Your Health Today June 2013 - St. Anthony's Medical Center

JUNE 2013
ANSWERING
THE CALL
PAGE 6
Potosi, Mo., Fire Chief Richard Knight is on the road to
recovery after a life-threatening rollover accident.

8
Your Health
today
6
june
2013
5
6
8
10
Around St. Anthony’s
Pruellage Center
delivers
New name, same great care at
St. Anthony’s John K. Pruellage
Heart and Vascular Center
COVER STORY
answering the call
St. Anthony’s caregivers put Potosi’s
fire chief on the road to recovery
after a serious rollover accident
FEATURE STORIES
sweet victory
Oakville woman is back at work
after overcoming a rare type of
heart attack
new lease on life
Heart Specialty Associates and
Sleep Disorder Center deliver
better health to Dave Gilbert of
Webster Groves
IT’S THE SCRUBBING, NOT THE SOAP:
Veggie washes
Not necessary
Experts agree it’s important to wash all fresh
fruits and veggies before eating. But you
can ditch the commercially prepared fruit
and vegetable washes.
Rubbing the produce under warm or cold tap
water worked to remove pesticide residues as
well as mild soap solutions or commercial washes,
a team of scientists concluded in studies at the
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. The
editors of the culinary magazine Cook’s Illustrated
performed similar tests, and came to the same
conclusion about veggie washes.
For maximum effectiveness on
microorganisms such as E. coli, both testing teams
recommend spraying or rinsing produce with a
mild vinegar solution before washing. The Cook’s
Illustrated team recommends filling a plastic spray
bottle with three cups of water and one cup of
white vinegar for this purpose.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) recommends all produce be washed
thoroughly under running water. The FDA does not
recommend using soap, detergent or commercial
produce washes.
Sources: FDA, National Public Radio, New York Times
10
12
14
healthy habits
vintage veggies
Heirloom produce adds zip,
and the flavors of yesteryear, to
today’s dinner table
MOVE IT!
stay cool in the pool
Water exercise offers a gentle
solution to those seeking a lowimpact
workout
12
Web Extras
Articles with this icon have
more info on our website.
Go to stanthonysmedcenter.com
and click on Your Health Today.
2 | YOUR HEALTH TODAY | june 2013

THANK YOU
FOR TRUSTING
US WITH YOUR
CARE AND THE
CARE OF YOUR
LOVED ONES.
– David J.
Morton, M.D.,
Chief Medical
Officer
LEADER’S PERSPECTIVE:
Our People, Our Care, Our Stories:
In A Word, AMAZING!
We care about you. A simple phrase -- but it’s why we do what we
do here every day at St. Anthony’s Medical Center.
We’re committed to your care. It’s our calling, and my personal
and professional mission, to help you and your loved ones live
healthy lives.
Thank you.
Thank you for trusting us with your care and the care of your loved ones. We take that
responsibility very seriously, and we are touched when we hear stories from you about the
amazing care we provide at St. Anthony’s. In fact, three of your stories are featured in this
issue of Your Health Today.
We have also started sharing your stories with the whole world (or at least our immediate
area). It’s called the Amazing St. Anthony’s campaign, and it was created internally by our own
employees. It features patients like you. Perhaps you’ve seen the ads in the South County
Times, the Webster-Kirkwood Times, the Jefferson County Leader and the St. Louis Review.
Maybe you’ve heard our staff tell their stories on KEZK, KLOU, KYKY, KSLZ, WARH, WIL
and KMOX radio. You might have seen our billboards as you drive along some of our busy
interstates. This campaign is all about the stories you have shared with us about the amazing
care you’ve received at St. Anthony’s.
I invite you to visit AmazingStAnthonys.com to see more stories your neighbors and
community members have told us about the care they received here. I encourage you to add
your own. I’d love to read them.
Thank you for choosing St. Anthony’s, and for allowing us to care for you and our community.
David J. Morton, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
St. Anthony’s Medical Center
| 3

