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- ABLE Bodies Balance Training
ABLE Bodies Balance Training offers an activity-based program to improve balance and mobility for both fit and frail older adults. This practical instructor's guide provides more than 130 balance and mobility exercises that consider flexibility, strength, and cardiorespiratory endurance. The exercises enhance older adults' abilities to maintain balance in completing their everyday tasks, thereby fostering increased self-confidence, reducing the occurrence of falls, and improving quality of life.
The text is based on ABLE Bodies techniques, which were proven effective in a randomized, controlled study funded by the National Blueprint and Active Aging Partnership. Results showed that ABLE Bodies training significantly improved balance, mobility, activity levels, gait speed, flexibility, and strength for participants 70 years of age and older living in retirement and assisted living facilities.
ABLE Bodies Balance Training uses current research and a component-based approach to balance training. Instructors are encouraged to use activities covering all five components of the program: flexibility, posture and core stability, strength, cardiorespiratory endurance, and balance and mobility. The exercises and activities are easily implemented with the use of existing facilities and inexpensive equipment. They also encourage fun and social interaction, helping instructors to create and maintain an energized and positive environment that improves communication, motivation, and overall progress. The program may be used in group or individual settings and can be customized according to level of experience:
-Beginning instructors can follow the 16-week session plan as a well-balanced training program that safely progress older adults through the exercises. The material is complete and may extend to a yearlong program.
-More experienced instructors may select exercises and activities from each of the five component categories to meet the individual needs of their older adult clients. The component-based organization of the text allows instructors to easily incorporate both exercises and conceptual ideas in fun, engaging, and creative ways into their existing programs.
As a bonus, access to a dedicated ABLE Bodies Balance Training Web site is included with the book. It offers 15 downloadable activity handouts that instructors can print out and distribute to patients or clients for use at home. It also offers downloadable handouts of all the balance training activities in the book—over 130 conceptual ideas and activities to choose from either for planning their own sessions or for aiding their delivery of the 16-week session plan. The text also offers a variety of tools, including step-by-step instructions, sample phrasing to use when encouraging participants, ideas on making activities progressively more difficult, and tips on promoting safety while performing the exercises.
The proven exercises and conceptual activities found in ABLE Bodies Balance Training offer both fit and frail seniors increased independence in daily living. By incorporating the ABLE Bodies Balance Training program into their work, fitness and health care professionals will educate and motivate older adults to increase stability and improve self-confidence and health.
Part I: All About ABLE Bodies Balance Training
Chapter 1: Components of ABLE Bodies Training
There's more to balance training than just balance! This chapter outlines the five components that make up an ABLE bodies training program: flexibility, posture and core stability, strength for a purpose, balance and mobility, and cardiorespiratory endurance.
Chapter 2: Setting Up ABLE Bodies Training Sessions
You know the components, but how do you combine them to create a solid training program? This chapter explains how to set up classes, how to select and progress activities, and how to be a more effective instructor.
Chapter 3: Ensuring Safety in ABLE Bodies Training
No matter how well you set up your training sessions, they aren't any good without the proper safety guidelines in place. This chapter outlines how to create plans and establish rules, ensure the mental and physical well-being of your participants, and prepare for emergencies.
Part II: ABLE Bodies Balance Training Activities
Chapter 4: Flexibility
Flexibility offers a greater range of motion, and that is key in older adults. In this chapter, you'll find flexibility activities that can be done while seated or standing, as well as conceptual activities.
Chapter 5: Posture and Core Stability
A strong core is key to good posture and overall balance. This chapter offers activities specific to both posture and core stability, as well as activities that progressively increase strength in these two areas.
Chapter 6: Strength for a Purpose
Overall strength is a goal, but there are also specific areas that need more attention in older populations. In this chapter, you'll find lots of strength activities for the legs, back, chest, and triceps.
