Senior Fitness Programs That Help You Stay Active And Fit
You're never too old to begin exercising. However, if it's been years since you've been in a fitness program, then you may need to start slow to avoid injury. Fortunately, there are many fitness workouts geared toward seniors. Here are some you might be interested in doing.
Stretching Exercises For Flexibility
Stretching exercises are beneficial for seniors because they help you stay limber and improve your balance. If you're sedentary for a long period or if you have pain that limits your mobility, then you can loose some range of motion in your body. That puts you at a higher risk of falling and it also makes it difficult to do daily tasks when you can't bend and reach. Stretching exercises are gentle, but effective. As you get stronger and become more flexible, the intensity of the exercises increase, so you can get a good workout at the same time.
Yoga Classes For Stress Reduction
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Yoga is an ideal fitness routine for seniors because it can be adapted to your fitness level.
It not only helps you become more limber while strengthening your muscles, it also helps you reduce stress. Stress reduction has many health benefits no matter what your age. Yoga is a meditative form of exercise that benefits you physically and emotionally. You can take yoga classes designed for seniors or beginners so you can start slow to prevent strain and injury.
Tai Chi Classes For Gentle Movement
Tai Chi is similar to yoga in that it is a meditative form of exercise. It is a series of very slow and purposeful movements that center your mind for a calming effect while stretching your body into gentle poses. Tai Chi is a good form of exercise for seniors because it isn't physically exerting yet you obtain so many mental and physical benefits such as strengthening core muscles, lowering blood pressure through relaxation, stimulating deep breathing, and improving balance.
Water Exercises For Strength
Training One of the best ways to exercise to prevent injury to your joints is to do it in the water. Water exercises allow you to increase your range of motion since your body is supported by the water. Swimming is good for strength training and aerobic exercise. Doing an exercise routine in the water adds resistance to your movements so your muscles get stronger. Plus, water exercise is fun, and when your fitness routine is fun, you're more likely to stick with it. You can find fitness programs dedicated to seniors so you work out with others your age, or you can join any class that's available as long as you're fit enough to participate without injury. If you like to push yourself, you might enjoy a spinning class or running on a treadmill. Find a form of exercise you like and start off slow so you can build your strength and endurance. If you have an injury or medical condition ask your doctor about the best exercise for you so you can avoid injury while improving your health and increasing your activity.
Schaller, K. J. (1996). Tai Chi Chih: an exercise option for older adults. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 22, 12-16.
Kerr (2012) states that there are 3 main types of exercise which are aerobic, strength/resistance training and flexibility exercises. Aerobic exercises will help keep the heart, lungs and muscles healthy, and when paired with a healthy diet will aid in weight loss. Appropriate resistance training will help to improve strength, posture and balance as well as causing the participant’s body to look more toned. Also the build up of muscle will aid with weight loss as at rest muscle burns more calories than inactive tissue. These exercises should be done two or three times a week. Flexibility exercises are important because if a muscle isn’t stretched then overtime it will shorten and become less elastic. Therefore joint mobility will decrease and the likelihood of injuries to muscl...
Roughly, The body loses around 3kg of lean muscle every decade from middle age. Evidence found by Singh (2002) suggests that these changes are related to a sedentary lifestyle, muscle mass can increase in an older person after regular exercise. Bone density also declines around the age of 40, and as a result, older people are more prone to fractures. However, exercise helps to reduce the risk of bone loss and osteoporosis. ‘Weight-bearing exercise is particularly helpful in keeping bones healthy and strong.’ (Sari, 2011) Concerning cardiorespiratory fitness this takes longer in older people as opposed to a younger person. However, the physical benefits are similar. People can improve their cardiorespiratory fitness through regular exercise thus preventing diseases like cardiovascular disease. (Sari, 2011) Physical activity also has a positive impact on the joints of the body as they require regular movement to remain supple and healthy. Singh (2002) states that “those with arthritis, which can be very common in older people, can benefit greatly from aerobic and strengthening exercise programs.” Lastly, physical activity also has a large impact on body fat levels as carrying too much body fat can be associated with various diseases; for example, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. ‘Regular exercise burns kilojoules and thus increases muscle mass and speeds up the
So, stretching after the workouts is as important as the workouts itself. For each type of exercise, there is a specialized way of stretching. Each muscle in your body needs a separate stretching as well. Stretching is not a time-consuming task. These can be done very in an effective manner as it doesn’t require much time. Stretching is important for improving flexibility in your body muscles. It is also good for blood circulation.