special delivery:
SimMom makes debut at St. Anthony’s
Pregnancy-related deaths will claim 15
of every 100,000 women who give
birth in the United States, according
to federal statistics. That’s more than double
the all-time low of 7.2 deaths per 100,000
births reported in 1987. Similarly, the rate of
Ken Forinash of Laerdal Medical instructs Kelly Evans, left,
and Karla Herrington as they tend to a newborn “SimBaby”
delivered in a simulated high-risk situation.
severe complications during and after delivery has
doubled in the last decade.
To battle those numbers, educators at St. Anthony’s
have taken a proactive approach to training their
Labor and Delivery nurses for high-risk deliveries,
and preparing their staff for real-life emergency
situations. Laerdal Medical’s SimMom, an
advanced, full-body, interactive birthing simulator,
joined the Education department recently through a
$50,000 donation from the Dana Brown Charitable
Trust to St. Anthony’s Charitable Foundation. The
medical center is one of only a few in the region to
have SimMom.
“SimMom has a small, newborn-sized baby that
she delivers, creating a very realistic event,” said
Shelly O’Malley Robinson, staff development
educator and coordinator of the Nurse Residency
Program. “We can talk about these procedures
in a classroom, collaborate on care and have
nurses take a written test. But when you perform
the procedure, replicating reality, it becomes
hardwired. That’s when learning truly occurs.”
Charitable Foundation’s video discourages heroin use
St. Anthony’s anesthesiologist Joseph M. Forand, M.D., wants
potential users to know heroin’s chilling effects. Dr. Forand is
the executive producer of The Heroin Film Project, a 15-minute
video that features interviews with local doctors, experts and
recovering heroin addicts.
The film was produced with unanimous support and financial
assistance from St. Anthony’s Charitable Foundation’s Physician
Ambassador Board, a group of 23 physicians who share the
mission to improve the health of the community through
fundraising and grant support. Produced by the Charitable
Foundation and Pelopidas Media, the video also was funded in
part by the Missouri Society of Anesthesiologists.
“My goal with the film is to keep people from trying heroin,” said Dr. Forand.
To view the video: Contact St. Anthony’s Charitable Foundation at (314) 525-7330 or aliciacummiskey@samcstl.org.
4 | YOUR HEALTH TODAY | JUNE 2013

NEW NAME, SAME GREAT CARE: The Heart and Surgical Pavilion at St. Anthony’s Medical Center
was recently renamed in honor of John K. “Jack” Pruellage.
Continuum of Cardiac Care
Pruellage Center delivers
St. Anthony’s Heart and Surgical Pavilion has been renamed in honor of the late
John K. “Jack” Pruellage, a dedicated member of the medical center’s board of directors
and former chairman of the Lewis, Rice & Fingersh law firm.
The state-of-the-art facility is home to St. Anthony’s Heart Specialty Center and boasts four
cardiac catheterization labs, three Interventional Radiology suites, two electrophysiology
labs, one endovascular operating room and the Heart Evaluation and Rapid Treatment
(H.E.A.R.T.) Unit.
It was created in 2011 through a unique partnership between the medical center and The
Heart Specialty Associates, a practice that now includes 13 of the area’s top cardiologists.
The Heart Specialty Center provides a seamless continuum of care for cardiac patients.
“Our team members in the Heart Specialty Center are extremely dedicated and absolutely
top-notch,” said interventional cardiologist David Morton, M.D., chief medical officer of
St. Anthony’s Medical Center. “We stay current with the latest advancements in cardiac
surgery and groundbreaking treatments for heart failure, abnormal heart rhythms and heart
attacks. Having the ability to provide the highest level of care to patients, that’s our bottom
line.”
OUR TEAM
MEMBERS ARE
EXTREMELY
DEDICATED AND
ABSOLUTELY
TOP-NOTCH.
– David Morton, M.D.,
Chief Medical Officer
The H.E.A.R.T. Unit opened in May 2012 in the Physicians Office Center. An expanded,
10-bed unit, the Lewis Rice Heart Evaluation and Rapid Treatment Unit, is scheduled to
open in August and will concentrate its efforts on caring for patients with heart failure.
The new unit is being funded by contributions from friends, colleagues and family of the
late John K. Pruellage.
| 5

