In the past week, I’ve had three separate requests for more details on the seniors’ exercise guides I have published. To date, I have written and published 6 books focused on helping seniors prevent life-altering falls and stay in their own homes longer. 

While there is some crossover with the books, each one has a unique focus. This month’s blog post will focus on these 6 books, but you can see a snapshot of all my books on my recently-updated website.


These books are self-help exercise guides for caregivers, family members, and, most importantly, seniors. They all feature foundational exercises with step-by-step instructions and illustrations that they can use as a home-based exercise plan.


The exercises don’t require special equipment or the need to get on the floor—any lying-down exercises are safe to perform on a bed. Each exercise also includes modifications on how to make it easier—or harder, in some of the more advanced books—depending on abilities. Falls are the leading cause of injury, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations for seniors in North America. The goal with my books is to help seniors increase their confidence—after all, the fear of falling contributes to the risk of falling—and improve their strength and balance so they won’t sustain a life-altering fall.
​

Some of these titles are available for sale in Ottawa, while all of them can be ordered online from Amazon. And you can check out the table of contents with Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature if you want more details. 

Balance and Your Body features all-standing exercises, with modifications for seated options where possible. It focuses on three components: 

• - balance system
• - strength
• - mobility

Balance 2.0 focuses on balance through strength. It features exercises in three positions:
​- standing
- seated
- lying (bed or floor)
Also included are visualizations to help with brain training. 

Balance Exercises for Fall Prevention is available in English and Spanish, and there is an audiobook of the English version. If you want just a straight exercise guide, this book has all the exercises featured in Balance and Your Body and Balance 2.0, while the background information on falls and fall prevention has been removed. It also includes 8 workout plans and an exercise breakdown by goal—balance, posture, strength, and flexibility.

Chair Exercises for Fall Prevention features seated exercises only and includes 4 gentle, seated workout plans that focus on balance, posture, strength, and flexibility. 

The Aging Parents Books: Gentle Exercise for Seniors Over 80 is a movement and gentle exercise guide. All of the exercises in this book are completed lying down on a bed or seated in a chair. The font size has been increased and the font style has been changed, to improve readability for those with eyesight challenges. 

​If you’re still unsure about which book is right for you, or have any other questions, please feel free to reach out.

The following excerpt comes from my upcoming 13th book, Shawna's Outreach: When we each give a little, a lot gets done, by Shawna Thibodeau and Amanda Sterczyk. All royalties from this book will go directly to help people living in poverty and on the streets of Ottawa. It's called, "A day in the life of a donation."

Let’s meet Hotel Hank, the complimentary bar of soap we all pick up on overnight hotel stays. His journey is one example of how even the smallest item can have a profound influence on someone’s life. 

Hotel Hank has been languishing on the stairs of a suburban Ottawa home for at least six months. Don’t let his diminutive appearance fool you: he has big dreams. All he wants is to meet up with his pal, Water, and help someone get clean. Never quite making it to a water source, his mission has been thwarted. Until today.  

9:37 a.m. A careless footfall on the stairs sends Hotel Hank reeling, tumbling end over end until he lands at the bottom of the stairs, slightly askew. The person responsible for said relocation picks up Hotel Hank with one hand, as the other hand scrolls distractedly on a smartphone. 

9:38 a.m. A friend’s social media post about Shawna’s Outreach fills the smartphone screen. Coincidentally, it’s a post detailing the need for toiletries. 

9:39 a.m. Eyes shift from one hand to the other, from looking at Hotel Hank to reading the post about Shawna’s Outreach. A lightbulb goes off as a plan is formed.

9:40 a.m. A direct message arrives at Shawna’s Outreach: “Hi, I have a bar of soap that I’d like to donate. How can I get it to you?”

10:37 a.m. Hotel Hank is delivered to a local shop that serves as a drop-off point for Shawna’s Outreach. Shawna will be coming by in a few hours to gather the items in this donation bin. In the meantime, Hotel Hank chills with the other products that are awaiting delivery to their final destination.

12:44 p.m. Shawna arrives and collects Hotel Hank and the other donated items. She brings them to the back of her vehicle and begins distributing them in the half-filled bags. Hotel Hank joins a bag that already contains the usual items (drink, source of protein, socks, etc.).

