Contents
- 1 Exercise for Seniors
- 2 Why Should Seniors Exercise?
- 2.1 Arthritis Management
- 2.2 Prevention Of Heart Disease
- 2.3 It Helps Manage Metabolic Dysfunction (type 2 diabetes and obesity)
- 2.4 It Helps Reduce The Risk Of Cancer
- 2.5 It Helps Prevent & Manage Hypertension
- 2.6 Management Or Elimination Of Depression
- 2.7 Dementia
- 2.8 It Makes You More Independent
- 2.9 It Helps With Insomnia
- 2.10 All-Cause Mortality
Exercise for Seniors
There are so many reasons why everyone should partake in exercises. It strengthens your muscles, improves your balance and reduces anxiety, among other things.
As a senior, there is a tendency to shun the idea of working out, this may be due to the belief that older people don’t have what it takes to do exercise routines anymore. But that is false.
Studies have revealed that about 67% of older people are sedentary for about 8 hours everyday. Such inactivity can lead to certain metabolic disorders.
For this reason, it is advised that older people (65 and above), engage themselves with certain exercises. These exercise routines should be performed regularly, in a fun and healthy manner.
Keep reading as I list out some reasons why you still need to exercise as a senior.
Why Should Seniors Exercise?
There are many reasons why a senior should exercise, some of them will be discussed below.
Arthritis Management
If you’re a senior suffering from arthritis, then working out is one of your best options. Doing regular exercises can help lubricate the joints, reduce stiffness, and ease overall pain.
Keep in mind that obesity is one of the major factors associated with arthritis and doing regular exercises will help you maintain a healthy weight.
Prevention Of Heart Disease
In the United States, heart disease is one of the major causes of death. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) states that 1 in every 4 deaths in aged people is as a result of heart disease.
Elders who do regular exercises can manage their blood pressure and blood glucose. Exercise also reduces the level of LDL cholesterol. Irregular blood pressure, sugar and LDL cholesterol are major causes of heart diseases.
It Helps Manage Metabolic Dysfunction (type 2 diabetes and obesity)
As far as metabolic dysfunction is concerned, type 2 diabetes and obesity are closely related.
Exercise can help an older person maintain a healthy weight, regulate insulin levels, and regulate blood glucose.
Doing this will make the body more efficient.
It Helps Reduce The Risk Of Cancer
Exercise has been proven to reduce the risk of occurrence of several types of cancer.
Studies have shown that women who exercise regularly have a 30-40 percent reduction in the risk of having breast cancer.
It Helps Prevent & Manage Hypertension
Lowering of systolic blood pressure is one of the many benefits of regular workouts.
A rise in systolic blood pressure can lead to hypertension, and doing at least 30 minutes of exercise everyday helps reduce this risk.
Management Or Elimination Of Depression
Elderly people usually don’t have much to do, depending on how they manage their time and affairs, they may fall into depression.
Doing regular exercises can boost their mood and reduce the occurrence of negative thoughts or feelings that are associated with aging.
Studies have shown that joining exercise groups can reduce depression by as much as 30% in older adults.
Dementia
As a person ages, they may start to experience certain mental disorders. Doing regular exercise is a trusted means to slow down mental decline in aged people.
Studies have revealed that the risk of older people experiencing dementia can be reduced by as much as 60% if they engage in regular workouts.
Experts advise that as a person ages, they should keep up with exercises to prevent mental decline in future.
It Makes You More Independent
Working out builds up one’s strength and stamina. This will in turn make an older person feel stronger than usual.
With stronger bones and muscles, an elder would be able to move freely all by himself/herself. It means you can walk to the grocery store alone, pick up your grandkids from school, and do simple house chores without assistance.
Exercise also builds up stamina, which means your chances of falling will be greatly reduced. You can try out stamina workouts like yoga, squatting and stretching.
Let’s not forget that exercises like yoga also helps you build up concentration and focus. A better level of concentration would help you be more effective in your daily activities.
Concentration is very important for elders who spend a lot of time at home on their own. High alertness can let you notice potential hazards, like a gas leak or a burning cable.
This level of independence will make you feel younger and in control. It will also make it easier for your caregivers to do their jobs.
Doing at least 30 minutes of exercise on daily basis is highly recommended.
It Helps With Insomnia
As an older person, it is normal to be on certain medications, and some of these medications have certain side effects. One of which is inability to sleep.
Doing exercises doesn’t just keep you fit, it also exhausts the body enough to put you to sleep faster and deeper.
Having a sound sleep is important for many reasons. Firstly, the body repairs itself automatically when you are asleep. Having adequate sleep means the body has adequate time to heal.
Secondly, when a person sleeps well at night, they will feel stronger and more refreshed in the morning. Being fully refreshed will allow you carry out your tasks for the day without feeling sleepy or fatigued.
All-Cause Mortality
Exercise is known to reduce death expectancy from all causes.
A recent study showed a 30-80% reduction in all-cause mortality when an older person works out regularly.
It is a fact, exercise can prevent premature death from all causes.
Conclusion
There are several reasons why exercise is important to elders, many of which I have listed in this article.
In summary, exercise helps you build up strength, reduces risk of chronic illnesses, improves quality of life, and increases life expectancy.
You have every reason to do exercises. You may lack motivation, but the sooner you start the better.
Feel free to speak to your doctor or a professional fitness trainer about your desire to start working out. They can recommend some stress free workout programs for you. Also, a very handy tool to have when you start out with exercises a fitness tracker for seniors. You can check out our post here for the best fitbit for seniors
Good luck!