amazing care
St. Anthony’s caregivers put fire
chief on the road to recovery
ANSWERING
the
Richard Knight has dedicated his life to
serving others. For 20 years, he has served as
volunteer fire chief of the Potosi Fire Protection
District. And each holiday season, he teams
with Vera, his wife of 30 years, as Santa and Mrs. Claus to
spread cheer at nursing homes.
But on Monday afternoon, March 25, it was Richard’s turn
to be served – by St. Anthony’s – after his public service
took an unexpected detour. He was on a non-emergency
call, hauling water for fire assistance to the neighboring
town of Richwoods, Mo., when the wheels of the truck he
was driving slipped off the wet road. He over-corrected,
causing his load of 16,660 pounds of water to shift.
The truck rolled not once, but twice. Although he was
wearing a seat belt, he was halfway out the side window
by the time the truck came to a rest.
“I remember thinking, ‘Oh, no, this is not going to be
good,’” recalled Richard, 51. “I didn’t think I was going
to survive the second rollover. I guess I have a few more
things to accomplish, because somebody was on my
side, telling me it just wasn’t my time.”
“The first night I came home from the hospital,” Vera
Knight reflected, “to see his boots on the floor, and his
coat and lunch box, was really hard.”
He escaped the ordeal with broken ribs and vertebrae,
but did not suffer a concussion. Richard was released
on March 30, after he was fitted with a back brace by
orthopedic surgeon Benjamin Crane, M.D.
“We feel like we’ve been blessed,” Vera said.
“I cannot stress to anyone enough how wonderful
everyone at St. Anthony’s was. We were treated not just
with professionalism, but with love. They treated us as
though we were family members.”
“Since we’ve been home, we’ve looked at the photos
of the truck, and realize what a miracle it was that he
was able to live through it,” Vera added. “It’s been a
growing experience for us, a humbling experience. Petty
things in our lives that once seemed so important, now
are not so important.”
Dr. Crane said Richard likely will make a full recovery.
6 | YOUR HEALTH TODAY | JUNE 2013

I remember
thinking,
‘Oh, no, this
is not going to
be good.’
RICHARD KNIGHT
Potosi, Mo., Fire Chief
call
“Fortunately, the fractures are all amenable
to bracing, rather than surgery,” Dr. Crane
said. “Given the nature of the accident,
I think he’s very lucky that the injuries are
not worse. He should be able to return to his
volunteer firefighting duties without much
difficulty.”
At his home in Cadet, Mo., Richard
improves a little each day, and friends
and family have been eager to lend their
support, Vera said.
Richard’s fondest fans include his nieces
and nephews. Missy Naeger, an R.N. at
Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital,
posted a heartfelt tribute to her uncle on
Facebook after the accident. She said he
had helped to inspire her to become a
nurse.
“A lot of why I am what I am is because
of Uncle Ricky,” Missy said. “We’ve been
extremely pleased with how St. Anthony’s
has cared for him. He’s had great doctors
and great nurses.”
TO THE RESCUE
On his first visit back to the
firehouse since his accident, Chief
Knight thanks two of his rescuers:
Scott Ramsey, left, and Harvey
Price, who were among the first to
arrive at the scene.
Rescuers used the Jaws of Life to remove
Knight from the mangled wreckage, and he was
rushed to St. Anthony’s with six broken ribs,
several fractured vertebrae, and a full-thickness
laceration on his head that exposed his skull.
Catch our stories:
“Amazing St. Anthony’s”
Richard Knight’s story is just one example of
the great care our patients have received at
St. Anthony’s Medical Center.
Visit AmazingStAnthonys.com today
to read more of them.
The wreckage of the truck
Knight was driving
| 7

