12 Ways for Seniors to Stay Active
Exercise is one of the most important components of staying healthy. However, many seniors find themselves able to do fewer physical activities; frustration leads to less activity, more health issues, and sometimes immobility. Stay active, stay healthy!
There are dozens of exercise options for seniors, many of which are non-traditional and low-impact, which limits the stress on the body and risk of injury. Find an activity that is interesting and engaging and it will feel less like work and more like fun!
12 Great Exercise Options
- Dancing: Dancing helps improve gait and balance and could help prevent dangerous injuries from falls. Dancing has cardiovascular benefits, improves coordination and balance, and lets you meet others who enjoy similar activities.
- Yoga or martial arts: Participating in low-impact exercise classes, such as tai chi or yoga, can help improve strength, balance, and coordination and reduce stress.
- Golfing: Golf is a great game for those who want to get back to nature in a fun way.
- Swimming: There are very few things that are healthier and more low-impact than a relaxing dip in the pool. And you don’t have to just swim laps; water aerobics and aqua jogging are great for low-impact exercise and socialization.
- Gardening: If you love to garden, but your joints scream from all that bending, you can still get your green-thumb fun by creating a garden of raised pots and containers on your deck or patio. Raising tomatoes or herbs in pots can be a nice mixture of fun and a great way of creating a healthy meal.
- Window shopping: Walking is a good option… and the local mall makes for a perfect place for a variety of great walking opportunities in one convenient location. Walking in an air-conditioned mall provides a cooler environment, keeps you out of the weather, and also provides a safe environment. Many malls open their doors early in the morning before the stores open specifically for mall walkers.
- Weight-training: Lifting weights doesn’t have to be at a gym! Use items in your pantry or refrigerator to pump some iron. Use canned vegetables or a half-gallon milk jug to do bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, and some overhead pushes to work those shoulder muscles. You can also do some lower body work with nothing more than a chair; while seated, extend your lower legs out and up, so that the leg is fully extended, and lower it back down.
- Bicycling: If you do feel like being outdoors, cycling is a fantastic way to exercise in a low-impact fashion. It’s a great cardiovascular workout, and it improves balance by focusing the work on your leg muscles.
- A day at the park: One of the easiest and most fun ways to get exercise is to chase the grandkids around. Enjoy a day in the park with grandkids. It’s an uplifting experience and a great way to get exercise without even thinking about it.
- Bowling: Bowling is another excellent sport. And it doesn’t matter if you’re in a bowling alley or using an interactive video game like the Wii, it’s a competitive activity that people of all skills and physical levels can enjoy.
- Playing Wii: This handy gaming console from Nintendo offers all kinds of great ways to stay active and fit. There are quite a number of games, like tennis, bowling, yoga, skiing, that are available to provide you with fun exercises.
- Daily chores: Finally, making an exercise routine out of your usual household chores can help to keep you active every day. The simplest tasks around the house like laundry, walking up and down stairs, and vacuuming not only need to be done, but also constitute exercise and are productive at the same time.
Call us today to find a community to fit your active needs. A CHOICE Advisor can help connect you with appropriate Assisted Living facilities or Adult Care Homes to keep you healthy, safe, and happy! 1-800-361-0138