Chapter 7: Balance and Mobility
If you want activities that focus on balance, then this chapter is for you! Activities in this chapter focus on gait, activities of daily living, vision, and motor coordination. You'll also find games that target all areas.
Chapter 8: Cardiorespiratory Endurance
Adding cardiorespiratory elements to balance training is easy! This chapter offers lots of ideas for setting up sessions dedicated to cardiorespiratory endurance or adding cardiorespiratory endurance activities to your balance classes.
Appendix A: Sample Balance Training Sessions
Appendix B: Template for ABLE Bodies Balance Training Sessions
Appendix C: Certificate of Completion
Sue Scott, MS, is an exercise consultant, balance specialist, and active living consultant. In her work with older adults and through her fitness company, Renewable Fitness, Scott focuses on bettering the health and well-being of seniors, particularly frail older adults.
Scott has over 10 years of experience working exclusively with seniors and fitness. She has worked in fitness as an educator, researcher, consultant, and personal trainer since 1986. She is certified as an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) health and fitness instructor and an International Dance Exercise Association(IDEA) master trainer.
Scott is the creator of the Adventures in Better Living through Exercise (ABLE) Bodies Balance Improvement Protocols. A National Blueprint on Active Aging grant in 2003 enabled Scott to research the effectiveness of the ABLE Bodies balance techniques in a randomized, controlled trial. In 2005, Scott presented her findings at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) conference in Nashville as well as the International Association of Homes and Services for the Ageing (IAHSA) conference in Norway and the American Public Health Association (APHA) conference in Philadelphia.
In addition to teaching group fitness classes and personal training for seniors, Scott is collaborating with Fay Horak, PhD, John Nutt, MD, and others at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) to develop an at-home exercise program to delay mobility losses in Parkinson's patients. She is also working with OHSU biomedical engineers Misha Pavel and Holly Jimmison, PhD, to develop interactive exercise videos for frail seniors and for those with Alzheimer's.
In her free time, Scott enjoys skiing, mountain biking, gardening, and vacationing with her family. She and her husband, Rick, and their two children reside in Happy Valley, Oregon.
Activities for improving posture and stability: Smell the coffee
The “Smell the Coffee” activity is a fun, quick, and easy activity that marries deep breathing and a natural back-lengthening movement.
Smell the Coffee
We all know how to straighten our posture when we want to get a whiff of some wonderful smell, whether it's perfume, an ocean breeze, or cinnamon buns. The sense of smell is one of the keenest senses. Over long periods of time, its memory is the most accurate of the senses. Here is an example that compares visual memory with olfactory (smell) memory. Most people remember what their old grade school looked like, but when they go back for a visit they find it's much smaller than they remembered. That visual memory wasn't quite accurate. But smell is different. Over many years we remember smells well, and we remember them accurately. Mom's fresh baked bread? Kindergarten lunches? Fresh mowed lawn, or hay? An ocean breeze? We recognize those smells quickly and right as rain.
For this activity, it's the smells of fresh-brewed morning coffee that participants want to find. Smell the Coffee is a fun, quick, and easy activity that marries deep breathing and a natural back-lengthening movement. It will help participants lift into tall, ribs-lifted posture, with abdominals braced and head and shoulders retracted and aligned. This combination enhances posture and core stability. Use it for those times at the beginning of class when you look out at your participants and they don't seem quite ready for exercise. Maybe they're slumping and not yet smiling . . . it's as if they need a wake-up call. Smell the Coffee can come to the rescue and whisk away those doldrums. Pretty soon, participants may start liking this activity better than actual coffee!
Benefits »
Helps participants achieve tall sitting posture.
Uses memorable cues to evoke an ingrained sequence for tall sitting.
Begins posture exercises in a fun, easy, and social way with a warm and fuzzy feel.
Set It Up »
Come up with a list of smells that would be easily recognizable by participants. Talk with your participants about their memories of favorite smells. Maybe laugh about some awful smells we remember just as well. Share some of your own favorite smells or smell memories. Then invite participants to do a little imaginative smelling.
