Welcome to Active Living with April.

Today we're talking about shoe styles that everyone should have in their closet.

And we'll be looking at how to keep your knees healthy and nimble.

That's coming up next on Active Living with April.

Production support provided by West Side chiropractic, offering patient specific care and massage therapy located at 2732 Mt.

Vernon Avenue, Evansville.

Kasey Fuquay, State Farm Insurance Protecting Futures.

Today.

The injury law firm of Robert John and Associates, proudly supports Public media.

Robert John and, Associates.

and viewers like you.

Thank you.

If you've noticed, you've had knee problems.

You're not alone.

Dr. Jeana Lee is with us to talk about.

This is becoming more and more common for people to have knee problems.

Absolutely.

And why is that, do you think?

Well, I think it's a combination of lots of different things.

When I grew up, I did lots of different sport.

There was a season for each sport and then you got to rest in between.

What I'm seeing a lot more of in kids or the youth is that they're playing one sport.

They're doing it all year round with no rest.

There's a lot of injuries.

ACL tears of meniscus tears and become super common.

So those young people decades down the road often have arthritis and need knee replacement.

And in general, everybody seems to be getting a little bit bigger.

We have a problem with weight in this country, and that's not good for your knees either.

So is it added pressure?

I'm guessing that puts that pressure on your knees and so are knee replacements becoming more and more common and that you're finding knee replacements are becoming more common?

They've always been very common, but now they're even more common.

And then the fastest growing demographic that we're seeing is that middle aged person.

Whereas before it used to be almost exclusively grandma and grandpa.

Now mum and Dad.

Now it's mom and dad Yeah.

Well, what, what can people do to prevent it?

I mean, if it's something they did as a kid, I know there's not a lot, but maybe there's not a lot they can do now.

But I mean, generally kind of the same stuff that you do to stay healthy in other respects.

Keeping your weight down.

Staying active.

Making sure that you're you remain strong.

That you have good flexibility.

Those are the main ones.

When do you think somebody I was at a doctor's office the other day and a guy kind of came hobbling in and he said, I woke up and my knee was hurting.

And he said, It's been going on for a few days.

And so it made me wonder, when do you go to the doctor for your knees even?

Definitely.

If it swells, if you're limping.

Yeah, definitely.

If it's something more niggling and not as dramatic, maybe wait a week or two, but just don't let it go on too long.

And then is there.

Maybe they don't even need a replacement necessarily.

Are there other things you would do first?

I mean, or even suggest to them?

we never we never jump right to knee replacement.

Right.

So I think people's minds do jump to it.

Definitely.

But there's so many other non operative things that can be done for arthritis to make you feel better, to make your day to day activities tolerable.

So anti-inflammatory medications, something as simple as ibuprofen, Aleve, Advil, sometimes injections, physical therapy, if you're not inclined to be active or if you just need your fitness routine a little bit tweaked and then weight loss helps a lot.

And then, you know, talking about that, that A-word, again, arthritis, you know, I mean, there's really anything you can do to even prevent arthritis.

I mean, it's just something that is going to happen or.

Well, it's not absolutely inevitable as you age, but it is common as we age.

So it's hard to completely prevent it because some that's so much so many of the reasons why people have it, it's not under our control.

So a lot of it is genetic factors.

So you're unlucky and you had mom and dad or grandma grandpa that had arthritis.

You're going to be more prone to have it no matter what you do.

But definitely, if you can just keep your weight more towards normal, maybe not perfectly normal, but more towards normal and try to keep your quads strong, Try to keep your knee range of motion and flexibility as normal as possible.

You're going to diminish your chances of getting it.

And it would also help with your recovery if you do have to have some kind of surgery.

Right, If you are strengthening quads, Absolutely.

So my minimum requirement for a patient having a knee replacement is that before you have surgery, you should be able to get out of a chair without using your arms.

And how common is it that people can't do that?

it's in common.

I would say about half the people that come in that request, a knee replacement.

I mean, I'll just do a simple test in the office and say, Well, let me just let me have it cross your arms across your chest and get up from the chair for me.

And there are just so many people that can't do that.

And that's a lot of core also a lot of core.

And people just are slacking on that as well, too.

Yeah.

Well, quickly, do you look at if somebody does have to have a knee replacement, what happens afterwards or do they go back to just being able to do just about everything or again, depending on the person, I'm sure much I mean, a replaced knee isn't exactly like a normal knee.

So the younger you are, maybe the more active you are, the more athletically inclined you are.