amazing care
sweet
SCAD heart attack no match for Judy Novack
A
heart problem was the last thing on
Judy Novack’s mind when she suffered
from back and chest pressure for
several days in February 2012.
The pain continued to increase, and Judy
took a day off from her job at an engraving
company. (“Normally, I go in even when I’m
dying,” she says). After her boyfriend, Herb
Trost, returned home from work that night, the
couple headed to St. Anthony’s Emergency
Department, where a blood enzyme test
indicated a problem with Judy’s heart.
Judy, then 53, had suffered a spontaneous
coronary artery dissection (SCAD) heart
attack. Spontaneous coronary artery dissection
happens when the coronary artery develops a
tear, causing blood to flow between the layers
and forcing them apart. This can create a
blockage that can result in a heart attack, and
is sometimes deadly.
Judy was moved from the Emergency
Department to Cardiac Catheterization, where
cardiologist Paul Gibson, M.D., inserted a
stent.
“This condition is rare, but it can be the cause
of sudden death. Most of Judy’s heart muscle
function has returned. Her outlook is good.”
Judy completed the Phase II Cardiac Rehab
program at St. Anthony’s, and continues to
practice heart-healthy habits by exercising
in the Phase III supervised exercise program
through Cardiac Rehab.
“My care at St. Anthony’s was wonderful;
everybody was just great,” she said. “I never
thought I’d have a cardiologist, but Dr. Gibson
is great.”
She is active in St. Anthony’s WomenHeart
Support Group, and in October she modeled
in the fashion show for the annual “Go Pink
and Red for Women” event.
“Last year, Judy organized her family to
participate in the American Heart Association’s
Heart Walk, even designing their own shirts,”
said Nancy Houlihan, R.N., charge nurse in
Cardiac Rehab.
“The first day that I woke up with it, I just felt,
‘Wow, I had a heart attack,’” recalled Judy. She
was amazed because she’s a vegetarian who
has low blood pressure, • normal cholesterol
levels and no family history of heart disease.
The cause of the artery tear is a mystery,
Dr. Gibson said.
“In my 25 years of practice, Judy is maybe the
third or fourth patient I’ve had with a SCAD
heart attack,” Dr. Gibson noted.
8 | YOUR HEALTH TODAY | JUNE 2013
St. Anthony’s WomenHeart support group meets the first
Tuesday of the month from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Call 314-ANTHONY (268-4669) for more information.

•
“Judy’s kind demeanor and caring heart
serve as an ongoing example to other
patients in our exercise programs and
support groups at St. Anthony’s Cardiac
Rehab.”
Judy enjoys a range of interests that include
cake decorating and hiking. She and Herb
just celebrated 23 years together.
Judy urges other women to see their
doctors if they experience recurring
back or chest pain.
“It’s important,” she said.
Judy is once again pursuing her passions,
including cake decorating.
symptoms of
heart attack
in WOMEN
Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the
center of your chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or
goes away and comes back.
Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back,
neck, jaw or stomach.
Shortness of breath, with or without chest
discomfort.
Breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or
lightheadedness.
As with men, women’s most common heart
attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort.
But women are somewhat more likely than
men to experience some of the other common
symptoms, particularly shortness of breath,
nausea, vomiting and back or jaw pain.
If you have any of these
symptoms, don’t delay!
Call 9-1-1 and get to a hospital
right away.
Source: American Heart Association
| 9

amazing care
new lease
on
LIFE
Dave
Heart Specialty Associates,
Sleep Disorder Center deliver
Gilbert now is going on more photo
expeditions, and is able to return to his
love of kayaking.
These days,
Dave Gilbert
wakes up
feeling refreshed and
energetic.
“My wife asked me how
it feels to look younger than I
did 5 to 10 years ago,” said Dave, a
professional photographer and media
producer who recently celebrated his 60 th
birthday.
A year ago, Dave suffered from fatigue,
and returned home from work each day
physically exhausted. He chalked it up to age until
he began having sleep problems, exacerbated by
problems with his breathing when he lay down. His
doctor, Brad Bernhard, M.D., at Southwest Medical
Center, administered an EKG and, after much armtwisting,
convinced him to seek further testing
immediately.
Dave’s heart had been weakened by a virus, but his
skepticism remained healthy. After researching his
potential doctors’ qualifications and asking many
questions about his care, Dave gave the okay to the
St. Anthony’s team of Dr. Dobmeyer,
electrophysiologist-cardiologist Greg
Botteron, M.D., the staff of St.
Anthony’s Heart Specialty Associates,
pulmonologist Kirk Nelson, D.O.,
the staff of St. Anthony’s Sleep
Disorder Center, the staff of
Cardiac Rehab and the Heart
“Dave showed up in terrible heart failure in May
2012,” recalled cardiologist David Dobmeyer,
M.D. “He had a heart pumping efficiency of 20
percent – in normal people it’s 60 percent – and his
heart had become enlarged.”
10 | YOUR HEALTH TODAY | JUNE 2013

