Many seniors may falsely believe they have to drastically reduce the amount of exercise they engage in or limit their mobility as a result of physical conditions.
We’re here to tell you to STOP IT!!
Stop imposing limitations that don’t exist.
With a doctor’s green light to engage in physical activity, there are numerous ways to stay fit and a variety of mobility exercises, aids and other tricks to help you keep moving.
This is true for people in any situation. In fact, there are exercise approaches that you can take if you are home-bound and even if you are bed-bound.
Not only is exercise critical to your health but it can also help to dramatically improve your quality of life.
Despite how much we all put exercise off, the truth is that we need to be doing it. And, with the right approach, it can be enjoyable at the same time.
In this post, we round up a number of tricks and tools to stay active at any age. Some of these may be more relevant to your situation than others. But, even taking a couple of approaches could help to dramatically improve your exercise and, by extension, your health.
Join Your Local Rec Center
Your local recreation center is a goldmine of low-cost classes and senior-oriented classes. Our local rec center hosts several senior classes, from Tai Chi to spinning. I recently attended one of these spinning classes.
As a forty-something-year-old, I was the youngest in the class, and I couldn’t keep up with the folks in the room, who were spinning to great classic tunes from the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s.
Almost all public recreational centers offer senior discounts. Moving alongside fellow friends can only motivate you to stick to a routine.
Many of these programs can also be fun. For example, I’ve seen older adults having a blast getting involved with yoga or Tai Chi for the first time. In many cases, people tend to come back to the classes for the social aspect first and exercise second.
Actually enjoying the process of exercising makes a large difference to how likely you are to stick with it. As such, this type of program is truly worth trying out.
Additionally, programs at a local rec center mean that you always have company when you are exercising and that there are people around you. This can be safer than exercising on your own and means that if any issues do arise, there are trained individuals present who know what to do.
Try Bike Riding Through Variations
For many, biking is a great form of activity. It gives you the chance to get out and about, while also being faster than walking.
But, biking does get more challenging as people age, especially if their ability to balance decreases. Thankfully, there are some variations that can allow you to bike effectively.
One option is three-wheeled bikes, like the one below. These aren’t bikes with training wheels. Instead, they are specifically designed to be more stable. At the same time, the style makes it easy to carry things with you, which is appealing for many people.
The design of these bikes means that it is much more difficult to fall from them and you don’t need to maintain balance. Additionally, many are lower to the ground, so a fall would not be as severe either.
Another alternative is a stationary recumbent bike, like the ones in the image below.
The idea here is similar to a conventional exercise bike and many of the advantages are the same. So, this type of bike is great for people who want to exercise at home, especially if going out is difficult.
However, the recumbent design means that you are sitting in a relaxed position while exercising, rather than trying to balance on a small seat.
As with the three-wheeled bikes, the design makes it much easier to balance and significantly reduces the risk of falling.
Try Different Exercise Types
Regardless of your age and any physical challenges that you face, you will probably find that some types of exercise are more suitable and enjoyable than others. In fact, one of the key aspects of regular exercise is finding a type of exercise that works well for you.
For example, many people turn to walking as an option, especially if they have a friend or family member to walk with regularly. Doing so can often be relaxing and enjoyable, while also offering a good chance to get out in the neighborhood.
As mentioned previously, bike riding is another option, as is trying out classes at your local rec center.
For some people, swimming and/or aqua aerobics may be a good approach. Being in the water can be particularly relevant for people with physical limitations, as you are not bearing all of your weight.
As a result, movement is easier and you may be able to exercise more effectively.
Indeed, water-based exercise is often recommended for this precise reason. But, even if you have no physical limitations, being in the water can be an attractive way to exercise.
In many cases, it may take some trial and error before you figure out the types of exercise that work well for you. Embrace the challenge! Don’t be afraid to try out new ideas. You may find that you enjoy some things that sounded horrible at first.
Chair Exercises
In some cases, you may also need specialized exercise approaches to account for a disability. There is a range of these but one particularly common approach is chair-based exercises.
These are exercises that can be done from the seated position. As such, they are especially relevant for people who cannot get up (such as if you were wheelchair-bound). Likewise, they are also attractive for anybody with limited physical mobility and those who struggle to get up from the seated position.
Because of this, chair exercises are a valuable way to increase physical strength, improve fitness and get more exercise overall. This includes helping with muscle groups that are not used when a person is sitting down.
Additionally, this type of exercise reduces the risk of falls in two main ways. First, strengthening muscles is always a good way to protect against falls. Second, not having to stand and exercise means that there is less chance of falling, especially as you are less likely to lose your balance in a chair.
Finally, as with any type of physical activity, chair exercise can help to improve your mood and emotional well-being.
Some of the many different styles of chair-based exercise include the following:
- Resistance exercises (often using bands)
- Stretching
- Weight work (e.g. bicep curls using canned food)
There is also a range of places to find information. For example, Diabetic Living Online offers an image-based workout, depicting simple chair exercises that can work well for seniors.
For step-by-step guidance, one of the best options is exercise DVDs. There are a number of options that specifically focus on chair exercises, many of which are designed with seniors in mind.
Other At-Home Exercises
There are also many other exercises that you can do at home, which don’t require any equipment or specialized skills.
For example, some exercise DVDs and routines for seniors focus on using a chair for stability. In those cases, some of the exercises are done while seated in the chair, while others may involve leaning against.