How to Do It »
Use the following cues.
- Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Try to find a favorite smell. (Mention some of the responses they said earlier.) Smell deeply. Can you smell it?
- Did your posture change with your deep breath? Are you sitting taller to catch that smell?
- Again, image the scent drifting by on a breeze. Can you smell it?
- Ask them to notice their posture.
- Did they sit up tall?
- Did they pull their back away from the back of the chair?
- Did they lift their ribs, their head, and their spine?
Now they are ready to try the activity again. This time they'll have the concept in their mind and will know what they're doing for posture. You might say something such as, "Okay everyone, wake up and smell the coffee! Give me a tall sit and take a deep breath in!" Here are some cues to use:
- Bring your back away from the back of the chair.
- Breathe in and pull yourself up tall.
- Abdominals in.
- Ribs . . . spine . . . lifted.
- Smell the coffee? Enjoy the great aroma and smile.
- Exhale slowly and pull the shoulder blades back and down.
Progress the activity by adding some flexibility. Give the stretches a morning theme to fit with smelling the coffee. The next stretch can be a good-morning yawn. They reach up with one arm and breathe in deeply, as if yawning and stretching, and then reach with the other. They can push their arms out and around their back. It's their morning coffee with you!
Activities for improving posture and stability: Smell the coffee
The “Smell the Coffee” activity is a fun, quick, and easy activity that marries deep breathing and a natural back-lengthening movement.
Smell the Coffee
We all know how to straighten our posture when we want to get a whiff of some wonderful smell, whether it's perfume, an ocean breeze, or cinnamon buns. The sense of smell is one of the keenest senses. Over long periods of time, its memory is the most accurate of the senses. Here is an example that compares visual memory with olfactory (smell) memory. Most people remember what their old grade school looked like, but when they go back for a visit they find it's much smaller than they remembered. That visual memory wasn't quite accurate. But smell is different. Over many years we remember smells well, and we remember them accurately. Mom's fresh baked bread? Kindergarten lunches? Fresh mowed lawn, or hay? An ocean breeze? We recognize those smells quickly and right as rain.
For this activity, it's the smells of fresh-brewed morning coffee that participants want to find. Smell the Coffee is a fun, quick, and easy activity that marries deep breathing and a natural back-lengthening movement. It will help participants lift into tall, ribs-lifted posture, with abdominals braced and head and shoulders retracted and aligned. This combination enhances posture and core stability. Use it for those times at the beginning of class when you look out at your participants and they don't seem quite ready for exercise. Maybe they're slumping and not yet smiling . . . it's as if they need a wake-up call. Smell the Coffee can come to the rescue and whisk away those doldrums. Pretty soon, participants may start liking this activity better than actual coffee!
Benefits »
Helps participants achieve tall sitting posture.
Uses memorable cues to evoke an ingrained sequence for tall sitting.
Begins posture exercises in a fun, easy, and social way with a warm and fuzzy feel.
Set It Up »
Come up with a list of smells that would be easily recognizable by participants. Talk with your participants about their memories of favorite smells. Maybe laugh about some awful smells we remember just as well. Share some of your own favorite smells or smell memories. Then invite participants to do a little imaginative smelling.
How to Do It »
Use the following cues.
- Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Try to find a favorite smell. (Mention some of the responses they said earlier.) Smell deeply. Can you smell it?
- Did your posture change with your deep breath? Are you sitting taller to catch that smell?
- Again, image the scent drifting by on a breeze. Can you smell it?
- Ask them to notice their posture.
- Did they sit up tall?
- Did they pull their back away from the back of the chair?
- Did they lift their ribs, their head, and their spine?
Now they are ready to try the activity again. This time they'll have the concept in their mind and will know what they're doing for posture. You might say something such as, "Okay everyone, wake up and smell the coffee! Give me a tall sit and take a deep breath in!" Here are some cues to use:
- Bring your back away from the back of the chair.
