Needed now more than ever, here are elderly exercises to stay fit! The pandemic has forced everyone to stay at home. Stay at home orders gave emphasis, especially to older adults, since they belong to what is considered a high-risk group for this infectious disease.
Thus, it is highly recommended that these people continue to maintain their health by engaging in regular physical activity. Keeping themselves healthy is another line of protection against COVID.
One must find time to get active every day and keep oneself mobile to reduce the risk of health problems.
Elderly Exercises to Stay Fit
In this post, we will talk about everything older adults need to know to keep themselves healthy. If you happen to stay with one, continue reading and encourage them to do these exercises to stay healthy.
How Long do They Need to Exercise?
Older adults should try to at least have these kinds of activities every week:
- One hundred fifty minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise. It can be an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-activity exercise.
- Two days of muscle-strengthening exercise.
- Three days of balance-training exercises.
The aerobic activity can be done in bouts of 10 minutes duration spread across the week. Two minutes of moderate-intensity exercise is equivalent to 1 minute of vigorous-intensity activity.
For older adults with limited mobility, they should continue to perform physical activity three or more days a week to improve their balance and prevent falls.
The muscle-strengthening activities should include target muscle groups like the legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms.
Suppose older adults cannot perform the recommended activities due to some health conditions. In that case, you can encourage them to continue to be physically active based on what their conditions will allow.
Doing more activity is always better, but any amount of physical activity is better than none.
What Exercise Can Older Adults do?
For aerobic exercises:
1. Walk or jog. They can take solitary walks or jogs around the neighborhood or just walk around in their yard.
2. Dance. They can follow some dance routine workouts on the internet. Choose a routine that is fit for their age.
3. Swin. If you have a swimming pool at home, they can take a few laps in the swimming pool.
4. Water Aerobic or other exercise classes. Check for some available classes online or take these classes one-on-one.
5. Ride a Bike. If their bodies can allow them to do so, they can ride on their back and enjoy riding in nearby areas.
6. Golf without a cart. If they are into golf, they can continue enjoying sports. However, to encourage them to walk, it is suggested that they don’t use a cart.
7. Gardening. Gardening is a good way to keep them healthy while enjoying themselves. By moving around when gardening, they will be able to keep their physical health while also reaping the activity’s mental, emotional and social benefits.
8. Raking or Pushing a lawnmower. They can also do some chores like raking or pushing the lawnmower. This will encourage movement and mobility.
To strengthen muscles:
1. Use exercise bands or hand-held weights. They must use an exercise band that is appropriate for them. The land-held weights must also be with the correct load so as not to overwhelm them.
2. Carry groceries. The simple act of carrying groceries can help them strengthen their muscles.
3. Dig, lift, or carry items while gardening. Gardening is considered to be a moderate-intensity exercise. By tending to their flora and fauna, they are unknowingly completing their recommended exercise hours.
4. Do pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, or other resistance exercises. If they are still able to do so, they can do these resistance exercises. You can look up some videos online for them to follow.
To improve balance:
- Do some exercise by walking backward, sideways, on your heels, and on your toes.
- Stand up from a sitting position.
- Take a tai chi class.
Keeping oneself healthy is very important, especially for those who belong to vulnerable groups. Doing the exercises above can greatly help in keeping them away from hospital visits.
Elderly Exercises to Stay Fit
We hope if your a senior living in NYC and looking for ways to stay healthy, you found ideas in this post on Elderly Exercises to Stay Fit.
With hospitals being one of the most likely places to contract the virus, a few minutes of exercise a day will keep doctors away!
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