Exercising regularly, preferably daily, is the most important thing you can do for your health. In the short term, exercise helps control appetite, elevates mood and improves sleep. In the long term, it reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, dementia, depression and many types of cancer.
Why is exercise so important for seniors?
Whether you used to be more physically active or have never exercised regularly, now is a good time to start an exercise or fitness program. Getting and staying in shape is just as important for older adults as it is for younger people.
Why is exercise important for older adults? Getting your heart rate up and challenging your muscles benefits nearly every system in the body, improving your physical and mental health in many ways. Physical activity helps maintain healthy blood pressure, prevents harmful plaque buildup in your arteries, reduces inflammation, improves blood sugar levels, strengthens bones, and helps prevent depression. In addition, a regular exercise program has been found to improve sex life, enhance sleep quality, reduce the risk of certain cancers, and lead to longer lifespans.
Many older adults are hesitant to exercise because they don’t know what types of exercise and fitness are effective and safe, and they don’t know how much exercise they need to do. The good news is that any type of exercise is better than being sedentary. So there’s nothing wrong with starting small and gradually moving up to longer workouts. The goal is to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week, but if you can’t start at that level, gradually increase the level (and even higher). There are plenty of specific exercise and fitness options for adults, but some people may want to stay physically active throughout the day by taking the stairs, gardening, or playing with their grandchildren. When it comes to exercise and fitness for seniors, most people can get started without consulting a doctor, but there are exceptions. If you have serious medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart or lung disease, osteoporosis, or neurological disorders, you should always consult a doctor first. People with mobility issues such as balance problems or arthritis should also get a doctor’s advice.
What are the best types of exercise?
There are countless types of exercise, but experts classify physical activity into four broad categories based on what each demands of the body and the benefits they provide:
Aerobic exercise is characterized by an increase in heart rate. Most aerobic exercise requires working the whole body, but the primary focus is on the heart and lungs (aerobic exercise is often called “cardio” because it taxes the cardiovascular system and has a positive effect on it). Exercising at a high enough intensity, such as walking, swimming, dancing, or cycling, makes you breathe faster and your heart work harder. Aerobic exercise burns fat, improves mood, reduces inflammation, and lowers blood sugar. Strength training (also called resistance training) should be done two to three times per week. Squats, lunges, push-ups, and exercises using resistance machines, weights, or bands help maintain and build muscle mass and strength. Strength training also helps prevent falls, strengthen bones, lower blood sugar levels, and improve balance. Use a combination of isometric and isotonic exercises. Examples of isometric exercises: B. Planks and leg raises are done without moving. They’re great for maintaining strength and improving stability. Isotonic exercises require you to support your weight through a full range of motion. Biceps curls, bench presses, and sit-ups are all types of isotonic exercises.
Stretching exercises keep muscles and tendons flexible, maintain posture and improve mobility, especially as we age. Stretching exercises can be done daily.
Balance exercises activate different systems that help us stay upright and oriented, including the inner ear, vision, muscles and joints. Tai Chi and yoga are excellent balance exercises that can help prevent falls and help you live independently in old age.
How much exercise do I need?
How much exercise you should do depends on several factors, including your current fitness level, your fitness goals, the types of exercises you plan to do, and whether you have deficiencies in areas such as strength, flexibility, or balance.
In general, it is recommended that you do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week (or 75 minutes of vigorous activity). As your fitness improves, you should exceed this amount to get the most benefit. A natural way to split up the 150 minutes is to do one 30-minute session five times a week, or split it up into two 15-minute sessions per day. Adopt a schedule that works for your lifestyle. When it comes to strength training, train all major muscle groups 2-3 times a week, allowing 48 hours of recovery time between each workout. If you do a “full body workout”, that would be 2 sessions per week. If you split your workouts into specific muscle groups (e.g. “leg day”), you will need more frequent workouts. Be sure to take a 48 hour break before training your larger muscles again.
If you notice any of the following issues with your balance: dizziness, vertigo, or other symptoms, consult your doctor for recommendations on balance exercises. Do three 30-minute exercise sessions per week and take a 30-minute walk at least twice a week.
It’s best to stretch after warming up for a few minutes, or do stretching exercises after a workout. As you stretch each muscle group, stretch slowly and evenly, release, and repeat.
But how much training is too much? Some muscle soreness is to be expected after training, especially at first. However, if you notice that your body isn’t recovering between workouts, you may be overtraining. Keep in mind that older people take longer to recover than younger people. Aside from some “welcome” muscle soreness, your exercise program should make you feel good. If it doesn’t, you’re probably overdoing it. This doesn’t mean you should stop, just that you should reduce the intensity and/or frequency of your workouts until you hit that “sweet spot” where your body is “fatigued” but recovered enough to be enthusiastic about your next training session.