3:00 p.m. After a few additional stops to pick up more donations and sort them into waiting bags, Shawna arrives in downtown Ottawa to begin sharing the bags with the unhoused people she meets on the street.

4:12 p.m. The bag containing Hotel Hank is handed to a young man sitting on the curb. He quickly opens the bag and begins pulling out the items. A smile forms across his face as he takes out Hotel Hank, and he tells Shawna that he hasn’t had a shower in four days. He’s looking forward to using his new bar of soap—Hotel Hank.
​
5:13 p.m. Hotel Hank’s dream comes true at last as he meets his pal, Water. More exuberant than soapy bubbles is his pride in helping this young homeless person. It’s been a good day all around.

Copyright: Shawna Thibodeau and Amanda Sterczyk 2023, all rights reserved.

Unless you have been living under a rock, you are fully aware that Canada’s health care system is broken. More than one simple break, the problem is akin to a car window that shatters into thousands of tiny pieces on impact. Many problems that require many steps to fix all of the breaks. It is going to take years to dig us out of this hole, and it will require policy changes across the spectrum. I liken it to a giant cross-country jigsaw puzzle that can only be completed in small steps. 

Today, I want to address one potential component regarding the shortage of family doctors in Canada. The adoption of multidisciplinary health care teams, also known as team-based care, is vital to the future viability of our health care system. 

When it comes to team-based care, a key component must be the inclusion of exercise professionals on these teams. The World Health Organization has identified physical inactivity as the fourth leading risk factor for premature death:

"Regular physical activity is proven to help prevent and manage noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and several cancers. It also helps prevent hypertension, maintain healthy body weight and can improve mental health, quality of life and well-being.” (WHO guidelines on physical activity)

In fact, the Ontario Kinesiology Association has been advocating for the inclusion of exercise-specific professionals to be included on all primary care teams in the province:

"Exercise and physical activity are recognized unequivocally as among the most effective means to both prevent and manage chronic disease. Managing these illnesses is critical: Chronic conditions such as cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease are the leading cause of death in Ontario. The cost of supporting individuals with chronic disease is estimated to be 55% of total direct and indirect health costs.”

Indeed, a Canadian study demonstrated that patients want individualized physical activity recommendations from their primary care physicians. If team-based care is to be successful, not only should dieticians be added to these teams, but also exercise professionals. Lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise would go a long way to reducing the burden of chronic disease on Canadians and our health care system.

If you’ve been following my Facebook author page, you may be aware that I’ve embarked on my first author collaboration. If not, keep reading to learn more. 

Earlier this year, I met Shawna Thibodeau at a women’s networking event. Shawna runs a grassroots initiative called Shawna’s Outreach. She accepts donations from all over the city and creates outreach bags to distribute to people living on the street. 

At the event, Shawna received a generous cash donation to support her outreach work. Attendees were also invited to see how they could support in their own way, which leads us to today.

My idea was to write a book—you know, give back through writing. The book is called Shawna's Outreach: When we each give a little, a lot gets done. Shawna and I are co-authors on this book, and we’re excited to let you know that it will be available for sale in a few months’ time. 

I have donated my time and services to write the book, but I have also recruited a volunteer editorial team. Everyone involved in producing this book is donating their time and services, so that all royalties can directly benefit Shawna's Outreach. 

The book will cover who Shawna is, how Shawna’s Outreach began, who donates to and who benefits from Shawna’s Outreach, and much more. We are telling the story of the homelessness crisis in Ottawa with hope and humour—in effort to demonstrate that every small act of kindness and sharing is important. 

As we look towards a fall book launch, we hope those of you in Ottawa will join us. If you are outside the Ottawa area and would like to donate directly to Shawna’s Outreach, please get in touch via email: shawnasoutreach@gmail.com.  You can also follow Shawna's Outreach on Facebook.

Introduction

Inactivity can be a vicious cycle, particularly for frail, older seniors. Fear of falling keeps some seniors from getting up and moving more. Unfortunately, lack of movement further weakens muscles, stiffens joints, and reduces the ability to balance. 

The Aging Parents Book is a movement and gentle exercise guide. The purpose of this book is to show you, or your older loved one, how to do gentle movement-based exercises that will both feel good AND improve mobility and strength, as you (they) go about daily life.