•
St. Anthony’s
Sleep Disorder Center:
• Performs an average of five in-lab studies per
night and is open five nights per week.
• Now offers in-home sleep studies that can be
performed in the patient’s home.
• Has a staff of nine full-time sleep technicians
who also are respiratory therapists.
• Offers testing that can evaluate patients for
different forms of sleep disorders, including
obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea,
narcolepsy hypersomnia, insomnia, and many
others.
• Has a staff of physicians who specialize in
sleep disorders and three physicians who are
board-certified in sleep medicine.
Failure Clinic. Dave underwent cardiac
catheterization and received a biventricular
Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator.
A sleep study confirmed Dave was suffering
from sleep apnea, and he was fitted with a
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device.
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when a
person stops breathing during sleep because
his or her airway collapses and prevents air
from getting into the lungs. Left untreated, it
is known to cause high blood pressure, heart
disease, heart attack and stroke.
To continue his rehab, Dave built a small gym
in the basement of his Webster Groves home.
His prognosis is good, Dr. Dobmeyer said.
“Everyone I came into contact with at
St. Anthony’s, from the docs to the nurses, to
the technicians and aides – each truly made
a difference in my life, giving me a second
chance,” Dave said. “I’m now back at work
and moving forward.”
For more
information, call
314-ANTHONY
Continued
CARDIAC
care
For follow-up care, Dave Gilbert was enrolled in
St. Anthony’s Heart Failure Clinic, which seeks
to improve patients’ quality of life and reduce
hospitalizations. Nurse practitioners follow up
with patients, monitoring symptoms such as fluid
buildup, and educating them on diet and exercise.
Cardiologist Charles Carey, M.D., is medical director
of St. Anthony’s Heart Failure Clinic, which:
• Is the only one of its kind in the region
• Has treated more than 500 patients
since 2007
• Boasts an 85 percent reduction in hospital
admission rates for enrolled patients
• Has reduced the need for cardiac
defibrillator devices in patients by
60 percent or more
“Patients in the heart failure program are monitored for
life,” said nurse practitioner Vijayalakshmi Divakaran,
coordinator of the Heart Failure Clinic.“That speaks
to the lifelong nature of the disease.”
The staff also coordinated a plan of care with Dave’s other
doctors and his wife, Karen.
“We’re treating the patients, in essence, to be partners
with us in their care and management,” said cardiologist
David Dobmeyer, M.D. “Dave took an immense interest in
heart failure, and became an expert in managing his heart
care. That made our job a lot easier, and
contributed to the success of his therapy.”
Read Dave’s first-person account of his journey at
amazingstanthonys.com
| 11

healthyhabits
Brighten Your Table With
Vintage
Veggies
Where to find
HEIRLOOM
produce
Heirloom vegetables are available in
local grocery stores such as Schnucks
and Dierbergs, local farmers markets
and farm stands, and at St. Anthony’s
Medical Center. Each Wednesday this
summer from noon to 5 p.m., DanJo
Farms of Moberly, Mo., will host a
produce stand in the hospital parking
lot. Owners Dan and Joanne Nelson
focus on chemical-free and heirloom
vegetable growing practices.
Healthy diets need plenty of veggies, but
repeated appearances on the menu can
weaken the appeal of these antioxidant
superstars.
To jazz up your meals with zippy new colors and
flavors, try heirloom vegetables – Cherokee
Purple, Amish Deer Tongue, Golden Bantam
and Kentucky Wonder Pole, to name a few.
Heirlooms are vintage plant varieties that have
been preserved and passed down for generations.
They include many vegetable varieties, although
tomatoes, beans, fingerling potatoes and
cucumbers are currently the most popular.
“Heirlooms are unique in color, appearance, taste
and texture,” said Elizabeth Patton, dietitian and
certified diabetes educator with St. Anthony’s
Outpatient Diabetes and Nutrition Education.
“Unlike their hybrid counterparts, heirloom
seeds are always open-pollinated—bred through
uncontrolled, natural methods such as the wind,
insects or birds. This allows for traits such as
natural disease resistance, insect resistance,
weather tolerance and diversity.”
Try a Red Zebra tomato, Purple Beauty pepper or
Cosmic Purple carrot today!
“Heirlooms
are unique
in color,
appearance,
taste and
texture.”
Elizabeth Patton,
dietitian and
certified diabetes
educator with
St. Anthony’s
Outpatient Diabetes
and Nutrition
Education
12 | YOUR HEALTH TODAY | JUNE 2013

