We don’t stop eating our favorite foods because we have retired, we don’t stop watching our favorite soaps because we have aged, we don’t stop doing things we love because we are older then why do most of us stop exercising or doing activities when we grow old? In fact it is in the old age that exercising proves to be vital.
According to National Institute of Aging, “When older people lose their ability to do things, it is not because of aging but because they have become inactive.”
Elderly Need Exercise because ,
To Strengthen Bones: As we age, bone becomes weak especially in women there is a greater loss of bone mass. Strength training is known to increase bone mass and prevent the fractures and decrease osteoporosis.
Fight Obesity: Even though mobility decreases with age, the portion size remains the same. Add slowing metabolism to it and you have obesity creeping in old age. So the mantra as you grow old is “Eat less and Move more”.
Increase Muscle mass: Experts speculate that every year over the age of 30s you lose 1% of your muscle mass, so as you reach 50s and 60s you could lose almost all of your muscle mass which prevents many elderly to carry out the daily activities. Exercise helps maintain your muscles and even help you gain some muscle even at an older age. Weight or resistance training thrice a week for 8 weeks has proven to increase the muscle strength by 174% in 90 year olds.
Stay Independent: As you age, many things that came naturally to you are difficult for you. Commonly neck flexibility and strength of the grip are two areas that are weak. Without an effective grip, handles, bars, doors and lifting objects become difficult for you.
To prevent falls and slips: Loss of flexibility, weak bones and frail muscles all leads to frequent falls and slips in old age. Balance exercise helps in preventing these falls and slips thus saving many lives.
Fight diseases: Exercise helps improve breathing, circulation, elevates mood and strengthens moods, no wonder according to American Heart Institute “increased levels of physical activity are associated with reduced incidence of coronary heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, depression and anxiety.”
Feel Good: After the kids are grown and gone, the retirement here with other ailments that you are suffering, it is very easy to feel the good part of your life is over and to be resigned. Exercising can help to elevate your mood, release the feel good hormone and make you make the most of now. A research by Dr. Robert Thayer shows that even a 10 minute walk is effective in elevating mood even better than a cigarette or candy.
Now that you are convinced of the benefits that exercise holds for you, here are the different activities that you can do,
Walking: Walking, one of the easiest low intensity exercises, it is one exercise that most of us can do no matter what ailment we suffer from. Walking is a simple activity that requires no equipment other than a pair of shoes but has tremendous potential benefits for elderly. A study showed that walking helped to improve the aerobic activity for a group of elders by 19% and increased their physical function by 25%.
While walking remember to start slowly and start with a ten minute warm up and gradually increase the duration and distance covered.
Stationary Bikes: Stationary bikes are excellent choice for those with back and joint trouble because it is a low impact exercise. Stationary bikes are especially recommended for those with osteoporosis as it can even reverse the bone degeneration, those with osteoarthritis of leg can also indulge in this exercise. Some of the many benefits of stationary bikes are that it strengthens the muscles of thigh and leg, improves posture, balance and flexibility. Once invested in, a stationary bike is an easy and affordable option for elderly that they can indulge in even while listening to music, talking and watching TV.