This is the sixth exercise book for seniors that I have published. It is different than my other Balance exercise guides, in that all of the exercises are completed either lying down or sitting in a chair. They still address the balance system, strength, posture, and joint mobility. These exercises will improve walking, reinforce good posture, and enhance ease of movement during day-to-day life. This book is all about gentle, low-key movement, so unlike my previous guides, there are no additional instructions on how to make the exercises harder.

The font size has been increased and the font style has been changed, to improve readability for those with eyesight challenges.

Copyright: Amanda Sterczyk 2023, all rights reserved.

Recently, a former student reached out to ask if I’d be willing to teach an Essentrics session for her and a few friends. I spent more than a decade teaching Essentrics in the Ottawa area, but it’s been a few years since I taught a group fitness session.  
So I thought about it for a few days—specifically, the work involved in setting up and preparing for classes again. In the end, I politely declined and directed her to other possibilities.

I no longer teach Essentrics, but it’s still a part of my life. Even before I began the instructor certification process, I had been following the Classical Stretch by Essentrics episodes and DVDs for almost 10 years. It’s a no-impact, (mostly) equipment-free workout that can be done anywhere, and I still include it in my repertoire of exercise. 

That’s the key for me: it’s part of my exercise options, but it’s not the only one. I believe that variety is the spice of life when it comes to exercise. You see, I don’t live to exercise—and I didn’t either when I was a full-time fitness professional—rather, I exercise to live. As I get older, I appreciate more the importance of switching up workouts to avoid overuse injuries, keeping your brain in the game by learning new things, and making sure that I’m enjoying what I’m doing. 

So, I do still practice Essentrics, but much less frequently than when I was teaching multiple weekly classes. For the itinerant exercise consumers like me, I offer the following recommendations for incorporating Essentrics into your life.

Miranda’s books. Miranda Esmonde-White is the brains, heart, and soul behind Essentrics and is a true Canadian fitness pioneer. She has penned several books on the Essentrics technique, and these are presented below:

• The Miracle of Flexibility: A Head-To-Toe Program to Increase Strength, Improve Mobility, and Become Pain Free (2023)
• Fast Track to Aging Backwards: 6 Ways and 30 Days to Look and Feel Younger (2019)
• Forever Painless: Lasting Relief Through Gentle Movement (2016)
• Aging Backwards: 10 Years Younger and 10 Years Lighter in 30 Minutes a Day (2014)
  
  

DVDs—Classical Stretch & Essentrics. The workouts are hosted by various Essentrics trainers, including Miranda. All of the Classical Stretch DVDs are exclusively hosted by Miranda. These ones are my favourites:

• Classical Stretch Vintage Collection Vol. 1 & 2
• Classical Stretch - The Esmonde Technique: Complete Season 10
• Classical Stretch by ESSENTRICS: Season 12
• Classical Stretch - Age Reversing Workouts for Beginners: Posture & Pain Relief
• Classical Stretch - Age Reversing Workouts for Beginners: Mobility & Bone Strengthening
• Aging Backwards: Connective Tissue Workouts
• ESSENTRICS Pain-Relief Workouts
• ESSENTRICS Miranda's Fan Favorites
• ESSENTRICS The Ultimate Stretch Workouts
• Rebalance and Reboot Your Body
• Essentrics Toning for Beginners
• Essentrics Stretch Series Vol. 1
• ESSENTRICS Body Sculpting Series Vol. 2

No matter how you choose to move your body, please do it often. It will help you in the long run.

​It’s been five years since I published my first book. At the time, I thought I’d be a one-hit wonder. But I’ve gone on to publish a total of 11 books and one audiobook. So I now confidently introduce myself as a writer, especially since I’m working on my next few manuscripts.

In recognition of my five-year authorship anniversary, I’ve been reflecting on what led me to write my first book, Move More, Your Life Depends on It. That was published in 2019, but I founded THE MOVE MORE INSTITUTE™ in 2016. It was an initiative I created to help sedentary individuals learn how to incorporate non-exercise activity into their daily lives. You know, how our grandparents used to live when they didn’t have so many labour-saving devices at their fingertips. 

