As you age, it is crucial to incorporate mobility exercises and low-impact workouts for seniors into your daily routine to maintain your health and maximise your independence.
Keeping on top of your mobility and overall fitness to stay active in old age can feel daunting at first, but by following the workout advice and simple senior fitness tips in this blog, you can continue to live your best life.
The Benefits of Low-Impact Workouts for Seniors
On top of promoting your independence, adding light exercise to your day-to-day activities can improve your happiness and quality of life, as well as provide many other benefits:
- Improved physical health – Being physically active reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by 35%, improves cognitive function later in life, aids flexibility (especially in the joints), fortifies muscle and maintains bone strength in old age (reducing the risk of developing osteoporosis). Mobility exercises for seniors are a fantastic preventative measure to take to better your chances of avoiding later-life illness.
- Better mental health – Your independence depends on your mobility and fitness, and without your autonomy, you are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. Many older adults struggle with isolation because of illness, disability or general weakness, which can be reduced by staying active. In fact, staying active in older age improves sleep quality and emotional wellbeing as a result of reduced chronic physical and mental health conditions.
- Fall prevention – Exercise greatly reduces the risk of falling, sustaining injuries and potentially being admitted to the hospital. Older people are at higher risk of falling because they may have lost their flexibility, strength and coordination. By working to rebuild or maintain your overall fitness, you can reduce your risk of falling and needing to recover from the injuries that often follow.
- Promotes hobbies and socialising – Whether you like bowling, gardening or knitting, maintaining your physical fitness enables you to continue doing what you enjoy. Being unable to participate in the activities you love can have negative physical and psychological effects and reduce your social time. Keeping as fit as you can also allows you to use local community resources for seniors and try new social activities, such as group yoga or park walks, which can help you form social bonds.
Senior Fitness Strength Training Tips
By strength training, we don’t mean hitting the gym and lifting your body weight! There are many ways to incorporate strength training into your daily errands and activities.
You could begin by doing some light at-home workouts; for example, have a go at some squats while watching television. You can even set yourself a daily squat goal! You could also do wall push-ups, which is a great way to start rebuilding your upper body strength, or practise some sit-to-stands (using a chair to slowly stand up and sit back down).
Alternatively, you could make small lifestyle changes, such as carrying your shopping bags home or doing heavy gardening that requires digging or shovelling. These small changes can have a big impact on your strength, which you need for mobility and movement.
Senior Fitness Balance Training Tips
Focusing on improving your balance through exercise is also crucial for improving your stability and preventing falls. If you’re unsure about how to start balance training, you could try doing some step-ups on a stair or sturdy platform. This exercise works on your leg coordination, making it great for improving stability.
Similarly, standing on one leg for 30 seconds also improves stability. Ensure that when you first start doing this exercise, you do it in a safe space, such as against a wall to catch yourself if necessary and with some cushions nearby.
Yoga and Pilates are also great exercises for improving balance and core stability. You can find free tutorials and workout videos on YouTube or join a local class, which gives you another opportunity to socialise!
Daily Routine Tips for Staying Active in Old Age
The best way to get into the habit of staying active is to slot exercise into your daily routine. For example, you could add a walk to your day or, if you already partake in a daily stroll, extend it a little. Stretching during the television adverts is also a great way to get your body moving and shake off stiffness.
If you’d like to fill your calendar out some more, it’s always a good idea to try something new! Attending a weekly class, such as yoga on Wednesdays or swimming on Saturdays, promotes activity and socialising in one go. In fact, exercising with a group can be more motivating and fun for everyone involved!
Remember that it usually takes six months to see improvements from regular exercise, so try not to be disheartened if you don’t feel the benefits of working out straight away. Plus, after a certain point, our metabolism naturally slows down, making it harder to build up balance and strength, another reason it’s important to stay active in old age!
Blossom’s Commitment to Promoting Your Independence
At Blossom Home Care, we understand how important your independence is in enabling you to live life the way you want. That’s why our professional and expertly trained carers work with you to rebuild your strength, balance and confidence through our various types of care, such as our rehabilitation care service. If you have any questions or would like to arrange a no-obligation consultation, please contact us today.