Birches’ Fitness Trainer Taps into the Brain-Body Connection to Get Residents Fit

Everyone knows that exercise is a cornerstone of good health. Countless studies have proven that no matter what your age, physical activity can help you stay healthy. The U.S. Surgeon General, for example, reports that inactive people are almost twice as likely to develop heart disease as active people. Studies have also shown that regular exercise improves the health of people with arthritis, diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, balance problems, difficulty walking, and many other chronic diseases and ailments.

Personal Trainer Rich Jeka firmly believes that exercise can revolutionize your body and mind. Jeka is the Fitness Trainer at The Birches Assisted Living and has developed a training program for the residents that focuses on the brain-body connection. He emphasizes the role neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt to new experiences, in helping people reap the benefits of exercise. Jeka believes that by performing regular exercise you can condition your mind and body to enjoy exercise more.

“The longer you participate the better you feel and you become stronger,” said Jeka. “You don’t necessarily realize that you are getting stronger, but the body makes subtle changes.”

For the residents at The Birches, Jeka uses a concept known as the SAID principle. SAID stands for “Specific Adaption to Imposed Demands” and involves tracking their exercise routine and making the routine progressively more challenging. According to the SAID principle, as the exercise routine gets more challenging, the body is gradually able to adapt and adjust to the increased physical demand. Jeka says there are numerous ways to increase the physical challenge in a workout routine; you can increase the distance (if you’re running, walking, or using a stationary bike), use heavier weights, or do more repetitions.

At The Birches, Jeka’s fitness routine is tailored to each individual resident. Residents must first receive clearance from their doctor to participate and the amount of activity performed is then decided based upon the doctor’s recommendations. The goal of the program is to help residents achieve increased strength, endurance, balance, and cardiovascular efficiency.

As an example of the type of fitness routine Jeka recommends, for residents that have received full clearance from their doctor, Jeka would start them on a cardiovascular program using the NuStep, an easy to use, step-in, recumbent cross training machine. He would then have them perform exercises using the balance bar, and would also have them use free weights and tubes. Jeka usually meets with residents twice a week, but meeting times are flexible based upon the resident’s needs and preferences.

Jeka says that he has witnessed a positive change in the residents that participate in his exercise program. Not only does it improve their health, says Jeka, but they also become more social. “It becomes a social outlet,” said Jeka. “I see people that didn’t participate in other activities are now participating in other activities. It gets them out of their apartment and makes them feel better.”

On January 23rd at 10:00 am Jeka will give a fitness talk at The Birches as part of the Living It! Campaign. In celebration of “Physical Week,” Jeka will present information on the brain-body connection and the important role it plays in our health and wellness. “What we’re trying to do at The Birches is make exercise more pleasurable by getting the brain to realize ‘I can do this’ and ‘I can get better at these activities,’” said Jeka.