Here’s a post about it from 2018, when I appeared on local television to promote my initiative:

Living in the nation’s capital—home to the federal government and a multitude of associations and institutes—I wanted a whimsical, tongue-in-cheek title for my initiative. That’s how THE MOVE MORE INSTITUTE™ came into existence. But there was nothing formal or regimented about it. In reality, I was trying to work myself out of a job. You see, as a group fitness instructor and personal trainer, many clients participated in weekly exercise with me. But for many, that was the extent of their physical activity. The rest of their waking hours, they were mostly sedentary at work and home. I was trying to inspire people to sit less, move more--even if that meant they no longer felt the need to attend my classes or hire me for personal training.

And that was a problem, because sitting had been identified as the “new smoking." You see, exercise alone isn’t enough. Daily movement that breaks up long periods of sitting is vital. I first read about this concept in the 2011 book, Sitting Kills, Moving Heals, by Dr. Joan Vernikos—the former Director of NASA’s Life Sciences Division. Vernikos was instrumental in astronaut John Glenn’s return to space at the age of 77.

​Although I wrote about Vernikos’ important work as early as 2014, Vernikos published her first book on the topic a decade earlier— The G-Connection: Harness Gravity and Reverse Aging. Although I can confidently say I’ve been ahead of my time with many of my publications, it is Dr. Vernikos’ ground-breaking research at NASA that led the movement to reduce sedentary time. When I realized in 2018 that many of my blog posts had already touched on this important topic, I knew I wanted to expand on my previous writing and turn it into a book. 

So that’s my story of how NASA inspired my writing career. If you haven’t had a chance to read Dr. Vernikos' work, I’d recommend any of her books. But my favourite is still Sitting Kills, Moving Heals.

Other books by Joan Vernikos, Ph.D.:

1. The G-Connection: Harness Gravity and Reverse Aging (2004)
2. Inactivity: Physiological Effects (2012)
3. Designed to Move: The Science-Backed Program to Fight Sitting Disease and Enjoy Lifelong Health (2016)
4. Stress Beyond 50: Tools & Wisdom For A Healthier, Longer Life (2018)

I fell this morning.
​Correction: I tripped and fell. While I was running. I’m okay, thanks for asking. Just a bit stiff and sore, but I’ll survive. No broken bones and I thankfully didn’t hit my head, so no concussion either.

Here’s how it (I) went down: It was early. It was dark. I was tired. I didn’t notice the uneven sidewalk. I didn’t lift my foot up enough—I was tired, remember? And then it happened.

It happened so fast, I didn’t even realize I was falling. So I didn’t have time to try and prevent myself from hitting the pavement at full force. All of a sudden, I was on the ground thinking to myself, “What just happened?!”

That’s the problem with falling: when it happens, it happens fast. You often don’t have enough time to react. And as we get older, our reaction times slow down even more. Coupled with the fact that our bones can become more brittle, falls in older adults can be life-altering. In some cases, falls can be life-threatening. 

According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), falls account for 80% of seniors’ injury hospitalizations. Those same seniors make up half of the injury hospitalizations in Canada. That means when a senior falls, they’re more likely to be severely injured. And if you’ve fallen once, you’re more likely to fall a second time within the next 18 months.

These life-altering falls reduce a person’s independence—they often can no longer stay living in their own home. 

What’s the solution? Avoid falling. I’m not being facetious: fall prevention is a big deal and can mean the difference between injury, hospitalization, even death. Simple exercises that don’t require special equipment, fancy clothing, or sweating. They can be done in your own home. Ideally, they should be done every day to improve balance, coordination, and mobility. These exercises increase muscle and bone strength, as well as posture—which is important to avoid a momentum-based fall.

Not sure where to start? I’ve published 5 books of balance exercises for fall prevention:

1. Balance Exercises for Fall Prevention. It’s available in English and Spanish, as well as in audiobook format.
2. Balance and Your Body: How Exercise Can Help You Avoid a Fall
3. Balance 2.0: Preventing Falls with Exercise
4. Chair Exercises for Fall Prevention

It's clear that fall prevention is more important than ever. But, how can we reduce the risk of falls and stay active and independent as we age?​

The answer is simple: balance exercises. Regular exercise is essential for maintaining strength, flexibility, and balance, which are all critical factors in reducing the risk of falls. The problem is that many older adults struggle to find an exercise routine that is safe, effective, and easy to follow. That's where my new audiobook, Balance Exercises for Fall Prevention, comes in.
Fall prevention is about maintaining independence in our golden years. This allows you to stay in your own home longer.