- Breathe in and pull yourself up tall.
- Abdominals in.
- Ribs . . . spine . . . lifted.
- Smell the coffee? Enjoy the great aroma and smile.
- Exhale slowly and pull the shoulder blades back and down.
Progress the activity by adding some flexibility. Give the stretches a morning theme to fit with smelling the coffee. The next stretch can be a good-morning yawn. They reach up with one arm and breathe in deeply, as if yawning and stretching, and then reach with the other. They can push their arms out and around their back. It's their morning coffee with you!
Activities for improving posture and stability: Smell the coffee
The “Smell the Coffee” activity is a fun, quick, and easy activity that marries deep breathing and a natural back-lengthening movement.
Smell the Coffee
We all know how to straighten our posture when we want to get a whiff of some wonderful smell, whether it's perfume, an ocean breeze, or cinnamon buns. The sense of smell is one of the keenest senses. Over long periods of time, its memory is the most accurate of the senses. Here is an example that compares visual memory with olfactory (smell) memory. Most people remember what their old grade school looked like, but when they go back for a visit they find it's much smaller than they remembered. That visual memory wasn't quite accurate. But smell is different. Over many years we remember smells well, and we remember them accurately. Mom's fresh baked bread? Kindergarten lunches? Fresh mowed lawn, or hay? An ocean breeze? We recognize those smells quickly and right as rain.
For this activity, it's the smells of fresh-brewed morning coffee that participants want to find. Smell the Coffee is a fun, quick, and easy activity that marries deep breathing and a natural back-lengthening movement. It will help participants lift into tall, ribs-lifted posture, with abdominals braced and head and shoulders retracted and aligned. This combination enhances posture and core stability. Use it for those times at the beginning of class when you look out at your participants and they don't seem quite ready for exercise. Maybe they're slumping and not yet smiling . . . it's as if they need a wake-up call. Smell the Coffee can come to the rescue and whisk away those doldrums. Pretty soon, participants may start liking this activity better than actual coffee!
Benefits »
Helps participants achieve tall sitting posture.
Uses memorable cues to evoke an ingrained sequence for tall sitting.
Begins posture exercises in a fun, easy, and social way with a warm and fuzzy feel.
Set It Up »
Come up with a list of smells that would be easily recognizable by participants. Talk with your participants about their memories of favorite smells. Maybe laugh about some awful smells we remember just as well. Share some of your own favorite smells or smell memories. Then invite participants to do a little imaginative smelling.
How to Do It »
Use the following cues.
- Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Try to find a favorite smell. (Mention some of the responses they said earlier.) Smell deeply. Can you smell it?
- Did your posture change with your deep breath? Are you sitting taller to catch that smell?
- Again, image the scent drifting by on a breeze. Can you smell it?
- Ask them to notice their posture.
- Did they sit up tall?
- Did they pull their back away from the back of the chair?
- Did they lift their ribs, their head, and their spine?
Now they are ready to try the activity again. This time they'll have the concept in their mind and will know what they're doing for posture. You might say something such as, "Okay everyone, wake up and smell the coffee! Give me a tall sit and take a deep breath in!" Here are some cues to use:
- Bring your back away from the back of the chair.
- Breathe in and pull yourself up tall.
- Abdominals in.
- Ribs . . . spine . . . lifted.
- Smell the coffee? Enjoy the great aroma and smile.
- Exhale slowly and pull the shoulder blades back and down.
Progress the activity by adding some flexibility. Give the stretches a morning theme to fit with smelling the coffee. The next stretch can be a good-morning yawn. They reach up with one arm and breathe in deeply, as if yawning and stretching, and then reach with the other. They can push their arms out and around their back. It's their morning coffee with you!
Activities for improving posture and stability: Smell the coffee
The “Smell the Coffee” activity is a fun, quick, and easy activity that marries deep breathing and a natural back-lengthening movement.
