The clock ticks away for every human that exists on planet Earth. The fact that by each day you are older than you were the day before is not hidden from anyone. Senior citizens are basically people over the ages of sixty or sixty-five. The senior citizens have some special rights and the community has a huge responsibility to fulfil them. Undoubtedly, as you grow older your health deteriorates little by little and the systems in your body start slowing down a little. But, worry not! Each problem carries a solution and a healthy diet and good workout routine is the answer to your aching joints and bad metabolism.
As you pass the age of 25-30, your heart rate starts slowing down a beat per year. Which means, as you grow older your heart maximum capacity to pump blood decreases. Same is the case with your nervous system. As your reflexive muscles slow down, your memory gets worse and you forget the normal daily life things that you would never forget otherwise. After their 40s people start losing muscle and the extra fat left is not good for them. All it does is increase cholesterol and blood sugar. All in all, the concept of ageing sounds pretty serious and complicated in some cases. But there are a lot of loopholes in the process as well.
It has been said to start exercising and eating good from an early age so as to build more immunity against diseases and to keep your bones and muscles fit. But, starting working out at an older age also has its own benefits. There are also a great many disadvantages of not getting moving and keeping your body sedentary for too long. If you are a senior citizen who wants to make their physique better and improve their health, this article is for you.
Chronic Diseases That You Can Avoid Through Exercise
As dramatic as it may sound, senior exercises for balance can even help you fight or even avoid chronic diseases! More than 60% of people over sixty acquire a chronic disease in their older age and suffer greatly because of it.
- Heart Diseases- Heart diseases are the most common type of chronic illnesses among older men. Exercise helps avoid heart diseases by regulating your cholesterol, blood pressure, managing your stress and reducing obesity. All these factors pave the way to heart diseases. So, by getting rid of them you automatically put yourself in the safe zone.
- Even though it sounds weird and unbelievable, exercise can even help avoid cancer. Colon cancer can be avoided, proves a Harvard study and many other studies too. Thus, it’s important that you exercise if you have tendencies to develop cancer.
- The building up of fats in your arteries, also known as atherosclerosis, can give you a stroke which is also a leading cause of death among older people. Strokes and heart problems rise from the same problems and thus exercising helps greatly with preventing strokes too.
Senior exercise ideas
A lot of senior citizens ask for exercises that can be suitable for their body type and age. Thus, we have put together senior workout routine and their specificities that would help you greatly in putting together the perfect workout plan for you
- Resistance Training- Resistance training helps greatly with building muscle mass and bone density. It is also very important for your bones’ health and maintaining your calcium levels. This can be done with the help of light weights or exercise machines.
- Flexibility Training- Stretching exercises are the absolute best form of warm-up before your strength training. Most people can perform these stretches on their own and some prefer going to yoga classes as it is more interesting and engaging.
- Balancing Exercises- Balancing exercises are really good for older adults because as you grow older, you lose your balance and fall often. These help with the disbalance and difficulty in day-to-day movements.
- Breathing Exercises- Breathing exercises have numerous advantages. They relieve stress, improve digestion, improve your immune system, help digestion and keep your body fresh and oxygenated.
Other than these, some older adults prefer group activities that also benefit their health and also keep them engaged as well as entertained. Walking, dancing, jogging, swimming, bicycle riding are some of the best senior exercises for balance that may help you achieve good health and senior fitness.
The other senior exercise ideas that can be incorporated into a senior citizen’s workout routine are:
- wall push-ups
- pelvic tilts
- shoulder blade squeeze
- shoulder and upper back stretches
- shifting weights
- Single leg balance
- Heel raises
Precautions to keep in mind before starting to work out for senior fitness-
- You need to get a medical check-up and consult a physician before starting your exercise plan. This especially goes for people who have never worked out before.
- Work on your diet and try to increase your water intake while exercising and after it too.
- Do not eat anything before 2-3 hours of your workout.
- Warming up before exercising is very important. There are a lot of ways to warm up some of which are calisthenics, yoga and stretching exercises.
- Shoes matter a lot in your comfort while working out. Wear relaxed shoes and clothes that are not fitted and lightweight.
- Exercise according to your body’s stamina. Do not push yourself further than your limits. If you get any warning signs such as shortness of breath, heartaches, indigestion and too much fatigue or sweating.
Conclusion-
The conclusion to this entire article is that working out is really important for your health and fitness at any age. A Harvard study proves that for every one hour of exercise you do, two expected years of life are added to your lifetime. For a total, it sums up to above two years of life. So, it means exercising every day or just brisk walking/ jogging may help greatly in increasing your lifespan.
Senior citizens need to stay fit in order to dodge diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, hypertension, osteoporosis, diabetes and other chronic diseases. Aerobic exercises and cardiovascular exercises help you in ways you cannot imagine. They definitely add a few more years to your life while also improving your health greatly.
At the end of the day, it is the survival of the fittest and the stronger, fittest people survive the best. Thus, senior exercises for balance and a good senior workout routine is the way to longevity and a happy and healthy life.