Workout Routines For 2-1-10 To 2-7-10

Physical activity helps seniors live longer, healthier lives. There are both physical and mental benefits for seniors who exercise. Active seniors experience reduced rates of cardiovascular diseases, cancers, type-2 diabetes, and respiratory diseases.

Older adults who exercise regularly are also less likely to experience depression or mental decline. Increased bone health and range of motion are additional benefits.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that seniors engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise five times a week. If you prefer vigorous exercise, up to 75 minutes per week is sufficient. You can double these times for added health benefits. But before beginning any exercise regimen, be certain to discuss your plans with your healthcare provider.

Home Exercises for Seniors

Although outdoor activity can be fun and relaxing, exercising outside the home isn’t always possible. For times when exercising inside the home is the sole (or preferred) option, there are effective exercises that fit into one of four major categories. Those categories: aerobic, strength, balance, and flexibility. Let’s dive into each one below:

Aerobic Exercises

A. Sit upright and away from the back of the chair. Hold on to the sides of the chair. B. Lift your left leg, with your knee bent, as far as is comfortable. Place foot down with control. Repeat with the opposite leg. Do five lifts with each leg.

Aerobic exercises help build endurance. When outdoors, these exercises can include biking, swimming, brisk walks, jogging, and other activities that get your heart rate going and use your large muscle groups. Major muscle groups include your legs, chest, shoulders, abdomen, hips, back, and arms.

When engaging in aerobic exercise indoors, you might want to consider: dancing to your favorite music, completing household chores, walking in place, running in place, and hip marching.

 

Muscle Strengthening

According to WHO, seniors should engage in muscle strengthening exercises at least twice a week. This is in addition to five days of aerobic exercise. Also called resistance training or strength training, these exercises improve muscle mass, protect your bones, and increase your power and endurance.

You can create your own routine using an instrument of resistance (weights or your own body weight) for a set number of repetitions. For example, you can use your own body as resistance by doing seven pushups, resting for a few seconds, and then doing seven more. At the end you will have competed two sets of seven pushups.

If you prefer weightlifting, you can use barbells or cowbell weights. If you don’t have exercise weights on hand, canned goods or bottled water work just as well.

The National Institute on Aging offers a number of resistance training suggestions, like, wrist curls, side arm raises, arm curls, elbow extensions, wall pushups, leg raises, chair stands, and more. Tending to your garden helps strengthen muscles, too.

 

Exercises for Balance

1. Raise arms to sides, shoulder height. 2. Choose a spot ahead of you and focus on it to keep you steady as you walk. 3. Walk in a straight line with one foot in front of the other. 4. As you walk, lift your back leg. Pause for 1 second before stepping forward. 5. Repeat for 20 steps, alternating legs.

Approximately one-third of the senior population aged 65 and older experience falls. That percentage increases to about 50% for the elderly over the age of eighty. Sometimes falls are caused by environmental factors, but balance disorders cause close to 20% of reported elderly falls. More than half of all falls reported occur within the home. These falls can lead to serious injury, but balancing exercises can help prevent falls.

Fall prevention exercises should be carried out at least three times a week and can include tai chi, yoga, and Pilates. Tai chi has been shown to reduce pain related to knee osteoarthritis and improve stability and balance for seniors with Parkinson’s disease. It might also improve cognitive reasoning. If possible, you may want to hire an instructor to come into your home and teach you proper form, but once you learn how to do them accurately, you can do tai chi, yoga, or Pilates exercises on your own.

Additional balance exercises for the home include: balance walk, heel-to-toe walk, sideways walking, and one leg stands.

 

Exercises for Flexibility

In order to keep your body limber and improve your range of motion, your muscles need stretching. Pilates and yoga are great for increasing flexibility as well. Pilates stances gently stretch muscles and offer a low-impact option to some traditional stretches.

Additional exercises that help improve flexibility and can be done at home are: neck stretching, shoulder stretches, chest stretches, back of leg stretches, calf stretches, and sideways bends.

A. Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart and arms by your sides. B. Slide your left arm down your side as far as is comfortable. As you lower your arm, you should feel a stretch on the opposite hip. Repeat with your right arm down your right side. Hold each stretch for two seconds and perform three on each side.

 

Conclusion

Remember that exercise need not be strenuous to be effective. Consistency is more important than extreme physical exertion. If you’re a senior who is new to exercise, the CDC recommends beginning with short routines of about five minutes long. You can gradually increase stamina and strength by increasing repetitions, lifting a few more weights, or extending your workouts over time. More importantly, have fun and engage in the exercises that you enjoy.

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Tai Chi and Qi Gong