five popular heirloom varieties to try:
BRANDYWINE TOMATO: Known for its sweet, juicy and rich flavor.
LEMON CUCUMBER: Bright yellow, crisp and refreshing, without bitterness.
“RED KURI” WINTER SQUASH: Pumpkin-colored exterior, creamy, nutty-flavored flesh.
“JIMMY NARDELLO’S” PEPPER: Long, slender red fruit turns soft and creamy when cooked.
“FRECKLES” LETTUCE: Red-speckled, light green leaves brighten any salad.
Source: Sunset.com
RECIPE
Fresh herbed
heirloom tomatoes
and goat cheese crostini
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices French bread baguette, diagonally cut
4 teaspoons goat cheese, divided
20 (1/4-inch-thick) slices Red Zebra tomato or other heirloom variety
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Place the first five ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.
Place baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for seven minutes or until crisp.
Spread 1/2 teaspoon cheese over each slice.
Divide tomatoes evenly among four salad plates. Drizzle each serving with one teaspoon herbed oil
mixture. Sprinkle each with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
Source: Cooking Light
| 13

move it!
stay cool
pool
in the
with water exercise
Gentle
motion
improves
fitness
If you’re looking to get fit with minimal
wear and tear on your joints, the
local swimming pool is the perfect
destination.
“I’ve had so many patients with chronic
pain and arthritis who have done so
wonderfully with water exercise over the
years,” noted Sandy Lehn, manager of
Therapy Services in St. Anthony’s Acute
Rehab department and a former assistant
professor at Saint Louis University.
“The buoyancy of the water acts to
support their joints and allows them
to do strengthening and conditioning
exercises,” Lehn said. “When using the
parallel bars, some patients with spinal
cord injuries cannot stand against gravity.
In the water we can get them so that
they are floating on their backs, kicking
with their legs, and strengthening their
core abdominal and back muscles. They
become stronger in the pool and are
able to stand in the parallel bars to begin
walking. It’s amazing.
“I’m sold on water exercise,” Lehn added.
“It’s a great way to start out on an exercise
program if you are weak or you need to
work on aerobic conditioning.”
Can’t swim?
NO PROBLEM!
14 | YOUR HEALTH TODAY | JUNE 2013
All you need is waist-high water

Water is a pleasant environment, which can lead to
longer workouts than with a land-based exercise
program, said Amber O’Donnell, staff physical
therapist at St. Anthony’s Sports Therapy & Physical
Therapy Service at Lamplighter Square. Water
also allows older people, who have a difficult time
regulating their body temperatures, to exercise
without the risk of becoming overheated.
“Water’s buoyancy decreases the load on a person’s
joints, so arthritic patients can enjoy muscle and
joint relaxation in warm water,” O’Donnell said.
“And water adds resistance, so muscles can be
strengthened further by using weights, kickboards
or foam cylinders.”
USING YOUR
NOODLE
All sorts of nifty gadgets are available
to help you make the most of your water
workouts:
• Foam water noodles are inexpensive and versatile
as seating, for flotation, or tied around ankles or
wrists as weights.
• Water shoes are reasonably priced and provide
needed traction during exercise.
• Kickboards provide stability for leg or kicking
exercises.
• Water barbells increase the resistance of water,
for a more challenging workout.
• Flotation belts provide buoyancy for deep-water
exercise.
• Hand webs or water gloves help increase the
resistance of water.
Source: MayoClinic.com
A few simple water exercises
Using water weights or foam barbells in each hand,
raise your forearms to the level of the water, then turn
over the weights so that the palms of your hands face
the bottom of the pool. Push your hands down until
your arms are straight again. Repeat 12 to 15 times.
Place a water noodle between your legs, making sure
it is higher in the back than in the front, then walk or
“jog” across the deep water. If you don’t know how to
swim, wear a flotation vest or float belt.
Tie a water noodle into a knot around your foot, and
stand with your back to the side of the pool in waistdeep
water, placing your arms on the edge of the pool
for stability. Straighten your leg in front of you, then
flex your knee to a 90-degree position. Return to the
starting position and repeat 12 to 15 times.
Source: MayoClinic.com
START SLOWLY
Begin by walking back and forth
across the shallow end of the
pool. For additional resistance
and toning, swing your arms
back and forth through the water
as you walk.
DON’T TIPTOE
Land flat on your feet. For
maximum traction, wear water
shoes.
KEEP YOUR BACK STRAIGHT
Tighten your abdominal muscles as you
walk, to avoid leaning too far forward or
to the side.
Source: MayoClinic.com
| 15