Exercise is important for all ages, especially for seniors. Around this time, a senior’s body undergoes some dramatic changes while the body’s metabolism is gradually slowing down. All of which are age related occurrences which we cannot interfere. A healthy metabolism is essential to our body since this process sorts out everything we eat and breaks them down for energy. Metabolism also helps the body absorb nutrients. If our body’s metabolism slows down, the body could no longer function to its optimum rate.
Being active boosts up the body’s metabolism by making the heart and lungs work harder. Moderately intense exercise will improve cardiovascular functions and stimulates your metabolism as well. In fact, staying active will help you in keeping your strength so you can live independently and have enough energy to do activities that are important to you. Sweating out will eliminate toxins from further damaging your body thus preventing diseases such as cancer. Lifestyle diseases like diabetes and obesity can be kept under control if seniors maintain a fairly active life. Exercise can also raise certain mood-enhancing hormone levels which were found to lift up your mood and reduce depression. Not only that, when you start seeing some results, your self confidence will soar up.
For seniors, there are four types of exercise which you can try. Endurance exercises are done to build up your body’s energy. Examples of endurance exercises are walking, running, swimming and biking. A good 30 minutes thrice a week is enough and you can gradually increase resistance if you are not experiencing any difficulty. On the other hand, strength workouts are for building and improving muscle tone. Well-toned muscles will prevent falls which cause bone breakage to seniors. Yoga and Pilates are stretching exercise which can help stiff muscles loosen up. These exercises can also help you stabilize your balance for better agility and flexibility.
Senior exercise should not hurt you. This also applies to all age brackets. A little soreness or discomfort is okay but pain is definitely out of the question. If there is pain, try to contact your doctor at once to assess if you did some damage to your body.
Seniors who have been fairly active will not have problems doing moderate to intense workouts since their bodies are more or less, adapted to it but for beginners, we should start slow. Again, you can gradually increase intensity if your body permits you to do so. Don’t forget that breathing is important while exercising since your heart and lungs are hard at work. To prevent injuries, wear appropriate protective gears for your chosen sport and drink lots of water as well.
Working out is fun and it’s a great way to socialize and meet other people. As soon as your body adopts its new lifestyle, you won’t have any more problems with soreness and some minor body aches. Just give it some time to do so. However, if the pain persists for more than a day, contact your physician at once. Better yet, consult him before doing any strenuous activities to avoid getting into trouble. Remember, any new symptoms you experience should be discussed with your doctor. Minor discomforts such as shortness of breath and chest pains could signify something your doctor should know. Also, it is not wise to join workout programs if you are having some joint swelling, hernia or you just had a surgery. While exercising is good for seniors, it can also worsen some health conditions if not properly guided. Aside from consulting your doctor, look for specialized fitness instructors for seniors that can help you with your concerns and will prepare fitness programs to suit your needs.
