Exercising when you are older needs to be attempted more gently. Energy levels are less, bones are brittle, and our body cannot manage what it used to. Our energy levels and our body’s functionality will only get worse, though, if we sit back and ignore exercise completely. So, we will talk about some good exercises that will be of benefit but not cause an aging body any undue problems.
Apart from exercise, we should also set up for ourselves a plan that will protect us from many of the diseases of old age by including screening as a part of it. This will be another extension of thinking about our health in later years. So, let’s learn more about suitable low-impact senior exercises.
Dancing
Who does not love music in one genre or another? Well, why not combine your love of it with dancing the afternoon or night away? Perhaps the afternoon alongside a good cup of tea for hydration, but not too many biscuits to impact your balanced diet. Dancing will, however, burn off some of those calories put on. It is a social situation, too, so stimulating to the mind as well as the body. It can be as gentle as the piece of music playing. Whether this is played from a sound system or by a live organist who produces the perfect timing for you to dance to.
Popular dances for senior couples include waltzes, rhumbas, and foxtrots, because of their slower tempos. Also, quick steps if you can keep up the pace. You did this once and you can again when you dance regularly and keep your fitness levels up.
Nordic Walking
Nordic walking is defined as a full-body exercise that goes easy on your joints. This means that it is suitable for all ages looking to improve their fitness levels. It involves using two walking poles that are not dissimilar to ski poles. The idea is of Finnish origin.
As part of a class, you can go on gentle walks, intended for those with health concerns, or workout walks that are more physical in content.
You will notice the benefit after only a few Nordic walks, in terms of them improving your overall fitness levels, toning your body, and helping you lose weight. Losing weight is a combination of a balanced diet and regular exercise. Neither of these on its own will achieve the perfect result.
Should you be carrying more weight than you would like, that is on your body rather than inside your rucksack, then Nordic walking is the perfect kind of exercise to deal with that while protecting your joints.
Tai chi
Moving to another part of the world in terms of its origin, there is Tai chi to consider. This art, of ancient Chinese origin, promotes both our physical and mental well-being through its slow and controlled movements. Its purpose, in this case, is not to improve your cardiovascular fitness as the above would, or even help you lose the calories of dancing or Nordic walking, but to improve your strength, balance, and flexibility. The strength you desire to open things, the balance you need so that you do not constantly fall over and break brittle bones, and the flexibility you require to maneuver yourself out of bed or into and out of a bath.
To conclude, exercising as a senior need not put a strain on joints because it can be low impact. Dancing can be a pleasure as well as a gentle exercise. Nordic walking might use sticks or poles but it is far from an activity that will indicate you have slowed down. Tai Chi, as with the other two, will improve or maintain both the physical and mental health of its participants.
Senior years do not have to be about enjoying life differently, they can simply be about choosing the exercises the body benefits from in every way. So, as you would think about the parts of your body to cover when arranging a healthcare plan, you also need to do the same when exercising, so that your entire body maintains its health.
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