Best exercises for older adults

We all know that exercise is essential to healthy ageing, but as a senior you might need to personalize a routine for your fitness level. When moving away from the sedentary lifestyle you should aim to incorporate 150 minutes of moderate endurance activity into your week. What are the exercises that aren't hazardous for senior’s health?

1. Water aerobics

Water aerobics might be the best exercise for seniors because in addition to being comfortable, the water eliminates the concern about falls and other associated with other types of workouts. Water brings natural resistance to the workout without putting stress on your joints. This type of training increases flexibility, builds strength and relives joint pain. Examples of low-impact water exercises can be found here.

2. Dancing

Any form of exercise that increases your heart rate and moves oxygen throughout your body is good for overall health. A fun and entertaining exercise for seniors is dancing. It not only improves your mood, but also memory. How? Memorising the steps in dance choreography is a great mental challenge, which helps to develop muscle and mind connection.

3. Walking

Generally, it is recommended to walk around 10 000 steps per day to promote a healthy lifestyle and lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and colon cancer. For some seniors walking might be bigger challenge than others. However, doing even smallest walks will benefit your health. If you stay consistent, you will get stronger and improve your cardiovascular health while keeping your weight in check.

4. Yoga

Best type of yoga for the elderly is probably chair yoga. Staying seated reduces risks of falling, while still building flexibility and balance. The yoga exercises for seniors are slow-paced to allow holding poses for longer periods of time. You can try following a routine by yourself at home or join a yoga class for older adults near you.

5. Strength training

There are many ways that you can work on strengthening your muscles either at home or in the gym. Muscle loss is a common problem among the elderly, which can lead to many health risks like falls or hormonal changes. Muscle-strengthening exercises are not always an aerobic activity, so you'll need to do them in addition to your 150 minutes of aerobic activity. You can trying body-weight training such as bridges, squats to the chair and standing pushups. Strength training can also involve extra resistance like dumbbells or kettlebells. You should perform exercises with extra weight with the proper precautions. If you are unsure about your form- just google the correct way to do it!

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