The Benefits of Daily Exercise for the Elderly
Senior Fitness Helps Avoid Chronic Diseases
Dec 8, 2008
Data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that "About 28 percent to 34 percent of adults aged 65 to 74 and 35 percent to 44 percent of adults ages 75 or older are inactive, meaning they engage in no leisure-time physical activity."
A regular exercise routine can help seniors avoid chronic diseases, such as Alzheimer disease, high blood pressure and heart disease . The CDC Report also stated that "Only 13 percent of individuals between ages 65 and 74 reported engaging in vigorous physical activity for 20 minutes 3 or more days per week, and only 6 percent of those 75 and older reported such exercise."
Benefits Of Exercise For the Elderly
- Better quality of sleep. Those who perform regular exercise sleep more easily and deeply.
- Greater social interaction. Joining a fitness class or gym is a great way of meeting new people. A 10 minute walk with a friend helps with stress relief.
- Release of natural endorphins. Exercise helps release endorphins which make people feel more contented and happier.
- Prevention of Alzheimer disease and dementia. Exercise improves brain functionality and helps combat diseases. It also assists with fighting forms of depression.
- Weight loss. Regular activity for the elderly helps reduce excess weight, especially if done in conjunction with a calorie-controlled diet.
- Assists joints. Building the muscles around certain joints is an important seniors exercise. For example, building the muscles around the knee through leg extensions helps prevent joints being worn away.
- Immunity to viruses and infections. The body is better placed to fight off sickness so recovery time is reduced.
Precautions Prior to Seniors Exercise
- Get a check up from the family doctor. Start training gradually and slowly increase physical exercise each day to build stamina and conditioning.
- Warm up. It is important to do plenty of stretching and to warm up properly. Failing to warm up could lead to injuries and be counter-productive.
- Consume liquids. Taking a bottle of water to the gym is important in terms of keeping the body hydrated and flushing toxins. Take regular sips of water during training.
- Focus on form and not the amount of weight lifted. Trying to lift too much can only serve to cause serious injury.
Exercises For Seniors
- Leg extensions. Strengthening the muscles around the knee is a great starting point as it prevents joints being worn away. This can increase the longevity of the knee and help prevent the need for premature knee replacements.
- Abdominal crunches. The correct execution of crunches helps build abdominal muscles and strengthen the back, helping to prevent back injury and spasms.
- Other strength exercises. Lift light to moderate weights three times a week to strengthen all key muscle groups, including: legs, abdominals, chest, back and shoulders. Ensure that a rest day is taken between sessions to aid recovery.
- Take a long walk. Go for a walk with a friend. Try to walk slightly faster than normal to increase the heart rate and boost cardiovascular conditioning.
- Swimming. A great way to stay in shape that isn't high impact on joints.
- Cross-trainer. Using the cross-trainer enables the user to monitor their heart rate whilst training. The level can be changed to optimise resistance. This exercise has a minimal negative impact on joints.
Running As an Activity For the Elderly
Many think of exercise and assume that this means running. Running is a suitable exercise for the elderly, but only those who have built up to that level. It is very high impact as it pounds the joints. Perform leg extensions and take joint supplements, such as cod liver oil and glucosamine, to help.
It is hard to emphasise strongly enough the importance of getting a full health check up before engaging in physical exercise. If knee pain is an issue, a specific exercise routine needed to be used. Being able to avoid chronic diseases and simply feeling better is well worth 30 minutes of each day.
Seniors may wish to read more about dealing with knee pain, developing an exercise programme or how to improve poor blood circulation.
Disclaimer: Always remember to consult the family doctor for a full health check-up prior to taking any supplements, or engaging in any physical exercise, particularly if over-weight or there is a pre-existing medical condition.
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