Exercise for Seniors
How many times do you wake up with aches and pains and think “I really don’t want to do anything physical today”. When I wake up in the morning it might be cold, wet and dark outside so I really don’t feel like going to the gym to exercise. My hips hurt, my knee is stiff, my neck has crick in it or a thousand other reasons will present themselves. It is easier if you have a goal in mind. You may want to be in shape for special activity like a long bike ride traveling where you will either hike or do some walking to sightseeing. Overcoming the morning blahs is a lot easier when you have a purpose.
So what exercises should you do? The website “Very Well Fit” has good information about how to get started and what are good exercises. The first thing however, is to make sure your doctor approves of the type of exercise you are planning. Focus on total body strength plus improving balance, stability and flexibility. Here is the article: https://www.verywellfit.com/total-body-strength-workout-for-seniors-1230958
Philips Lifeline has 14 exercises you can do at home to improve strength and balance: https://www.lifeline.ca/en/resources/14-exercises-for-seniors-to-improve-strength-and-balance/. The idea is to stay self-reliant longer and enjoy every day more by keeping your body strong and flexible.
Healthline, another online magazine, has a series of exercises for adults you can break down into 10 to 15-minute sets maybe twice a day or 30 minutes once a day. Their idea is that you should do something every day. Some of their ideas require going to a swimming pool or joining a Zumba class. Locally these are available at our YMCA. https://www.healthline.com/health/everyday-fitness/senior-workouts has the list of activities.
My wife enjoys Tai Cheng workouts. She follows a series designed for seniors by watching a CD on our computer. Look up Tai Cheng online and see if there is a program that will work for you. Your local library should have CD that you can check out to see if this is a type of exercise you enjoy and will motivate you to do on a regular basis.
Currently seniors are renewing their Medicare programs. A few of the programs offer “Silver Sneakers” as part of their benefits. Silver Sneakers includes membership at certain gyms or YMCA’s. You may want to look at what is offered locally to see which programs are available to you and if they would make sense for you.
Personally, I enjoy weight lifting, core exercises and walking as a mix of activities 3 times a week. Takes me about hour and half first thing in the morning. My local YMCA has all the equipment and indoor track that are perfect for these activities. I’m looking forward to cold weather, so I can go skiing soon. Bike is now hanging in the garage until next summer. Knee still hurts every morning but that is old injury from my youth.
Jim Clifford has been a Real Estate Broker for more than 40 years in Washington State if you need a good real estate agent to help you contact him by calling 253-826-7513 or email at [email protected]