You're going to notice that it's not a perfect knee.

But in terms of walking and most sporting activities, most people who’ve had their knees replace will say that it's close to a normal knee and can you even get down on your knees afterwards?

I mean, it might be uncomfortable, but you can.

Okay.

So all right.

So hopefully preventing is one of the big things.

Weight, and see your doctor.

Thank you so much for this information.

When we come back, we're going to have some knee strengthening exercises that you can do at home.

So we're sitting on the couch, but that doesn't mean we're not going to be active.

Gayle Golike is with me again.

Thank you for joining us.

And we're continuing our conversation about knees, and how to you can't prevent everything, but there is a lot you can do with some simple exercises, right?

Because when we have knee issues, a lot of times they come again just from an imbalance.

You know, muscles get weak when you sit a lot.

Muscles get tight.

And the other thing with the knees is they get pulled between your ankles and your hips, You know, so what any issue that's going on below or above can affect the knees.

So simple things that you can do.

And again, being a seated culture, Start off with some seated Start with some seated stuff that you do when you're sitting at your office at your desk The quads get weak, the hamstrings get tight, and the quads are really important for helping Very important, strong for the alignment of your knee.

It all works together.

It's all together.

Yeah.

So leg kicks, and it's especially which is you need hamstring flexibility.

It's the last little bit of strengthening your leg.

This muscle right here that helps the alignment of the knee.

So kicking out, if that's hard for you to do at a 90 degree like we're doing, then just do it a little bit lower.

But really squeezing that last bit, just strengthen that muscle right there.

So it's so much about height.

It's about gauging and engaging that whole muscle So you want to keep your foot flexed and I went, Yeah, I can feel the quad more.

If I point, I can still feel it, but it's a little bit deeper.

Right, Right.

So I can see where the flexing is.

Doing a lot more.

Yeah.

Okay.

So obviously always remember guys, I always tell people in yoga you have to do both sides.

So you walk out wonky and you walk out, do two circles well, and we're looking for everything being equal.

So.

Okay.

All right.

So what?

And again, a three, three times ten, you know, three sets of ten.

Yeah.

Another thing you can do because you also want range of motion.

Knees get tight.

So if you pull like your heel towards your buttock, you want to get that full flexion of the knee, stretch that out and that just feels good to right stretches into your lower back.

And isn't that also a little bit of hip, hip flexion?

Yeah.

So you're working out like again, like you said, they're connected.

Everything is.

Yep.

Your hips being out of whack can affect your knees.

So that's another reason to work on hip openers.

Yeah, I would say like, so that's kind of our segway into yoga, right?

That's probably just it can cover it all because it's such a full range of motion.

It's strengthening, it's loosening, it's aligning, it's balancing.

So here's a couple of yoga poses that you can do.

Okay.

In standing Okay.

Now, this requires balance.

Getting off the couch.

Getting off the couch.

You don't need a yoga mat.

You don't need yoga clothes.

So you don't you can use a chair for stability because we're going to challenge our balance here a little bit.

So chair pose, right.

Just sitting back as if you were sitting into a chair.

So it's really just pressing your hips back, pressing your hips back for that chair behind and alignment knees are tracking the midline of your foot.

So they don't want to be wonky, they don't want to be out just right there.

Then we're going to step back bringing knee to the floor so that tracking, strengthening in alignment there.

Now for range of motion.

This is where you might want to be sensitive and come back because if the knee is tight, you might not be able to sit all the way back like April and I can do.

But you're working for that full range of motion to loosen stuff up right in here.

And then you start loosening up the hamstring by taking a forward fold.

Tight hamstrings can pull on the knee in a wonky way.

Right?

Right.

And then to reverse that again, you can have a chair or strengthening front of you, right.

Come together, see in my knee, kind of go to wobble there and try to come back in that chair again.

So watching.

Yeah.

I was ask what if somebody in hurts their knee to put it down on the floor, pad it first, try padding it.

The other reason why would hurt is if you've had a knee replacement and you actually have hardware in there.

So I have many students who've had knee replacements and they just double up their yoga mat.

So if you were on a hard surface, you could try that either put a blanket down, you could have a cushion from your chair or your sofa down, so just pad it.

But that brings up another interesting point.

After you've had knee replacement, what can you do?

Can you still do just about everything?

Is it you can do about everything?

Sometimes people find that they don't get that full knee flexion back.

Okay.

But it's individual and it also depends on the therapy they do immediately after that.

That's a good question.

for Jeana Lee.

