People of all ages can benefit from a healthy lifestyle that involves appropriate physical activity and a balanced diet. Our nutritional needs and exercise requirements change as we age. There is however growing evidence indicating the importance of regular exercise for older adults. Maintaining and recovering health can be positively influenced by an active lifestyle.
In this article, we will discuss National Senior Health Fitness Day and the importance of staying healthy, especially in older age. We will focus on learning which exercises can be advised to your patients based on their condition. Also, we will talk about activities that must be avoided as they can be dangerous for an older adult’s health.
Exercise ball
With age, this mild form of exercise has become increasingly popular among older generations. An exercise that is correctly executed can enhance muscle strength, mobility, balance, and flexibility. You can complete the exercise quite easily. Exercises such as this one provide light stress to joints and muscles in contrast to traditional forms of yoga.
According to some sources, exercise ball or chair yoga improves older people’s mental health as well as has a positive effect on their physical health. Regular practice of this exercise has also been shown to improve sleep quality and well-being in seniors.
Training with resistance bands
During cardio and other resistance-building exercises, resistance bands or expanders can positively affect the body’s various muscle groups.
Expanders are one of the most convenient, easiest, and most common forms of exercise that are especially popular with the elderly. It can be super safe and offers maximum results when it comes to an active body and mind. Additionally, these exercises can be done indoors as well as outdoors. These exercises particularly improve your posture and increase your suppleness.
Regular walk
It’s one of the most convenient and effective forms of activity that people of all ages can do with no side effects. People of all ages can benefit from walking, which is a mildly stressful form of exercise. Some older people may have difficulty walking due to complications with musculoskeletal medications. However, including short walks in their daily routine is effective if your patient’s health allows it.
Walking daily can strengthen muscle groups, reduce diabetes risk, and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and other diseases. This time can also be utilized to have a little chat, and get to know about their mental and physical health.
Exercise That Is Harmful To Elderly People
Although keeping your body active is a great way to stay healthy, however, there are some exercises that are not suitable for seniors. Applying a young person’s training program to an elderly’s routine can do more damage than good.
It is important to know that an older adult’s body is much different than a young teenager’s. The exhaustion and stress should be according to their physical and mental capabilities. What you can do is stress their body with the simplest exercises designed to strengthen the muscles of the core. That will help you gain or lose weight.
Exercises That Are Not Suitable For Your Patient:
Professional caretakers know the harm that some extensive and intense exercises can do to an elderly’s body. Light yoga, regular walk, and minimum stress for muscle strengthening is fine but anything excessive can be damaging. Following exercises should be completely avoided when your patience reaches a certain older age:
- Bench press
- Leg press
- Long-distance running
- Deadlift
- High-intensity training
- Power clean
Consistency is the key, hence, you must remember that even if your patient is only doing a minimal amount each day, their health is bound to improve. Before recommending any activity to the elderly in an individual capacity, it is absolutely important that you consult a family member or healthcare provider.
