The best type of Snack for Stroke Survivors

When I think of a snack the first thing that comes to mind is something salty and crunchy (that’s my favorite). But, there is another type of snack that is great for all of us. That is an Exercise Snack.

An Exercise Snack is a term for a short bout of challenging exercise that can be done multiple times during a day. Exercise snacks are for everyone. It can range from ensuring that you walk up and down the stairs several times a day, or that you do a short bout of varied exercise. The American Stroke Association has (since 2016) recommended that Stroke Survivors should have physical activity built into their program after stroke. And the World Health Organization recommends for people with disability “Adults living with disability should do at least 150–300 min of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, or do at least 75–150 min of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week for substantial health benefits”. So, you can use exercise snacks to accumulate activity up to the recommendation.

For a Stroke Survivor who has one side more affected getting in some challenging exercise can be … a challenge! For lots of folks access to exercise equipment that is easy to use and works well to get an aerobic challenge is too difficult. And, exercises that you might have done before your stroke are difficult to participate in to a level that gives you an aerobic challenge.

So, I create exercise programs that meet you where you are- they are designed for people who have one side affected by stroke and they are scaled to challenge you at the level you can participate. If you want to try out an Exercise Snack - in siting or standing- follow the links below.

Sitting Snack:https://youtu.be/IbIrDg4ubic

Standing. https://youtu.be/zqixB0ZiWu8

And, if you want more information to guide you through your improvement after stroke you can click here to join the Balance Boost.