
      to give the ordering information to my friend so that she can purchase the same.

      Please help ASAP These tapes are just what I have needed to regain my balance and strength ===== thank YOU! Jane

  58. anne

    Hi Vivian:

    I was so very impressed with the video with Mike Ross and have signed up for the six free tips. In addition I have contacted him with my question as whether these would help me. As I mentioned I have a curvature due to Scoliosis and at times do lose my balance. In any event I plan on doing the exercises. Thanks again for your great emails. Keep them coming.
    Anne

  59. June Glover

    Dear Vivian
    Thank you for all your emails I find them very helpful and put them all into practice. I am starting to do the exercise you showed on your video and I will certainly be practising the balance exercises.
    I am a retired physiotherapist and so I do know the value of exercise very well. I am now very much in the older age group but I have always done some kind of exercise (yoga, weight training, pilates etc) so I find it safe and easy to exercise on my own at home.
    I would like to tell other women of a similar age group (70+) that exercise is safe if you consult your doctor first then start slowly perhaps with the help of a professional. And it is certainly well worht doing.

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