Smell the Coffee
We all know how to straighten our posture when we want to get a whiff of some wonderful smell, whether it's perfume, an ocean breeze, or cinnamon buns. The sense of smell is one of the keenest senses. Over long periods of time, its memory is the most accurate of the senses. Here is an example that compares visual memory with olfactory (smell) memory. Most people remember what their old grade school looked like, but when they go back for a visit they find it's much smaller than they remembered. That visual memory wasn't quite accurate. But smell is different. Over many years we remember smells well, and we remember them accurately. Mom's fresh baked bread? Kindergarten lunches? Fresh mowed lawn, or hay? An ocean breeze? We recognize those smells quickly and right as rain.
For this activity, it's the smells of fresh-brewed morning coffee that participants want to find. Smell the Coffee is a fun, quick, and easy activity that marries deep breathing and a natural back-lengthening movement. It will help participants lift into tall, ribs-lifted posture, with abdominals braced and head and shoulders retracted and aligned. This combination enhances posture and core stability. Use it for those times at the beginning of class when you look out at your participants and they don't seem quite ready for exercise. Maybe they're slumping and not yet smiling . . . it's as if they need a wake-up call. Smell the Coffee can come to the rescue and whisk away those doldrums. Pretty soon, participants may start liking this activity better than actual coffee!
Benefits »
Helps participants achieve tall sitting posture.
Uses memorable cues to evoke an ingrained sequence for tall sitting.
Begins posture exercises in a fun, easy, and social way with a warm and fuzzy feel.
Set It Up »
Come up with a list of smells that would be easily recognizable by participants. Talk with your participants about their memories of favorite smells. Maybe laugh about some awful smells we remember just as well. Share some of your own favorite smells or smell memories. Then invite participants to do a little imaginative smelling.
How to Do It »
Use the following cues.
- Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Try to find a favorite smell. (Mention some of the responses they said earlier.) Smell deeply. Can you smell it?
- Did your posture change with your deep breath? Are you sitting taller to catch that smell?
- Again, image the scent drifting by on a breeze. Can you smell it?
- Ask them to notice their posture.
- Did they sit up tall?
- Did they pull their back away from the back of the chair?
- Did they lift their ribs, their head, and their spine?
Now they are ready to try the activity again. This time they'll have the concept in their mind and will know what they're doing for posture. You might say something such as, "Okay everyone, wake up and smell the coffee! Give me a tall sit and take a deep breath in!" Here are some cues to use:
- Bring your back away from the back of the chair.
- Breathe in and pull yourself up tall.
- Abdominals in.
- Ribs . . . spine . . . lifted.
- Smell the coffee? Enjoy the great aroma and smile.
- Exhale slowly and pull the shoulder blades back and down.
Progress the activity by adding some flexibility. Give the stretches a morning theme to fit with smelling the coffee. The next stretch can be a good-morning yawn. They reach up with one arm and breathe in deeply, as if yawning and stretching, and then reach with the other. They can push their arms out and around their back. It's their morning coffee with you!
Activities for improving posture and stability: Smell the coffee
The “Smell the Coffee” activity is a fun, quick, and easy activity that marries deep breathing and a natural back-lengthening movement.
Smell the Coffee
We all know how to straighten our posture when we want to get a whiff of some wonderful smell, whether it's perfume, an ocean breeze, or cinnamon buns. The sense of smell is one of the keenest senses. Over long periods of time, its memory is the most accurate of the senses. Here is an example that compares visual memory with olfactory (smell) memory. Most people remember what their old grade school looked like, but when they go back for a visit they find it's much smaller than they remembered. That visual memory wasn't quite accurate. But smell is different. Over many years we remember smells well, and we remember them accurately. Mom's fresh baked bread? Kindergarten lunches? Fresh mowed lawn, or hay? An ocean breeze? We recognize those smells quickly and right as rain.
