Life Empowered Occupational Therapy

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Lougheed, AB
Life Empowered Occupational Therapy

Offering private Occupational Therapy services to east central Alberta

10/20/2025

Every Day Strength is 2 years old!!

We are a group who believe...

- lifting weights is for every body and every age

- exercise is more fun with others

- hard work now will help us now and as we age

- we can be active participants in our health care and improve our our strength, bone density, and overall function!

If you have been a part of this group, big or small, thank you! I love this program and see it carrying it on for a long time!

09/03/2025

How did the little self-assessment go? Did you take note of how much movement you get through the day or week? Is there a 10 minute pocket today you can get a little walk in?

This really matters! The benefits of getting meeting the movement threshold are incredible. Straight from the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiologists (the pros in this field!)...

"Following the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines is associated with these health benefits:

- A lower risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, several cancers, anxiety, depression, dementia, weight gain, adverse blood lipid profile.
- Improved bone health, cognition, quality of life and physical function."

All good things!! 🌟

Let's make a plan towards moving the needle closer to meeting the movement guidelines!

09/01/2025

How much should you be moving every day/week?

For adults 18-64, the goal is 150 minutes of moderate-vigorous aerobic per week, 2 days that include strength training, and several hours of standing/light walking/reducing sedentary time.

For adults 65 and over, the recommendation is the same, but also includes incorporating activities that challenge your balance.

So what could this look like in real life?

It could be a 30 min walk five days a week, and add in two weight lifting videos you found on YouTube.

It could be joining the seniors group upstairs at the Lougheed Fieldhouse 3 days a week for their hour of aerobic-strength-balance mix.

It could be two 30 minute swims at the Killam Pool, alternating mornings with two strength training sessions at the gym, and three 30 minute dance parties with your kids.

It could be 3 days of Every Day Strength (😉), and two 50 minute bike rides in the evening.

What other options can we think of?

I think time is a huge barrier, so be mindful that the aerobic movement should come in at least 10 minute bouts...which means a 10 minute walk with every lunch and dinner can get really close to the 150 minute mark.

Keep in mind, a person might need to work up to 150 minutes. We all have different abilities and health considerations. If you are under the 150 minute mark, the goal is to just do a little bit more. Small changes will get you there; big changes can get overwhelming quickly!

If you want more of the movement guidelines, the link is below. It also discusses guidelines for screen time, sleep, and a full rundown for youth as well.

Your task is to answer these questions (to yourself, or I'm always up for discussing these things too if you want to message me!)
- How many minutes do I do aerobic activity each week? How close am I to the 150 minute mark?
- If needed, how can I add 10 more minutes of aerobic activity this week?
- How about strength? Can I add a few minutes of strength training this week?

Here's the link for more info!

https://csepguidelines.ca/

08/29/2025

An exercise - photography analogy...if I can think this through enough 😂

I took this picture last night during my walk. We live on a busy road so I don't have easy access to walking outdoors, but the field behind our house was combined the other day, so I took advantage of the short window of time when the field is walkable - no snow, no mud, no plants. And timed it right to watch the sun dive for the horizon 🥰

Is this picture perfect? Obviously, no. I didn't have my good camera, I would have had a better perspective higher on the hill, there were likely better exposure settings I could use, and I wish I had some foreground detail that came through.

But I took it anyway 🤷‍♀️

I think it's important to not get lost in the details of exercise. Done is almost always better than perfect. Maybe we aren't doing the most ideal exercises, with the most perfect form. Maybe we like random group classes, maybe we like just going for walks. Maybe we have no idea what to do, but we just keep trying! In a world where only half of us meet the recommended exercise guidelines, I encourage any and all movement! Even if it's not "perfect" or "ideal", it's still ticking a box ☑️

I want to start a little, informal challenge/check-in on this page, starting next week, where we attempt to work towards or hit the recommended Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines (now called the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines). It can be useful to measure where our physical activity is at (and I KNOW this is a busy season for so many - back to school, harvest, etc...trust me, I get it! Lol). Details coming 😊

07/15/2025

It's been an exciting few days 🥳

Yesterday, we had our newest weight lifter finish their 6 week beginner strength training program 💪 They are well on their way to accomplishing their goals 👏

I also finished Level 2 of the MMOA post-grad course 👩‍🎓 A lot of the material was review, but the updated research supporting a fitness-forward rehabilitation approach for all sorts of conditions is incredible. If we have a magic bullet in health care...this might be it!

Now - I best get off my couch and lift my own weights!

Address

Lougheed, AB

Website

http://Www.lifeempoweredot.weebly.com/

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