Physical activity is crucial for your health, especially when you are old. In your golden years, staying active can keep many diseases at bay, including hypertension, heart disease, and obesity. However, many seniors have a sedentary lifestyle and cannot keep up with their exercise routines. Many even tend to find a care finder to help them get through their life. However, if you are finding it hard to start working out, there are numerous low-impact exercises to help you kick-start your healthy lifestyle. As a senior, exercising gives you strength, balance, and flexibility. Consider some of the following workouts to improve your physical activity.
Yoga
As you grow older, flexibility and balance decrease, making you prone to injuries. That is why you should consider exercises that improve your stability.Yoga is a low-impact exercise with multiple benefits. Apart from helping you relax and de-stress, it can improve your posture and balance. Yoga uses a combination of breathing exercises and poses to improve your strength and work on your flexibility. Besides, yoga does not exert pressure on your joints, making it a safe activity for the elderly who often have problems in their bones or joints. If you have not done yoga before, you should join a class in your local gym or learn how to do it yourself with youtube videos.
Rowing has also been shown to increase stamina, improve balance, stimulate bone growth and decrease muscle wastage in elderly individuals. Not to mention they are super accessible in gyms and perfect for home use. The better machines such as a Concept2 can be pricey but due to their high-quality build, you can get a used one with perfect functionality. You can even find rowing machines with high rails and lumbar support if you suffer from mobility or back issues, keeping you exercising for years to come.
Dancing
Dancing is part of cardio workouts, which utilise rhythmic motions to exercise large muscle groups in the body. Dancing gets your heart pumping, and you may even experience shortness of breath. However, the rhythmic movements are effective in burning calories and improving the health of your heart. Since the activities increase your heart rate, they improve cardiovascular strength and muscle endurance. This reduces the risk of fatigue or shortness of breath as you carry out daily chores and errands.
If you want to try dancing, you can look for classes at your local community centre, or many nursing homes have this in their activities schedule like Banfields Aged Care. Being part of a dancing group helps you maintain the routine since you get encouragement from dance instructors and your peers. Dancing also provides an avenue to stimulate the mind as you remember steps, as well as meet new people and make friends.
Walking
If you are not a fan of group fitness activities but want to benefit from aerobic activities, then walking is the best form of exercise for you. Besides, it does not require specialised training; just a pair of walking shoes and you are good to go. Walking increases your heart rate, improves your cardiovascular health, and gets your muscles working. While it is less intense compared to running, it is useful in burning calories. Also, it is a low impact exercise, which means it is perfect for seniors with joint problems, weak knees, or ankles. Therefore, you should avoid driving where possible and take a walk around the block. Walking up the stairs or walking your dog can keep you physically active and keep your heart healthy.
Swimming
Swimming the perfect elderly aerobic exercise, effective in building muscle strength and improving your cardiovascular health. Besides, since your weight is supported by water, you are less likely to feel its impact on your joints. Swimming also relieves pressure on the joints, making it ideal for people who have arthritis. Therefore, you should schedule a few laps daily to improve your cardiovascular health and benefit from the strength training. Even if you do not know how to swim, water aerobics are beneficial for your health. For instance, using a swimming board for your laps improves your muscle strength.
Cycling
Apart from being fun, cycling is an excellent way to stay active. Cycling through the trails allows you to enjoy the fresh air and unwind. While older people cannot endure hours of cycling, they can still benefit from the exercise by using stationary bicycles. Stationary cycling provides all the benefits of aerobic exercises without exerting pressure on your joints, and there is a lower chance of injury. Investing in a spin machine you can use in front of the television can be a good way to incorporate exercise into your day.
With the numerous benefits of working out, it should be part of every senior’s lifestyle. You can breakdown the exercises into bite-sized chunks that you can handle to ensure you maintain your routine.
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