Exercise for Senior Population

Exercises For Senior Population

Staying active can help you to feel and look healthy at all the stages of your life. For senior citizens, having an active lifestyle is necessary as regular exercising will assist in prevention diabetes, heart diseases, and certain forms of cancers too. Also, it can greatly reduce the pain of arthritis.

Through the regular improvement in flexibility, balance, strength, and endurance, older adults will be able to remain healthier for a longer time. However, before senior citizens try any kind of exercise, they need to consult their doctor first.

5 Best Exercises For Senior Population

Aerobics

Aerobic exercises can easily help senior adults to lower their blood pressure, burn off the unwanted calories, and reduce the cholesterol levels, increase the energy levels, improve the heart health and assist in maintaining the movements of the joint. This exercise will help in building endurance and it will really take some time for senior citizens based on their activity level and health.

If senior individuals are planning to do aerobics, they must start with a five or six-minute cardio session in the initial days. This will help in raising their heart rate and then from there, they can slowly increase their aerobic session where they are able to spend thirty minutes on it.

Raising Arm For Upper Body Strength

Adding resistance using elastic bands or light weights will easily help in developing upper body strength and muscle mass. Senior citizens need to stand or sit with feet flat on the floor. Then they need to hold the weight at their shoulder height, by placing their palms facing forward, and then they need to lift the weight above their head.

Squats

Now the process of creating muscles takes some time, however, the benefits is quite enormous for your health, especially if you are a senior citizen. For strength training, a good form is needed to get full benefits. Here you can start with some low-impact and basic exercises to promote your lower body strength by squatting in a sturdy chair.

First, you need to keep your arms in front of you and make sure to extend your knees right past your toes as and when you bend, somewhat in a sitting position. Make sure to hold this position for some time and slowly raise yourself back to the standing position. You can take a breather and continue to do the two set of ten reps.

Author

Saravavan Nadarajan (Vanan)

Vanan, fitness expert and leader at EzFit Singapore, specializes in holistic training—home-based, boot camps, and corporate fitness—with over a decade of industry experience.

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