Yeah, I think.

Okay.

So we need to do the other side.

The other side.

So sit it back, track the knees, step it back again.

tracking the midline of your foot.

sit it back.

So we're stretching the joint and hamstring and you could flex or point flex or point flexing increases the stretch.

Yes.

You can play with that.

So even if I was up here April, I didn't have your range of motion, I would still be going to my full range of motion with this knee and feeling a stretch here and then you reverse and forward here is the strengthening of that knees to step it over and that's good.

Okay.

And I guess I was going to ask too when they're coming down if they need to bring their hands down that is perfectly fine.

Right.

So these, you know, hold on to your chair and then if you need to bring your hands down and step back, then you're still going to get that.

And you can reverse that, even step forward with your hands and then bring it up.

Yeah, there's always more than one way to do everything.

So well.

Thank you so much.

These are great.

And I would say, how many times a day do you think people need to do this?

I would use three of these in a row on each side, on each side.

And morning and night.

And, you know, if you're starting to feel a little crickety in your knees, start with these.

We're not giving you medical advice.

We're doing preventative here.

But you could still do them if you have pain.

But go see the doctor.

Go see your doctor.

All right.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

We'll be right back.

So we're going to talk about one of my favorite subjects, shoes.

Jamie Hicks is with us from Dillards Thanks for joining us.

Yeah, thank you for having me.

You're welcome.

And you want to talk about the five types of shoes?

Was it five?

Yeah.

There are tons of shoes that you should have in your closet.

So there's kind of six here, but that's okay.

Right.

Okay.

All right.

Five.

Six.

You know what?

I would go so far as to say there really are 20.

You should have 30.

But we're going to start with the basics.

Yeah, that sounds like a plan.

So we start here.

We have it looks like a little bootie.

Yeah.

So you have your booties, which are super cute.

You know, originally boots were made for weather, made for walking, but they were made for weather, so.

And then it changed into something that is more fashionable.

So back in the day, it was made for snow and for cold weather and different things like that.

And now they're fashion.

And really, you can wear booties all season long.

I mean, I wear them and, you know, in the summer with the dress.

So there's a bootie, which is my personal fave.

I know you love booties.

Yeah.

And I was going to say and, you know, I may have to try one of these to see what it looks like, but so really, the booties are good for with jeans and are good with, like you said, skirt.

Yeah, they're good.

I like how this one has a zipper on both sides.

Yeah.

Makes it easier to get it on.

Easier and.

Okay.

So can does it do you suggest Really?

I think brown’s a good color.

I love Brown.

I also like a tope.

Yes, I think that goes with the lot.

You can always have a black bootie because really, like, I could wear the brown with this outfit I have.

I know it for sure.

I mean, I like the gray when I have, but I do like the gray with the deep brown and that but you could totally do a brown boot.

I like brown or black.

I mean, those are the I think those are the colors to start with.

Yes.

Yeah.

And then you add on if you want to add on some others.

Okay, cue.

Really cute.

I mean, these might have to be part of my ensemble.

Okay, so let's move on.

You have some slip-ons are those tiny zippers.

Also, they have zippers.

These are your Chelsea Boot, which has made a big hit the last couple of years.

Yes, I saw the Chelsea boots.

So.

So Chelsea, that's the style.

Yeah, that is a style of boot.

if you are opposed to, like having a little bit of a heel, then you're going to go with more of a Chelsea boots.

But even those have a little bit of a platform.

They do, and it's kind of spaced all the way around.

So you're kind of sitting on a flat, right?

Still uplifted a little bit, I think boots are a good investment because especially I meaning getting good ones that are going to last there, even if they go out of style, like you said, for a little bit, they're going to come back again and again and they're so versatile.

Yeah.

So okay, onto our next what's our next category?

So the next one is your flat and your loafer.

So you can tell just by looking at the difference, you know, flats there just all the way around.

There's no connection point where the loafer is definitely going to be a little more layered.

It's going to have your platform look to it.

So the flats we you talked about this, right?

You're not a huge fan.

Yeah.

No.

And then see them on other people.

Yeah.

I like them and then me I don't and I'm the same way.

But they're really great for a wear to work and then I'll wear to a party or they're from commute to work.

Commute out or out and about.

Also, you will see like women at weddings, I wear their heels most of time.

They have like a glittery flat.

And even the moms and the grandmothers, they all change in from their heel to their fly flat so that they can be comfortable on the settings.

So they're many for comfort, less for fashion.

Right?

So more for comfort, less for fashion.

