5 Best Activities for Seniors to Stay Healthy
Aging is a process that may bring you both positive and negative consequences. However, understanding the changes involved in aging can help senior citizens enjoy a healthy life. While we draw near to senior ages our skin, bones, heart, digestive system, lungs, brain and other important organs are adversely worn out. Although proper diet and medical support are the most heard-of strategies to keep our aged going, physical activities also offer a healthy solution. Keeping your mind sharp and physically active happens to be the greatest way to minimize problems encountered with age. The following are simple tricks that can assure a healthy for the memebers of Houston retirement communities.
Swimming
Converting some of your idle time with short aerobic sessions could have immense advantages at old age. Swimming offers a safer training space; free from falls and engages a huge amount of body muscles. The ability to hold breathe and take part in other strenuous activities is very crucial in enhancing respiratory efficiency. For this reason swimming helps in preventing cardiac and lung problems. Water provides balance and stability that creates ease for balancing exercises especially to those suffering from weak bones. Weak bones are a major problem among seniors due to osteoporosis (decrease in bone density). This is also a great way to avoid stress and depression, meet youthful people as well as having fun.
Cycling
While cycling may seem like a technical exercise only fit for youngsters, it is a guarantee in increasing quality of life for the aged. This is a routine that one needs to get used to early enough before age sets in. Cycling helps to reduce depression and stress. Additionally, it’s a great aerobic second to swimming that strengthens the knees and muscle. Regular cycling, preferably several miles a day, has been proven to reduce chances of heart attack by half. This makes it very helpful for arthritic seniors or those suffering from overweight. With technology, today there is a range of many responsive, lightweight and high performance bicycles that one can choose from.
Yoga
Yoga offers nearly everything aged people may desire. It’s a perfect refreshment for the spirit, mind, keeping the body strong and flexible. Moreover, it keeps body organs and hormones balanced. There is a whole range of poses that maybe beneficial to the aged. Selecting the right yoga asanas is specifically important since every pose has its intended purpose. However, seniors should regularly try standing asanas as well as sitting and lying poses. This are particularly important for hip problems, improving bowel movement and loosening hip stiffness. They also help in blood circulation.
There are many poses that would suit each one’s problems including back pain, stiffed hips or problem in the knees. Therefore, seniors should first find out which yoga poses are healthy and appropriate for their age. The elderly are also advised to spend less time and effort in the poses although high endurance is also important.
Walking
Apart from morning and roadside runs, spend some time walking on the beach, around the neighborhood or going for short hikes. Walking is important for those not well adapted to engage in strenuous exercises. It’s a great workout for the heart, lungs and the brain. Other than physical benefits associated with walking, seniors need regular time to mingle with the environment around them. Walking down the streets is a great source of refreshment and helps in improving mental focus. It also helps reduce chances of depression or stress. These are also avenues to meet and learn new things which also helps in maintaining good memory and general brain function. Get involved in community activities, be involved in things that interest you to make your engagement seamless.
Running
Running has proven to be very effective in keeping the brain active. This is because, it has to keep calculating energy needed to complete the task ahead based on the distance to be covered. This phenomenon has been demonstrated by marathon athletes doing better at later ages as compared to when they started. Regular morning or roadside runs also helps in burning unnecessary fats, which are very dangerous at old age. Enduring long distance runs along the beach on a daily basis has a great impact on one’s emotional control. Long runs helps in creating high pleasant emotional response to pressurizing situations.