Keeping Fit, Staying Active: Healthy Lives for Seniors
It’s a fact of life that as we age our mobility can sometimes become restricted, and it’s harder to keep as active as we would like. That doesn’t mean that we need to forget exercising as we age. In fact, it becomes all the more important to keep moving as well as ensuring you have the appropriate Medicare plan so that you remain as supple as possible for as long as you can.
Exercises for Seniors
If you’re living in a smaller place like an apartment or are in an assisted living space there are lots of ways you can keep fit without having to buy expensive equipment or even worry about having to make a trip to the gym.
It’s never too late to start exercising. Even gentle, low impact workouts can make a huge difference, but it’s important to remember that you need to take into account your level of fitness before you begin any exercise regimen. Don’t start on anything high impact if you’ve never done anything more strenuous than walking a couple of blocks to the grocery store!
Ideas and Tips for Exercise
- You can keep fit while seated in a chair – a good, solid dining seat with no arms will give your back support and mean you can practice simple exercises that involve gentle leg kicks, like the ones featured in this informative video
- You don’t need to buy any expensive equipment, instead, think about using things you might already have in your home to help you. For instance, instead of buying dumbbells, use a tin can from your kitchen as a lightweight alternative for an upper arm workout.
- If you’re worried about your balance or have restricted movement, it might be worth asking a friend or carer to sit with you, or simply be around when you’re first practicing.
Some Exercise Ideas
Dancing in your seat: Here the emphasis is still on getting fit, but having fun while you do it. First, choose your favorite happy music, then, sitting in a high-backed chair, simply concentrate on moving in whatever way you can – whether that’s leg kicks, waving your arms, or even hip gyrating! Choose three or four songs and build up the amount of time you can dance as you go.
An arm toner: Sit upright in your chair and using a weight in each hand to keep your palms facing forward and your elbows close to your body. Bend your arm at the elbow, then lift the weight to three-quarters of the way to your shoulder. Breathe out as you lift the weights, and breathe in as you lower them. If you can build up to doing this between ten and twelve times in a sitting, that’s great going!