Where the loafer it gives you a little bit more of a flair, which I think for I think is a good example of shoes that go in and out of style.

Yeah, exactly.

And I remember when I was little and you'd put the penny here.

I don't know about that.

What is that?

No, it was a penny loafer.

And you'd put your penny that little slot.

oh my...

So that's why they called that, that I did not know that What?

You taught me something new.

But I think the loafers adorable and they come in so many colors and styles.

So yeah, I mean, I have even like a kind of a platform loafer that I really like and, and those are good with jeans and Yes, jeans.

And even what you're wearing right now, even with you want to try these guys, I don't think you to twist my arm.

I'll try on another pair of shoes.

Hopefully my husband's not watching now.

He's like, she's going to be shopping today.

She's going to be shoe shopping.

And although sometimes loafers.

yeah.

these are really comfortable.

This is good.

See?

And that's what I like.

Those adorable.

with your outfit, they are cute.

So I prefer that over.

Should these be mine?

I think.

Yeah.

Those are.

Those are awesome.

I like them.

yeah.

They're really comfy.

I like that.

Yeah.

Okay.

All right, on onto the next one.

What are we doing?

Okay, so now we're going to the slide, which originally slides were made for athletes, and it was for them to wear going like from to the to the games they just put them on and then they would get their tennis shoes and all their equipment on.

But they have made slides into something that all women can wear and they made them into a fashion statement.

So slides are a big, big hit right now.

You'll see them.

This is just kind of I really don't know how to explain this guy compared to a normal slide, you know, versus your athletic slide where you just slide your shoe and your toes are poking out.

This is also considered a slide because you are not making any effort to put these shoes.

It's a mule, right?

Yeah.

I mean, yeah, kind of like a mule.

Yeah.

I mean, I have a pair of slides that have, like, leopard print on them and stuff like that, and I love them.

I mean, they're okay, so we're going to go on to.

Yes, these are your these two over flip on.

Same.

Yeah.

You're a little slip on sandals so people wear those year round on that.

Yeah.

With their socks.

So these can be worn all year long with socks.

That's a style.

So how do you do that?

But I see it.

I see.

Yeah, I know they're people, but I women of all ages, we have a sandal with their socks on and I like the this kind of has a little leg buckles that are nice and Yes and then okay so what about sneakers?

I see with everything now.

Yes.

With dresses.

Yes.

With skirts and leggings.

And you.

I think you did that look not that long ago, too.

You converted into some sneakers?

Yes.

Yeah.

So sneakers, especially like a solid color, is going to match a lot of things, right?

So your black, your topes, your brown and your whites and a lot of people are doing white sneakers right now.

And it's but it's a stylish sneaker.

It's not just the regular old tennis.

You know, it's gonna have this kind of flat base to it.

I feel like you get the little tennis shoe.

Look, it's not as it's not it's not fashionable It's not exactly okay.

And then, of course, we need some kind of heel.

Yes.

It's always important to have a heel in which I prefer more of a chunk heel But those are really cute.

Yes, I like it.

And it's got the strap and.

And it's still a little chunkier.

Just not.

I like the square.

She feels more secure in them and the strap gives you the support.

But at least this gives everybody a good base of what they should start with.

If you're looking in your shoe, I mean, how often do you buy?

Do you think somebody should get a new pair of shoes?

Hey, I feel like I get a new pair of shoes every at least two months.

I feel great, you know, every season.

So every three months, I'm going to get a new shoe right?

And you can still keep the ones you had, but that's You got to make sure you take care of them.

Don't stack them on top of each other in the bottom of your closet.

Yeah, little tips like that.

So a lot of people will put them back in their box and put the stuffing in them so that they keep their phone.

So that's a lot of work, but I think that's extreme.

But I do.

I do sometimes keep mine in the boxes, so.

Okay, well, I may just be keeping these.

I'm kidding.

Yeah.

No, you definitely need to get think these are the tips.

And another thing I was thinking is color because you I don't know if you ever get dressed and you don't have a shoe, you will not wear the outfit, so you'll get dressed in the shoe, the matches.

So if you get your neutrals, there's no way you want to have a shoe.

Okay, Go buy some neutral new shoes.

All right.

Thank you, Jamie.

You're welcome.

We'll be right back.

So now where my favorite part of the show.

We get to talk about fitness and planking.

Yeah.

And Mary Beth Owen is joined us.

And thank you so much for being here.

Thank you for having me.

So tell me about what you do for your fitness routine.