For this activity, it's the smells of fresh-brewed morning coffee that participants want to find. Smell the Coffee is a fun, quick, and easy activity that marries deep breathing and a natural back-lengthening movement. It will help participants lift into tall, ribs-lifted posture, with abdominals braced and head and shoulders retracted and aligned. This combination enhances posture and core stability. Use it for those times at the beginning of class when you look out at your participants and they don't seem quite ready for exercise. Maybe they're slumping and not yet smiling . . . it's as if they need a wake-up call. Smell the Coffee can come to the rescue and whisk away those doldrums. Pretty soon, participants may start liking this activity better than actual coffee!
Benefits »
Helps participants achieve tall sitting posture.
Uses memorable cues to evoke an ingrained sequence for tall sitting.
Begins posture exercises in a fun, easy, and social way with a warm and fuzzy feel.
Set It Up »
Come up with a list of smells that would be easily recognizable by participants. Talk with your participants about their memories of favorite smells. Maybe laugh about some awful smells we remember just as well. Share some of your own favorite smells or smell memories. Then invite participants to do a little imaginative smelling.
How to Do It »
Use the following cues.
- Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Try to find a favorite smell. (Mention some of the responses they said earlier.) Smell deeply. Can you smell it?
- Did your posture change with your deep breath? Are you sitting taller to catch that smell?
- Again, image the scent drifting by on a breeze. Can you smell it?
- Ask them to notice their posture.
- Did they sit up tall?
- Did they pull their back away from the back of the chair?
- Did they lift their ribs, their head, and their spine?
Now they are ready to try the activity again. This time they'll have the concept in their mind and will know what they're doing for posture. You might say something such as, "Okay everyone, wake up and smell the coffee! Give me a tall sit and take a deep breath in!" Here are some cues to use:
- Bring your back away from the back of the chair.
- Breathe in and pull yourself up tall.
- Abdominals in.
- Ribs . . . spine . . . lifted.
- Smell the coffee? Enjoy the great aroma and smile.
- Exhale slowly and pull the shoulder blades back and down.
Progress the activity by adding some flexibility. Give the stretches a morning theme to fit with smelling the coffee. The next stretch can be a good-morning yawn. They reach up with one arm and breathe in deeply, as if yawning and stretching, and then reach with the other. They can push their arms out and around their back. It's their morning coffee with you!
Activities for improving posture and stability: Smell the coffee
The “Smell the Coffee” activity is a fun, quick, and easy activity that marries deep breathing and a natural back-lengthening movement.
Smell the Coffee
We all know how to straighten our posture when we want to get a whiff of some wonderful smell, whether it's perfume, an ocean breeze, or cinnamon buns. The sense of smell is one of the keenest senses. Over long periods of time, its memory is the most accurate of the senses. Here is an example that compares visual memory with olfactory (smell) memory. Most people remember what their old grade school looked like, but when they go back for a visit they find it's much smaller than they remembered. That visual memory wasn't quite accurate. But smell is different. Over many years we remember smells well, and we remember them accurately. Mom's fresh baked bread? Kindergarten lunches? Fresh mowed lawn, or hay? An ocean breeze? We recognize those smells quickly and right as rain.
For this activity, it's the smells of fresh-brewed morning coffee that participants want to find. Smell the Coffee is a fun, quick, and easy activity that marries deep breathing and a natural back-lengthening movement. It will help participants lift into tall, ribs-lifted posture, with abdominals braced and head and shoulders retracted and aligned. This combination enhances posture and core stability. Use it for those times at the beginning of class when you look out at your participants and they don't seem quite ready for exercise. Maybe they're slumping and not yet smiling . . . it's as if they need a wake-up call. Smell the Coffee can come to the rescue and whisk away those doldrums. Pretty soon, participants may start liking this activity better than actual coffee!
Benefits »
Helps participants achieve tall sitting posture.
Uses memorable cues to evoke an ingrained sequence for tall sitting.
Begins posture exercises in a fun, easy, and social way with a warm and fuzzy feel.
