When it comes to health and fitness for seniors, it’s important that you maintain a healthy and active lifestyle, even as you continue to age.
As seniors, fitness is essential for staying mobile and active, and it can even help lower your risk or help improve certain health conditions including stroke, heart attack, arthritis, and even Parkinson’s disease. Certain physical activities and specific regimens can even make quality of life better by reducing falls and improving balance.
You Are Never Too Old to Maintain Muscle
As we age, our bodies lose muscle mass, which can lead to a numerous amount of health complications if we don’t take the time to perform regular bouts of physical activity as seniors.
Sacropenia, or loss of muscle mass, is a common occurring mechanism that occurs with aging. With this loss of muscle mass comes the loss of power, or the ability to produce a quick force to overcome a loss of balance. Factor in other potential diseases that affect balance such as neuropathy, low vision, and limited joint motion, and you have a recipe for a disastrous fall. Once a person falls, they are exponentially more likely to fall again, risking a brain fracture or hemorrhage. In order to reduce your risk of falling, strength and resistance training techniques are vital to maintaining your power.
If you are a senior and need to start exercising, it’s important that you start slow and progress naturally. Begin with walking and lifting light weights 2-3 times per week. Starting with your body weight for leg exercises is safe, and allows you to build the proper foundation as you advance into heavier weight or more challenging points.
Ignore the Stigma of Society
Many seniors and Australians alike have a stigma against “old” people exercising. Even if these citizens have lived a little longer than the rest of us, this doesn’t mean they are physically incapable of exercise.
Exercise is for everyone. It’s a universal drug with great business opportunities: endless refills, constant returns, and little expenses. The rewards to your health as you age will be endless.
By forgetting about all of the stigmas that society says about health and fitness, as a senior, you can eventually work your way up to an effective cardio workout.
The best thing to do is to aim for a final product of cardio 5 times per week, for 20 minutes each day, at an intensity where you are moderately breathless. Most importantly, aim for resistance training 3 times per week, with 10-12 different exercises for the entire body, at a resistance where you can perform roughly 3 sets of 12.
Mix It Up a Little
Other than resistance, strength-training and endurance exercises, it’s important to incorporate different activities that help improve the physical functions of your body like balance and flexibility. Incorporating activities like Tai Chi can do wonders for your health and fitness.
If you have balance issues, but haven’t fallen, consider learning Tai Chi. This martial art promotes slow and progressive movements that have been shown by strong evidence to help improve balance and reduce falls.
You can also practice various aerobics exercises that promote simple movements, but help you breathe easier during more intense bouts of physical activity. Relaxation techniques like yoga are helpful, but it is important to make sure that you are physically capable of handling activities such as these.
As a senior, it’s always important that you stay physically active in one way or another. By sticking with some of these recommended techniques, you are automatically for healthy and happy years to your life.
Become Fit For Travel
If you’re looking to explore this beautiful world of ours but haven’t got the energy or fitness level to cope with the strenuous demands that comes along with it, we’d like you to visit https://livewellfitness.com.au/fitfortravel/ and fill in the enquiry forms so we can help you in our boutique and non-intimidating private studio.
– Simon Jeremy
