What Are The Best Exercises For The Older Adult

Exercise is something that older adults need to incorporate into their lives to get healthier, prevent falls and injury and promote an overall feeling of wellbeing. The recommended exercise schedule for seniors is 3 days a week of aerobic exercise for 10 to 30 minutes and 2 days a week of strength and balance exercises. Stretching exercises should be included in all days of exercise. As with any exercise, don’t over exert yourself. If you feel any pain, reduce the number of repetitions or find a different exercise that works better for you. Below is a list of exercise compiled by New Hampshire Home Health Care to keep you healthy and fit, regardless of your age. Warm UprnIt is important for older adults to warm up and loosen their muscles before doing their daily exercises to prevent injury and strain. This can be done just by walking, bicycling, dancing or just about anything to get the body warmed up for 5 to 10 minutes. Many New Hampshire Elder Care clients enjoy swimming as both a warm up and aerobic exercise. StretchingrnThe senior should incorporate daily stretching exercise into their routine to improve flexibility and stretch the muscles. A chair can be used for support or sitting to do many of the exercises. Hold each stretch for at least 10 to 30 seconds. Many stretching exercises for the older adult are hamstring stretches, back stretch, torso stretch, calf stretch, triceps stretch, chest/arm stretch, overhead stretch, shoulder rolls and wrist circles. BalancingrnIt is important for the older adult to regularly do balancing exercises to improve posture, increase balance and reduce the risk of falls. As New Hampshire Home Care assistance has shown, only with a balanced lifestyle comes wellbeing and longevity. The back of a chair is recommended to be used for support. Some great balancing exercises for older adults are tandem standing, one leg balance, standing hip raise, standing knee bend, standing kick and standing side kick. AerobicrnAerobic exercises are great for the senior by increasing the heart rate to supply the body with proper amounts of nutrients and oxygen to the tissues. Older adults can easily get their aerobic exercise by walking, swimming, bicycling, dancing, running or climbing stairs. StrengthingrnBy doing strength training the older adult can prevent loss of bone and muscle mass. Strength exercises that use body weight instead of free weights is best. A chair can be used for support or sitting while exercising. The best strength training exercises would be squats, lunges, wall pushups, knee extensions, toe stands, hip abduction, knee curl, pelvic tilt, floorback extension, abdominal curl and ball squeeze.