Set It Up »
Come up with a list of smells that would be easily recognizable by participants. Talk with your participants about their memories of favorite smells. Maybe laugh about some awful smells we remember just as well. Share some of your own favorite smells or smell memories. Then invite participants to do a little imaginative smelling.
How to Do It »
Use the following cues.
- Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Try to find a favorite smell. (Mention some of the responses they said earlier.) Smell deeply. Can you smell it?
- Did your posture change with your deep breath? Are you sitting taller to catch that smell?
- Again, image the scent drifting by on a breeze. Can you smell it?
- Ask them to notice their posture.
- Did they sit up tall?
- Did they pull their back away from the back of the chair?
- Did they lift their ribs, their head, and their spine?
Now they are ready to try the activity again. This time they'll have the concept in their mind and will know what they're doing for posture. You might say something such as, "Okay everyone, wake up and smell the coffee! Give me a tall sit and take a deep breath in!" Here are some cues to use:
- Bring your back away from the back of the chair.
- Breathe in and pull yourself up tall.
- Abdominals in.
- Ribs . . . spine . . . lifted.
- Smell the coffee? Enjoy the great aroma and smile.
- Exhale slowly and pull the shoulder blades back and down.
Progress the activity by adding some flexibility. Give the stretches a morning theme to fit with smelling the coffee. The next stretch can be a good-morning yawn. They reach up with one arm and breathe in deeply, as if yawning and stretching, and then reach with the other. They can push their arms out and around their back. It's their morning coffee with you!
Activities for improving posture and stability: Smell the coffee
The “Smell the Coffee” activity is a fun, quick, and easy activity that marries deep breathing and a natural back-lengthening movement.
Smell the Coffee
We all know how to straighten our posture when we want to get a whiff of some wonderful smell, whether it's perfume, an ocean breeze, or cinnamon buns. The sense of smell is one of the keenest senses. Over long periods of time, its memory is the most accurate of the senses. Here is an example that compares visual memory with olfactory (smell) memory. Most people remember what their old grade school looked like, but when they go back for a visit they find it's much smaller than they remembered. That visual memory wasn't quite accurate. But smell is different. Over many years we remember smells well, and we remember them accurately. Mom's fresh baked bread? Kindergarten lunches? Fresh mowed lawn, or hay? An ocean breeze? We recognize those smells quickly and right as rain.
For this activity, it's the smells of fresh-brewed morning coffee that participants want to find. Smell the Coffee is a fun, quick, and easy activity that marries deep breathing and a natural back-lengthening movement. It will help participants lift into tall, ribs-lifted posture, with abdominals braced and head and shoulders retracted and aligned. This combination enhances posture and core stability. Use it for those times at the beginning of class when you look out at your participants and they don't seem quite ready for exercise. Maybe they're slumping and not yet smiling . . . it's as if they need a wake-up call. Smell the Coffee can come to the rescue and whisk away those doldrums. Pretty soon, participants may start liking this activity better than actual coffee!
Benefits »
Helps participants achieve tall sitting posture.
Uses memorable cues to evoke an ingrained sequence for tall sitting.
Begins posture exercises in a fun, easy, and social way with a warm and fuzzy feel.
Set It Up »
Come up with a list of smells that would be easily recognizable by participants. Talk with your participants about their memories of favorite smells. Maybe laugh about some awful smells we remember just as well. Share some of your own favorite smells or smell memories. Then invite participants to do a little imaginative smelling.
How to Do It »
Use the following cues.
- Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Try to find a favorite smell. (Mention some of the responses they said earlier.) Smell deeply. Can you smell it?
- Did your posture change with your deep breath? Are you sitting taller to catch that smell?
- Again, image the scent drifting by on a breeze. Can you smell it?
- Ask them to notice their posture.
- Did they sit up tall?
- Did they pull their back away from the back of the chair?
- Did they lift their ribs, their head, and their spine?
