There’s a lot to consider as you age when it comes to your wellbeing. You not only have to be mindful of social wellness, but you should also be aware that physical wellness is at a critical point. At any age, physical activity keeps us feeling and looking our best. Still, when you get older, especially after the age of 65, physical activity can also help you prevent heart disease, diabetes, certain forms of cancer and ease arthritis pain.
Below, we’ve outlined some of the best forms of exercise you can undertake if you’re 65 or older. These exercises will not only keep you feeling good, but they will keep you strong and balanced physically and mentally.
Exercise for People 65 Years of Age and Older
- Water Aerobics
Aerobic exercise – an exercise that gets the heart pumping and speeds up your breathing – is important at any age. However, as we get older, most aerobic exercises’ physical impact can be hard on already stressed and aching joints.
Water aerobics eliminates the stress on your joints by helping you do high-intensity workouts with little to no impact. Water can do two things for you: It can make you buoyant, taking the weight off your joints, but it has natural resistance, making you work the muscles harder.
Some great water aerobic exercises for seniors can include aqua jogging, leg lifts, standing water pushups and dance aerobics.
- Chair Yoga
Yoga helps you build strength in your muscles and core stability and improve overall body mobility, all of which are extremely important to seniors. Yoga is also low-impact which means it will not put stress on your joints.
If you struggle with balance but still try to improve your overall strength, the best solution is Chair Yoga. Like regular yoga, Chair Yoga makes poses more accessible so that no matter your strength level, you can still benefit from better sleep, lower instances of depression, strengthening of the core and all the other benefits yoga can give you.
- Resistance Band Workouts
Resistance bands are big rubber bands that are used for strength training. The rubber band does just like it sounds – it provides resistance when placed around your legs or arms, giving you the ability to stretch the band with your muscles before bringing it back in.
The best thing about resistance bands, though, is that they are affordable and portable, eliminating the need to work on your muscle strength with fancy and bulky gym equipment. Resistance bands can help you challenge your muscles without having to leave the comfort of your room or even your chair.
- Pilates
Pilates is another form of low-impact exercise that packs a fitness punch. Pilates focuses on strengthening your core stability, which is especially important for seniors to improve balance and improve mobility.
Pilates combines exercises, breathing, concentration and core strength using mats, balls and other inflatable equipment that build strength without stress on your joints. Most gyms offer pilates classes for beginners, showing you how to combine these elements and use the necessary equipment.
- Walking
Looking to keep it simple and accessible? Don’t look any further than the good old-fashioned walk. Walking can help you strengthen muscles while lowering your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. For the general population, 10,000 steps a day is advised for a healthy lifestyle, but distance and step goals will depend on how mobile you are to begin with.
The best part is you can do it just about anywhere. Take a walk through a park trail or walk the perimeter of a familiar building like a mall or grocery store. If you feel bored, put on some earphones and listen to a good audiobook or your favorite music while you walk.
Exercise benefits more than just your body – it can also help you with your moods and mental health. Find something that interests you and keeps you entertained, all while keeping you moving to improve the likelihood that you’ll stick with the exercise routine. No matter what activity you choose, stay active so you can stay healthy!
To find a place that will help you stay active and social, contact Elder Care Alliance to see how we can help you.
