Staying Fit: 5 Tips on How to Keep Active as You Get Older

As an older adult, one of the essential things for your health is exercise. With regular exercise, you can delay the onset of most of the medical issues that senior citizens commonly face as they grow older. It can also help you maintain your muscle structure and develop it further to enjoy doing the activities you usually do without depending on others as you go into your twilight years. 

Remember that even a tiny amount of exercise can benefit you as a senior. Your health benefits will only increase the more you amp up your exercise. People below 50 who are healthy and still fit can continue the regular exercise routine they usually have. On the other hand, there are some requirements for people who are 65 and older that they have to meet to be physically fit.

• At least 150 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity in a week. This can be divided into seven days. If you’re not that physically active, 30 minutes a day of brisk walking is enough. Or you can do intense activities; you can go for 75 minutes a week with intense exercises like hiking, running, or jogging.
• At least two days a week of exercise that strengthens muscles.
• At least three days a week of balance-improving exercises.

Build an Exercise Plan

Staying physically active has science to it. All you have to do is make sure that your exercise plan covers all the four building blocks of fitness and consists of exercise that you find enjoyable. 

Exercise doesn’t have to be dull. To make yourself more productive, find ones that you find fun and incorporate some things to make it more enjoyable. Examples of this are adding music or watching something on the television while exercising and other fun physical activities. 

Thus whether you’re in a  topnotch care facility in White Oak Home Care, Perth or in your local care facility, having a great exercise plan that is fun and productive will surely keep you physically active. 

Work Your Balance

Balance exercise helps you maintain your stability and balance. This will help you stand up and sit straight, whether moving or stationary. There are a lot of exercises that can help you with this, like yoga, tai chi, and posture exercise. 

This exercise gives you confidence in your posture and will keep you improving your balance and quality of walking. You always see seniors who need help when standing up and walking. If you want to avoid that as long as possible, focusing on your balance by doing balance exercises can help you out.

Do Some Cardio

Cardiovascular exercises use large muscle groups in rhythmic motions for a prolonged period of intense physical activity. Of course, this will leave your heart pumping and may even leave you a little out of breath but don’t worry; it’s perfectly normal. As you progress with your cardio, you’ll soon notice that you’re not that out of breath anymore. Cardio workouts include walking, stair climbing, rowing, cycling, jogging, and dancing. 

You can even do sports for cardio like tennis and basketball. Cardio is beneficial if you feel like you’re feeling more tired and out of breath in your daily life. It also provides you independence in mundane activities such as cleaning the house, playing with your grandkids, etc.

Have Some Strength and Power Training

Strength training is beneficial to build up muscle structure and endurance. This is due to the repetitive motion using different weights or external resistance using machines, elastic bands, etc. On the other hand, strength training is done at a much faster pace. Therefore, it helps you build strength and develop your reaction times better. This is handy when you use sports as an exercise and want to be a little competitive.

Strength training helps you prevent the loss of bone mass while also helping you build more muscle mass. This type of training can also help you balance and reaction times. It is important to react quickly and respond before you get hurt whenever you fall. This can also help you be more independent in your daily activities like doing household chores.

Work on Your Flexibility

Flexibility exercises challenge your joints to move freely through various motions. This can be done through stationary stretches or ones that involve movements. One good example of a flexibility exercise is yoga. 

Flexibility exercises help your body stay limber and flexible in your daily life. It can increase your range of movement in your mundane daily activities like looking behind when you’re driving, shampooing your hair, playing with your grandchildren, or tying your shoes.

Final Words

The older you get, the more your body will be restricted by not being able to freely move in fear of pain or severe injuries like broken bones or torn ligaments. These exercises may only help you delay this situation, but the extra time you get is essential for you and your loved ones. Time is short, so you might want to be still physically active for those you love.