Six Tips to Help Seniors Stay Active All Year Long
Staying active is a huge part of helping seniors to stay healthy and vital as they grow older. Once seniors become more physically active, they need to keep going. But when the weather is bad or during the winter it’s all too easy for seniors to back off of being more physically active. Home care assistance can offer seniors a lot of support in their goal to stay active all year long.
Find Indoor Exercise Options
Indoor exercise options mean that seniors can stick with their workout plans no matter what is going on outside. This could mean joining fitness classes, enjoying workout videos at home, or using a home gym on a daily basis. Working out inside means that there’s a climate-controlled environment. If seniors are working out at home, they don’t have to worry about getting to another location at all. Also, it’s important for seniors to talk with their doctors about what exercise options are healthiest for them.
Explore More Low-impact Activities
Sometimes the weather wouldn’t keep seniors from exercising, but it does something else, like cause discomfort in joints, that makes exercising more difficult. That means that it’s also a good idea to ensure that exercises are low-impact and support complications seniors might encounter. Activities like walking, yoga, Pilates, and more can all offer serious benefits for seniors.
Emphasize Strength Training
As seniors age, they lose muscle tone gradually. It’s really important to slow muscle loss as much as possible and strength training can help seniors to do this. This can be as simple as using resistance training or bodyweight exercises to maintain and build muscles.
Prioritize Balance and Flexibility
Another common problem is that seniors lose flexibility and balance over time. Both of these skills help to prevent falls, so it’s important to improve them as much as possible. Some of the exercises that can help to build strength can also help with both balance and flexibility. Yoga, tai chi, Pilates, and more can all be great options.
Find a Fitness Buddy
Working out with someone else can be tremendously motivating for seniors. It can also help to serve as a distraction for seniors who don’t like to exercise. This fitness buddy could be a friend, a family member, or even senior care providers. Having that layer of companionship ensures that seniors stick with their exercise routine and that they meet their socializing needs at the same time.
Set Realistic Goals
When fitness goals aren’t realistic, they’re really difficult to meet. The right goal is going to help seniors stay motivated and consistent, even when they can’t get outside to get that workout in. Starting out with smaller goals can help seniors to build up their stamina as well as the mindset around working out on a daily basis.
Staying active all year long is tremendously helpful for aging adults. Home care assistance can offer support that seniors need in order to keep working out, even when the weather outside doesn’t support being physically active. The key is finding activities that feel good and that move the needle toward being healthier.
If you or an aging loved one is considering home care assistance in San Ramon, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.