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Exercising Tips For Senior Citizen -Things To Do And To Avoid

Life is unpredictable and diseases can affect anyone at any point of their life. Keeping active and healthy helps to avoid diseases and speeds up the recovery, this becomes more crucial for older people in order to minimize the risk of disease and delay ageing.Hence, making physical activity a part of daily routine is more important among them. Healthy and nutritious food is another cornerstone of good health in your twilight years.

Because of age-related physical degeneration, senior citizens need to put in more effort regularly to maintain physical health, but this must be done the right way and with a doctor's advice in order to avoid risk of injury.

Here's the List of7 Important Exercises for Senior Citizens

Chair Yoga

This light form of yoga helps improve regular movement, flexibility, and balance in seniors. Yoga is one of the best exercises for older people as it puts less pressure on the joints and muscles.

Some chair yoga exercises:

• Overhead stretching

• Seated cow and cat stretch

• Seated twisting

Water Aerobics

This exercise benefits people suffering from arthritis or joint pain. The buoyant nature of water reduces stress on joints. The water also provides mild resistance against muscles, thus providing strength training.

Some exercises are:

• Aqua jogging

• Leg lifts

• Flutter kicks

Resistance Band Workouts

Resistance bands are stretchy rubber strips used to improve muscle strength. You can use resistance bands with light, medium or heavy resistance as it best suits your body. This exercise for older people improves posture, balance and movement.

Some exercises are:

• Lateral raise

• Band pull apart

• Triceps press

Walking

Walking is a universal exercise suitable for all ages. This simple activity has huge benefits for the elderly like improvement in movement, muscle flexibility, and reduced risk of diseases.

Points to remember:

• Walk on a moderate trail in a park

• Keep yourself hydrated

• Walk in a familiar neighbourhood, and keep family members informed

Strength training

Strength training is the most effective way to fight problems like back pain, osteoporosis, diabetes, etc. Light strength training using dumbbells under expert supervision can be great for gaining and maintaining muscle strength in the elderly.

Some exercises are:

• Overhead press

• Front raise

• Bent over row

Pilates

Pilates is a light exercise that focuses on breathing, strength enhancement, flexibility and balance. It is a useful exercise for older people to build strength without putting the body under stress. Be sure to perform pilates with guidance from a practitioner who knows the needs and challenges of the elderly.

Some exercises are:

• side circles

• Leg circle

• Mermaid movement

Body weight workouts

Body weights workouts are useful for older people, as they build muscle strength and run lower risk of injury.

Some exercises are:

• Step-ups

• Bird dog

• Squats to chair

Benefits of Exercise for Older People

As a person ages, their physical capabilities change and the body's biological processes slow down. A person becomes more vulnerable to diseases and has less strength. Benefits of exercising are listed as below:

• It keeps them physically active

• It enables good brain functioning

• It reduces the risk of disease

• It helps them be less dependent on others

• It delays ageing and keeps them healthy

• It helps maintain good energy levels and boost immunity

• It helps improve posture and body balance

Exercises to be Avoided by Older People

People of young age groups may get away with exercising the way they want to lose weight or maintain a healthy body. But, older people must be cautious as their medical condition and previous health determine what exercises are off limits. Also, our bodies get less flexible as we age, and our metabolism and muscle regeneration gets slower. Hence, risk of injury is higher.

Older people should avoid the following exercises:

• Strenuous exercises like dead-lifting, rock climbing

• Fast running and long-distance running

• Complex activities like squats, crunches, bench presses, and leg press

• High-intensity interval training

Commonly Asked Questions on Exercises for Seniors

Q.1 Should older people exercise?

Yes, exercising is important at every age. It ensures smooth functioning of the body. A few benefits of exercising for older people are given above.

Q.2 What is chair yoga?

It is a light yoga that helps in regular movement, flexibility, and balance in seniors. Yoga is the best exercise for older people as it puts less pressure on the joints and muscles of the elderly. Some exercises using chair yoga are given above.

Some exercises using chair yoga are given above.

Q.3 Why should senior citizens avoid strenuous exercises?

A.3 Senior citizens have fragile bodies, and may injure themselves with strenuous exercise.

Conclusion

Exercising is important for every age group including elderly as it helps them remain active and maintain good health. There are several exercises that older people can do without risk of injury. However, it is advisable to avoid certain strenuous exercises as they can be harmful for your health. You must consult your doctor before starting any exercise regimen. Maintaining a good lifestyle, eating nutritious food, and exercising regularly are the key tenets to delay ageing and live a long and healthy life.

Disclaimer: This blog provides general information and discussions about health and related subjects. The information and other content provided in this blog, website, or in any linked materials are not intended and should not be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Kindly contact your doctor before starting a new medicine or health regime.

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Published on July 29, 2022