Skip to main content

Safe Exercises Tips For Seniors - How to Prevent Injuries

In order to live a healthy and long life, maintaining a regular exercise regimen is essential. A mere 150 minutes per week of brisk walking can add 3.4 years to your lifespan easily.


Especially if we talk about elders, they are more prone to accidents and health problems as compared to younger generations. Exercise can significantly reduce such health risks and it also helps them to maintain their quality of life and independence as well. As people age, strength and stamina naturally decline but this doesn’t mean they shouldn’t exercise. We have listed a few safe exercise tips that are suitable for the elderly:

Swimming



Swimming
Senior Swimming

For seniors, swimming is a gentle and impact-free exercise. It does not place a strain on the joints and can improve their flexibility and range of motion. Swimming can also prevent age-related muscle loss and help seniors maintain the physical strength and balance required to stay independent. In addition, swimming gives the heart a workout, keep blood vessels supple and increases blood circulation throughout the body.

Walking



Senior Walking
Senior Couple Walking

Walking is the perfect method of exercise for elders. Exposure to sunshine improves levels of vitamin D and shown to be a strong preventer of many cancers as well. Getting plenty of fresh air can reduce the symptoms of respiratory illnesses and allergies. Walking also improves the strength of stabilizing muscles in the hips, back and ankles which means better support and balance.

Strength Training



Exercising
Senior Exercising

Older people can engage in weight-bearing exercise even with a small amount of weight. Challenging the muscles help to increase functional strength which is an important part of staying independent and active. Another benefit of strength training is its ability to increase bone density. This can go a long way towards discouraging breaks and fractures which further makes it easier and safer to stay independent.

Stretching Exercises



Stretching
Senior Stretching

It’s imperative to maintain good flexibility and range of motion. This can help prevent muscle strains and torn ligaments. Fitness practices like Tai Chi, Yoga and Qigong are perfect for this purpose. Stretching exercises are easy to learn, low-impact and can be done in the comfort of your own home.

It is no doubt that physical activity is great for your health and function but it is important to remember not to push past their physical limitations. Before starting a fitness regimen, speak to a fitness practitioner and your doctor for advice.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Senior Health: Top 10 Health Issues Seniors Face

Seniors Exercising No doubt, each stage of life brings its own set of challenges. As people reach their senior years, they face health challenges. So, it’s quite important to keep ourselves healthy so that when we enter into senior citizenship, we don’t face many health challenges. It’s quite obvious people of all ages benefit from healthy lifestyle choices such as remaining active, engaging in a regular aerobic activity, following a balanced diet and staying tobacco-free. And, this is especially important for those people who are entering into their golden years. Here we have listed health challenges faced by seniors these days: • Common Illnesses - Influenza and Pneumonia: As you age, your immune system grows stronger; however at the age of 65 your immune system starts to weaken. When this happens, you become more susceptible to common illnesses – pneumonia and influenza. • Arthritis: This chronic condition is painful which makes it difficult to maintain an ac...

How Voice Command Devices Are Becoming Essential For Seniors

Senior Person Performing Voice Search With technology continually helping to ease seniors' lives, it is worth noticing how impactful voice devices have become. Find out how these intuitive devices are becoming necessary for elderly. It is likely that you are familiar with the terms ' Alexa ' or ' Google Home '. Basically, these are available on a phone or a speaker and can be controlled with your voice. This means, you ask it a question and they will respond with an answer. Or you give it a command, and it will complete the desired task. These devices have gained massive popularity in the market over the last few years. But have you wondered how useful these can be to your elderly? Let’s give you three reasons why you need to have them for your seniors; No More Memory Worries  As stated, these devices provide assistance to seniors. You need to understand that there are plenty of other ways voice command devices can free their mind. In the old days...

The Dangers of Senior Loneliness: A Serious Problem

Lonely Senior Thinking In this new era of technology, with just a few clicks of text, you can stay connected with individuals from all over the world. But, even with the latest advancements in technology, there are many seniors today who live in isolation and deal with loneliness. Surprisingly, loneliness not only affects someone mentally but also adversely affects the physical health of an individual. As friends, family members or caregivers, it is essential to be aware of the effects that loneliness can have on a senior’s mental and physical health. How Lonely Are Seniors Today? There has been ample research done on the topic of loneliness among the senior community. Less than 20% of seniors live alone and a recent study from the University of California in San Francisco suggests that living with others may feel lonely. 43% of seniors surveyed and the results were quite shocking as the seniors felt lonely even when they were not living alone. Seniors that are 60 years ...