My fitness routine has definitely changed over the years as I've gotten older Yes, that's right.

Okay.

Years ago, I was really into running and I was running 5Ks, 10Ks, marathons.

Really?

Boston Marathon, New York City Marathon, all that kind of stuff.

But that kind of took its toll on me over the years.

So as I've gotten older, I'd become kinder to myself and gentler, I guess you would say.

So now I love to mix in a lot of walking, walking and running, walking and running, but yoga, a lot of stretching.

I like to ride bikes.

I like to do it my peloton and weight bearing exercises because as I get older, I know the most important thing is to maintain flexibility and balance.

I worry about my balance, right?

I mean, yeah, because that's when people start falling.

Exactly.

And breaking things and breaking in, and that's even worse.

So when you were growing up where it was fitness a part of your life?

No, Never.

Never.

Right, either.

No, not at all.

Especially when I was in high school back in the seventies and girls sports weren't really, you know, much of a thing, just maybe girls basketball.

But I'm not of the stature to play basketball.

Right.

So, no, I didn't do anything until actually after I graduated from college.

And then I started jogging.

And basically it was to lose weight at the time.

And that's how I got started.

I would run around the block one time, come home and collapse on the floor, and it was only a quarter of a mile.

And then when I finally did it four times and I had run a mile, I was so proud of myself, but I still collapsed on the floor.

And that's when I decided I'm going to try to really get into this.

And I signed up for a 5k and did well in that.

And then from there graduated to 10K and then decided after doing a few 10Ks, I'm going to go for it and, and try to train for a marathon.

So you brought up something interesting that because I never did any kind of sports or was an active at all growing up, I didn't realize how challenging yourself and pushing yourself physically really does bring that sense of accomplishment.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

You know, I don't know if it's the endorphins that you, you know, you get when you run and and you exercise like that.

But it is a feeling of accomplishment, especially when you set a goal.

Right.

Like to to finish a mile or to finish a 5k and then to really finish a marathon.

Once I had done that for the first time, I felt like I could accomplish anything.

I'm sure.

Yeah.

And it's something I didn't know is I mean, it also being physically fit or having those challenges and accomplishments helps you in everyday life.

Absolutely.

I mean, it has helped me in my career, in my job.

And it just it's a mindset.

One of the things that I really found, especially with marathon training, that it's all up here.

That's right.

It's all up here.

You know, it has so much to do.

And that's all up here.

We're going to we're actually going to get down there.

We're going to get down there.

Okay.

Well, we encourage everyone at home to get off the couch and plank with us.

But that's something we've I've talked about before.

When I'm planking is a lot of it is psychological.

You have to set yourself up.

So turn yourself just this way, just a little bit.

And then that's a lot of it is telling yourself you're going to hold.

So we're only holding for one minute.

Okay, we can do that.

So we're going to set up first start in table.

Put your shoulders down your back, then lift your upper back, lift your chest, pull in your belly, come up on your toes, shift your weight forward slightly.

And the timer has begun.

Here we go.

You got a going on?

Yes.

There we go.

And once you're in your plank, I always encourage everyone, do it again.

Press into the floor again, separate your shoulders, tighten up your glute.

So you're working on that Nice little.

Butt I'm trying right.

Do you do planks?

normally?

I do.

I do, yes.

It's something that I really started doing instead of doing push ups.

and crunches.

Yes.

So.

yeah.

I think they're way better than crunches Although not that you shouldn't do crunches.

I don't mean that.

But, you know, I think it's in the we're in the Marine Corps now.

They have the option of doing a four minute plank instead of 150 crunches.

And so it just shows you that planking really does strengthen.

Yeah.

Yeah, absolutely.

I mean, we've got ten more seconds.

Look, that's that.

I know we're good.

One minute is, you know, and if people would just plank for one minute or work up to a minute and start doing it every day, they will notice a difference where at one minute they will notice a difference in their bodies.

I'll be so happy one day and that can be their challenge that they set for them.

So I love that.

I love that.

I think you heard it.

You guys are challenging yourselves.

Do a one minute plank.

Thank you so much for joining us for thanks to all my other guests and thank you for watching.

Active Living with April.

Production support provided by The injury law firm of Robert John and Associates, proudly supports Public media.

Robert John and, Associates.

Kasey Fuquay, State Farm Insurance Protecting Futures.

Today.

West Side chiropractic, offering patient specific care and massage therapy located at 2732 Mt.

Vernon Avenue, Evansville.

and viewers like you.

Thank you.