Now they are ready to try the activity again. This time they'll have the concept in their mind and will know what they're doing for posture. You might say something such as, "Okay everyone, wake up and smell the coffee! Give me a tall sit and take a deep breath in!" Here are some cues to use:
- Bring your back away from the back of the chair.
- Breathe in and pull yourself up tall.
- Abdominals in.
- Ribs . . . spine . . . lifted.
- Smell the coffee? Enjoy the great aroma and smile.
- Exhale slowly and pull the shoulder blades back and down.
Progress the activity by adding some flexibility. Give the stretches a morning theme to fit with smelling the coffee. The next stretch can be a good-morning yawn. They reach up with one arm and breathe in deeply, as if yawning and stretching, and then reach with the other. They can push their arms out and around their back. It's their morning coffee with you!
Activities for improving posture and stability: Smell the coffee
The “Smell the Coffee” activity is a fun, quick, and easy activity that marries deep breathing and a natural back-lengthening movement.
Smell the Coffee
We all know how to straighten our posture when we want to get a whiff of some wonderful smell, whether it's perfume, an ocean breeze, or cinnamon buns. The sense of smell is one of the keenest senses. Over long periods of time, its memory is the most accurate of the senses. Here is an example that compares visual memory with olfactory (smell) memory. Most people remember what their old grade school looked like, but when they go back for a visit they find it's much smaller than they remembered. That visual memory wasn't quite accurate. But smell is different. Over many years we remember smells well, and we remember them accurately. Mom's fresh baked bread? Kindergarten lunches? Fresh mowed lawn, or hay? An ocean breeze? We recognize those smells quickly and right as rain.
For this activity, it's the smells of fresh-brewed morning coffee that participants want to find. Smell the Coffee is a fun, quick, and easy activity that marries deep breathing and a natural back-lengthening movement. It will help participants lift into tall, ribs-lifted posture, with abdominals braced and head and shoulders retracted and aligned. This combination enhances posture and core stability. Use it for those times at the beginning of class when you look out at your participants and they don't seem quite ready for exercise. Maybe they're slumping and not yet smiling . . . it's as if they need a wake-up call. Smell the Coffee can come to the rescue and whisk away those doldrums. Pretty soon, participants may start liking this activity better than actual coffee!
Benefits »
Helps participants achieve tall sitting posture.
Uses memorable cues to evoke an ingrained sequence for tall sitting.
Begins posture exercises in a fun, easy, and social way with a warm and fuzzy feel.
Set It Up »
Come up with a list of smells that would be easily recognizable by participants. Talk with your participants about their memories of favorite smells. Maybe laugh about some awful smells we remember just as well. Share some of your own favorite smells or smell memories. Then invite participants to do a little imaginative smelling.
How to Do It »
Use the following cues.
- Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Try to find a favorite smell. (Mention some of the responses they said earlier.) Smell deeply. Can you smell it?
- Did your posture change with your deep breath? Are you sitting taller to catch that smell?
- Again, image the scent drifting by on a breeze. Can you smell it?
- Ask them to notice their posture.
- Did they sit up tall?
- Did they pull their back away from the back of the chair?
- Did they lift their ribs, their head, and their spine?
Now they are ready to try the activity again. This time they'll have the concept in their mind and will know what they're doing for posture. You might say something such as, "Okay everyone, wake up and smell the coffee! Give me a tall sit and take a deep breath in!" Here are some cues to use:
- Bring your back away from the back of the chair.
- Breathe in and pull yourself up tall.
- Abdominals in.
- Ribs . . . spine . . . lifted.
- Smell the coffee? Enjoy the great aroma and smile.
- Exhale slowly and pull the shoulder blades back and down.
Progress the activity by adding some flexibility. Give the stretches a morning theme to fit with smelling the coffee. The next stretch can be a good-morning yawn. They reach up with one arm and breathe in deeply, as if yawning and stretching, and then reach with the other. They can push their arms out and around their back. It's their morning coffee with you!