Likewise, there are workout DVDs that are specifically designed for seniors and books that offer guidance. Many of these might not use a chair but the pacing and exercise style tends to suit seniors.
The products below are some options for this area and there are many others as well.
Additional Considerations
Beyond exercise approaches themselves, there are a few other areas to consider. These can help make exercise more practical for you and make sure that you are safe while staying active.
Choose the Right Mobility Aids
Whether you’re using a specialty cane, walker, be sure that it is suitable for your diagnosis. If your walking routine involves these types of mobility aids, never skimp.
Not having the right type of mobility aid or deciding to leave it at home can lead to disaster. In fact, avoiding the use of or incorrectly using a mobility aid is a common risk factor for falling.
Be Weather Appropriate
Anyone with arthritis will tell you they avoid cold weather as much as possible. Being out in the cold seems to aggravate the joints. Instead of going for a walk at the park, switch it out for the mall, and walk, walk walk.
Likewise, if you have major problems with joints, you may want to consider a different form of exercise in the colder months.
Swimming is one example but you could also just join a program at the local rec center, where it is likely to be warmer than outside.
Regardless of the season, if you are outside for exercise, you need to make sure your decisions are weather appropriate.
For example, in the warmer seasons, you need to make sure you are protected from sunburn. It’s also important to make sure you’re not wearing too many clothes or you could get too hot.
In contrast, if you’re exercising in winter, you’ll need to make sure you are dressed warmly enough and that you pay close attention to your body. After all, one of the main reasons to exercise is to improve your health – that process isn’t going to be effective if you get sick along the way.
Talk to Your Doctor
Getting advice from your doctor should always be your first step when making any significant changes to diet or lifestyle – and this is particularly true for exercise. Your doctor will be able to tell you what types of activity are safe, along with precautions to take and things to be aware of.
In many cases, your doctor will also be able to give you advice about the type of exercise that is best suitable for you. For example, a senior who suffers from joint pain may benefit more from swimming than from walking as a form of exercise.
Likewise, talking to a doctor can give you a chance to ask about specific types of exercise. So, if you’re thinking about joining a particular program or class, they can give you the green light.
Taking the time to consult your doctor helps to make sure that any decision you make is going to offer benefits overall.
Finally, talking to a doctor may be particularly relevant when it comes to arthritis and walking.
Having arthritis can often make walking very painful. However, walking also plays a key role in decreasing arthritis pain and helping to maintain fitness and a healthy weight. To achieve this, you may have to start out small and make your walks longer as you go.
When it comes to walking, knee braces can play a large role in your success, reducing pain considerably. There are many different types to choose from and some will work better than others.
This is also another reason for talking to your doctor, as they may be able to help you pick out a suitable brace or recommend a specialist who can. Now, you can also buy braces yourself and there are even many available on Amazon.
For people on a budget or who have limited choices, this may be one direction to go. However, it’s always best to talk to a professional first as the wrong brace could potentially do more harm than good.
Get Your Medications Reviewed by a Doctor and/or Pharmacist
More and more seniors are landing in the emergency room and being hospitalized as a result of drug-drug interactions or side effects from the misuse of several prescription drugs.
Many medications can cause dizziness and increase your chance of falling, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), benzodiazepines, anticholinergics, and opioids. Antidepressants and neuroleptics also are linked to falls.
In many cases, your doctor can prescribe alternates to these drugs or alternates within these drug categories to lessen your risk of falling.
Plan Around Urinary Incontinence
Here’s a hard truth. Urinary incontinence is a prevalent problem, especially among the older population. For example, research suggests that around 50% of noninstitutionalized seniors experience some degree of urinary and/or bowel incontinence, with urinary incontinence being considerably more common.
Furthermore, around 8.1% of seniors experience either severe or very several urinary incontinence issues. The problem then is significant, even though it is one that people often do not want to talk or even think about.
Many women I know experience some level of incontinence following the birth of a child. For men, any slight prostitis can trigger bladder control problems. Medications and other conditions can introduce incontinence with age.
Never let this be a barrier to physical activity.
There are many tools and approaches to help with urinary incontinence and many of the people you exercise with will be struggling with the same issue.
In my case, I had to wear some ‘support’ on a regular basis, because it seemed that any time I went to do Zumba, there would be leakage issues.
Once I accepted that leakage was part of my life, I made a point to use some support. It became one less thing I had to worry about and allowed me to jump and groove to the beat of the music.
In addition to supportive products, you may also choose to exercise in a location where bathroom access is easy. This will be the case with many programs at a local rec center or senior home, especially as they are required to provide bathroom access.
Likewise, if you have severe urinary incontinence issues, exercising at home is also an option, such as with a stationary exercise bike or with chair exercises. Doing so means that any accidents are less embarrassing and you have greater control over the environment.
Still, whenever possible, being active outside the home is ideal. Doing so lets you get more social interaction, which reduces the risk of depression and isolation.
Final Thoughts
Exercise is a critical component of staying healthy and being active is an achievable goal regardless of your age or health. The areas discussed in this post all offer some insight and direction into ways that you can stay active, regardless of the conditions that you may be dealing with.
Likewise, there is a large amount of information online, including exercise videos and infographics – all of which can help you to figure out the best exercise solutions for your needs.
You can also let us know if you have any questions in the comments section below and we’d be happy to try and help.
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