What Exercises Are Suitable For Elderly People... You Need to Know

FamilyElderly Care

  • Author Nick Hurd
  • Published May 23, 2007
  • Word count 645

Elderly exercises are designed to increase mobility and get the blood pumping. Exercises are available for seniors to get in shape, feel great and strengthen joints and muscles.

Bodies weaken with age, but with specific elderly exercises you can relieve joint aches and feel stronger and able to be more active. Safety is also very important so elderly exercises are very low impact and uncomplicated. Gradually over time, with regular exercise, elderly people can regain physical abilities they thought they had lost such as balance and coordination.

There is a wide variety of elderly exercises to try. The best ones for increasing the heart rate are aerobic exercises, and the elderly can do sessions with a set of continuous and simple movements. If you want to maintain your weight or lose some pounds, aerobics is the way to go. You will also have the added benefits of increasing muscle strength, flexibility, mobility and circulation. There are specific exercises you can do to target any problem areas you may have.

Another path to fitness is through Yoga, which is a fantastic form of elderly exercise. Yoga is suitable for anyone with any amount of movement at all, and everyone is encouraged to take things slowly, and only go as far as feels comfortable. A class consists of a series of gentle stretches, poses and breathing techniques, and the relaxation is deep and satisfying. As a result of practicing yoga regularly your muscles will be elongated, you will be more flexible, more relaxed and have more energy every day. A few minutes a day is all you need to begin, but when you start seeing the benefits you should join a class to learn more and take your increase in fitness even further.

It is extremely important for elderly exercises that safety is the foremost thought. A fitness routine is needed to improve strength, fitness, heart health, elevate moods and levels of mobility. As the muscles become stronger there is more support for the body to be more able, and balancing and moving will be simply natural again.

It is always a great idea to do a warm up walk for up to ten minutes before you start to work out. When you are ready, beginning with small weights for some bicep curls is a good start, followed by some shoulder extensions. If you need to, you can sit down for both of these.

There are elderly exercises to work on targeted areas everywhere in the body such as the legs and back. Depending on your current levels of strength and flexibility a program can be designed that is right for you. Your local gym, fitness centre or personal trainer can help with this before you start.

Circuit training is popular as an elderly exercise too, and it is a combination of light weight training and aerobics. Machines are used to do various movements with some resistance and the goal is to work on every muscle group in the body.

Movement of any kind is the key, and it has to be regular for benefits to be received. Elderly exercise is the only real way to prolong or improve on aging problems and you will soon see improvements in your balance, moods, muscle tone and all round ability.

For an elderly exercise program your best option is to visit a gym or fitness center in your area. There are videos and DVD's that are designed for you to exercise in your home, but make sure they clearly state that they are for seniors. If you are a beginner to an exercise routine you should see your doctor before you start for a health check and some advice. In most cases physicians will be very pleased to hear you are interested in looking after your health and they will be likely to advise you to start straight away!

Nick Hurd writes about aging and baby boomer generation and how to not only cope with the changes, but live a very healthy and active life. More informatioin is available at www.youreover50.com... Fitness for seniors copyright 2007 Nicholas Hurd all rights reserved

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