Balance Exercises for Fall Prevention is a comprehensive guide to the best balance exercises for seniors. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced exerciser, this audiobook provides a wide range of exercises that are easy to follow and can be done from the comfort of your own home. With clear instructions, helpful tips, and modifications for different abilities, you'll be able to tailor your workout to meet your needs and achieve your goals.

One of the best things about Balance Exercises for Fall Prevention is that it's an audiobook, so you can listen and follow along while you exercise. This makes it easy to stay focused and motivated, even when you're feeling tired or uninspired. With regular use, you'll see improvement in your balance, coordination, and overall health, and you'll have the peace of mind of knowing you're reducing your risk of falls.

So, why wait? Start your journey to better balance and fall prevention today with Balance Exercises for Fall Prevention. Whether you're looking for a comprehensive exercise program, a way to stay active and independent, or simply a way to improve your overall health, this audiobook has everything you need.

Try it for free with a 30-day, no-cost trial of Audible.

Late last year—as in, days before the Christmas break—I walked away from my job for the same reasons. I had hit a wall and it was impacting my physical and emotional health. I equate my burnout to a raw onion: it makes your eyes water, leaves a bad taste in your mouth, and can cause indigestion.

I had had enough. My body had had enough. Right before I packed it in, every work email was triggering a fight or flight response: sheer panic about more tasks and responsibilities landing on my plate. 

Post-resignation hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park. It’s been messy and complicated. And it still feels like an onion, where peeling back the layers of recovery requires strength. Not to mention patience in dealing with that sticky onion layer that doesn’t want to let go.

As I’ve peeled these layers back in my own life, I’d like to share with you some of the layers I’ve been through, in hopes that they might help you in your journey back from burnout. 

1. Get comfortable with discomfort (yours and others). The discomfort is just one of many layers you need to peel away, and this one has multiple layers. I’ve had many sleepless nights since I left my job. At first, it was all about my brain processing what had led to the moment when I decided that quitting that very day was the best action. The discomfort here came from reliving a lot of little things that, taken on their own, shouldn’t cause employee burnout. But added up with all the other little things, well, let’s just say the sum of the parts is greater than the whole. 
The next layer of discomfort came from thinking about my colleagues. I felt like I was letting them down by leaving with work on my plate, some of which they would have to pick up and manage along with their own workloads. Unmanageable workloads seem to be quite common in many workplaces, and a wise friend advised me that it wasn’t my responsibility to sort it out for everyone.
A further layer of discomfort reflected back on my actions, when I started thinking, “what was I thinking?!” You know, that I quite possibly made a wrong choice. In the end, I know in my heart that I made the best choice—the only choice--for me at the time. The discomfort comes from acknowledging and sitting with these uncomfortable thoughts, instead of dismissing them outright. 

2. Take some time. At some point, I’ll return to paid work, of that I am sure. But for the moment, I’m taking time for myself—to breathe, to recover, to reset. Of course, I’m still promoting my books and thinking about new books that I might write in the future. But if and when I do return to the paid workforce, my books will once again become a weekend side hustle. For now, though, I’m enjoying having time on weekdays to work on them, with no pressure. I hope you too are able to take some time to recover. 

3. Reject the tired recruiting belief about “finding a job while you still have a job.” Have you had someone spout these supposed words of wisdom to you? That the “best time to find a job is when you already have a job.” Have you said them yourself? I would argue that’s not always true. If you’re suffering from even the early stages of burnout and you jump ship for another organization, you’ll just transfer your burnout baggage to another employer. While it can be considerably less stressful to job hunt when you’re currently receiving a regular paycheque, it may be tough to present your best self during interviews if you’re already burnt out. Take it from me. Enough said. 

4. Be kind to yourself. It can be easy to feel like it’s your fault when your mental wellbeing takes a hit in the workplace—as it does in the case of burnout. It’s not your fault you are experiencing burnout. I tell myself that every day; maybe one of these days I’ll truly believe it. And I hope the same goes for you. Remember why you left in the first place. It was the best choice at the time, so don’t feel guilty that you cut and ran—and I’ll endeavour to keep it in mind too. Bottom line, you need to look out for yourself.

Conclusion. There you have it, my onion layers I’ve been examining as I reset and move beyond burnout. I’m sure I’ll discover more layers, more lessons. When I do, I’ll share them with you. For the record, I try to keep my eyes dry as I peel onions, with varying degrees of success.