... wellness. (Jengliang, 2010). Achieve healthy aging is associated with beneficial effects of regular exercise. Regular physical exercise in the elderly may be equivalent to 10 to 20 years of rejuvenation (Andrews, 2001)
Everyday society assumes yoga is just a physical health practice that will make people substantially fit. Social media is making people believe that Yoga is mostly good for exercising in a social, trendy fashion environment. What society does not know is Yoga plays a huge role in emotional hygiene, more so than physical health, Yoga develops a healthy emotional stability for its participants that lead to a healthy lifestyle. Emotionally, Yoga can develop a healthy emotional lifestyle for its participants while leaving a person with more positivity, determination and strength in the human mind.
...is flexibility with stretches, T'ai chi, ad yoga. All of these exercises prevents osteoporosis, builds muscle, endurance, and thickness of bones.
Being a senior citizen can be stressful; seniors are often forced to deal with major lifestyle changes, various health conditions, the deaths of peers and loved ones, and many other personal challenges. Yoga relieves tension in the muscles, and the results are a more peaceful state of mind and less stress overall. Many people feel that yoga is as effective a relaxation technique as meditation is. This makes yoga just as worthwhile as more vigorous activities in fighting the onset of heart disease. You might enroll your parents in one of the many yoga classes available in Orange County or Long
Many people would tell you that they love to exercise and workout. This is true because exercising releases many stress-relieving endorphins that help in many ways. What they won’t tell you is that they feel the same way about stretching. It would be considered one of their least favorite things to do. Truth is, stretching is also stress relieving and relaxing, but not in quite the same ways as exercise. Although stretching doesn’t reduce bodily fat nor does it gain muscle; it does set a good foundation for you to perform the necessary activities that lead to good health. With proper flexibility, many functions that were previously not achievable can now be done. For instance, a tennis game can be fun for a little while. But as your muscle tense up, you risk probable sourness and cramping. With good flexibility, your muscles stay loose and relaxed and your attitude toward the tennis game and other exercises are improved.
Stretching is important because it helps improve muscle development to help your muscles to move effectively. If you don't stretch your muscles then the connective tissue around the muscle will slowly shorten. When you stretch, the muscle fibers and tissue grow helping the stretched muscles to become longer. If you are wanting to build your muscle then stretching is very helpful
With yoga as a part of your daily routine, physical health issues can be treated. Back Pain if left untreated can lead to surgery. Ways of avoiding surgery include relaxing the nerves, fixing your posture, loosening and strengthening the muscles, which can be corrected by the practicing of yoga. Bad posture can eventually cause nerves in the spine to come out which are painful for the spinal disk and vertebrae. By gaining physical awareness by using yoga stretching and breathing you can focus more on the sensations your body feels while doing the simplest of tasks such as washing your dishes. (McCall 190) Effect of Short-Term Intensive Yoga Program on Pain, Functional Disability And Spinal Flexibility in Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Control Study writes “Deep relaxation of the spinal muscles achieved during safe body movements with mindful awareness may form the basis of improvement observed in flexibility and pain within this short period of intervention” (Tekur et al.
Getting the heart rate up regularly is a vital aspect of combating cardiovascular issues. However, participating in a general aerobics class at the gym could be too much for your elderly parents to handle. A class that is specifically targeted to meet the needs of elders is a better option. The person leading such a class should be aware of the various limitations that many seniors are apt to experience.
According to Nardendran, “yoga uses a holistic approach to stress reduction and has been used to promote positive health for centuries” (Narendran et al.) In yoga, one of the main components that reduces stress is chanting. Chanting is an essential part of yoga
In addition to cardio and flexibility exercises, resistance training is essential in your older years. It keeps your muscles strong, increases your bone density, and reduces the symptoms of age-related health conditions, such as arthritis and osteoporosis. (See References 1) Resistance bands or cords are ideal to use for your workout; they're lightweight, affordable, portable, and promote your coordination. (See References 2) You can do the exercise while sitting down on a chair to avoid compromising your balance and stability.
They noticed that the conditions related to their muscular system, respiratory system, nervous system, and the digestive system improved notably. It has been studied and suggested that regular practice of Yoga increases the brain gamma-Aminobutyric acid levels which helps in regulating the excitability of the nervous system and muscle tone as well. This helps in reducing anxiety and improving mood functions, letting people lead much more emotionally balanced lives. Apart from the abovementioned advantages, yoga also helps in keeping cardiovascular diseases in check. The three principles of yoga: asana (exercise), pranayama (breathing), and drishti (meditation) help in monitoring heart activities and keeping it functioning healthily. It does so by reducing blood pressure, speeding up recovery related to heart failures or cardiac arrests, and lower other cardiovascular risk factors that some people might have genetically imbibed in them. Similarly, it helps people with chronic back aches. Regular practice of yoga can bring relief over a period of time, than medications alone. Pain medications for back ache or spine-related spasms generally have dangerous side effects such as gastric problems, nausea, and the relief they provide last for a very short period of time. Yoga on the other hand gives back pain sufferers a much necessary relief through stretching exercises and also by meditating which plays a major role in alleviating any kind of