Better Health for Senior Citizens

Fact, senior citizens are more aware of the importance of proper dieting and regular exercise because they are living a lot longer due to the fact their physical and mental conditions are better than what their parents and surely their grandparents were. Though they have to remember that at their age, jumping into exercising or forcing their bodies to do what they used to do years ago would only result in injuries. Seniors also need to know that eating in an unhealthy way is also problematic for their health.

Senior citizens can take steps to ensure they remain healthy and in peek shape by applying these simple exercise principles:

• All senior citizens should have a check-up before engaging in some form of exercise, please consult with your doctor and check whether there is a need to sign up for special exercise programs. If yes, get the clearance in order to begin the program. Your safety first is very important.

• Determine what areas have not been up to par in the last few years. Is it harder to walk up stairs? Is it more difficult to keep your balance? Is it more difficult to pick up heavier boxes? Evaluate your physical condition from top to bottom and use this to gauge what physical activity you’re interested in pursuing.

• Explore every option out there available to you before you start an exercise program. The exercise you want must be the program that you enjoy the most. For example, some prefer hitting the gym for a more structured and systematized workout while others are already satisfied by simply walking around the sports club. Either of them will improve the fitness of the senior citizen, enabling him/her to function and enjoy a quality of life. Senior citizens should choose to do this on a regularly.

• Determine how much and how often you participate, should you participate in one class, go through the whole routine by yourself, or get one-on-one training? Will you exercise in the morning or in the evening? Do you prefer it to be indoors or outdoors, or what place will you choose to carry out your exercise program? Be realistic and honest in answering these questions.

• Have short term goals and long term goals in place. But remember to make sure that your goals are specific and realistic. For example, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, do a 15 minute brisk walk in the morning, in the afternoon and after eating dinner. Doing this is being specific. All activities are planned for the day and are made a priority. This can be classified as your short-term goals. As for long-term goals, if there’s any physical activity that you feel you are incapable to do at the moment, you will eventually. With a little effort, time, and patience, it can be done.

• Take it step by step slowly. A lot of senior citizens are so excited to getting into an exercise regimen that they sometimes overdo it. When the exercise is overdone, then the person feels sore everywhere. For seniors, this is not healthy nor is it beneficial. Here's a good way you can start. Begin slowly and do the minimum. Record the activities you have accomplished and the time you allotted to finish this. Track your improvement and gains. At the end of the day, count the hours you were physically active.

• Get a workout partner. Find someone to exercise with in order for you to stay motivated, as well as the other person. It can be a friend or group of friends, someone from your neighborhood or your fitness trainer. By scheduling an appointment, you are more likely to do the workout, even if it's just brisk walking in your area. It can also be used as good social time.

Key areas you want to maintain or improve when exercising as a senior citizen are the areas most seniors have difficult with as they age. You want to:

• Very important for senior citizens to exercise your heart. Do cardiovascular exercising for at least 20 minutes. These exercises include walking and swimming. If you’re a really active senior and physically able, consider rollerblading.

• Strengthen your muscles and bones. This can be done with weights and resistance training. Lift what your doctor says is appropriate and adequate for you. Take your time and try to do less, more frequently, rather than more in a shorter period of time. You’ll benefit from working out more days than you would with more weight. Don't forget to breathe properly, and stay hydrated before, during, and after your workout.

• Stretch to stay flexible. Your body may need more joint flexibility. Do it the right way though. A local health club or your physical therapist is a great resource for this task. You can also take the time to learn proper stretch techniques if you are a do-it-yourself person.

• Exercise your brain as well. Your brain needs to stay active and needs stimulation. Read, do word puzzles, discuss issues with friends or take a class in order to keep the brain moving. Remember, your brain is like a muscle, if you don’t use it, you lose it. Keep your body up, keep your brain up and you will improve your overall health well into your golden years and beyond.

According to the National Institute of Health , older adults and senior citizens who want to stay healthy and independent should do the recommended four types of exercises:

• Strength exercises build older adult muscles and increase your metabolism, which helps to keep your weight and blood sugar in check.

• Balance exercises build leg muscles, and this helps to prevent senior citizens from falls. According to the NIH, U.S. hospitals have 300,000 admissions for broken hips each year, many of them seniors, and falling is often the cause of those fractures. If you are an older adult, balance exercises will help you avoid problems as you get older. And if you are a senior, balance exercises can help you stay independent by helping you avoid the disabilities that could result from falling.

• Stretching exercises can give you more freedom of movement, which will allow you to be more active during your senior years. Stretching exercises alone will not improve your endurance or strength.

• Endurance exercises are any activity—walking, jogging, swimming, biking, even raking leaves—that increase your heart rate and breathing for an extended period of time. Build up your endurance gradually, starting with as little as 5 minutes of endurance activities at a time.

Of the most enjoyable, social, and less risky exercise to do is to simply go for a walk. Other health benefits from regular physical activity such as walking include:

• Reduced risk of dying prematurely

• Decreased risk of dying from heart disease

• Decreased risk of developing colon cancer

• Reduced risk of developing high blood pressure

• Help in reducing blood pressure in people who already have high blood pressure

• Decreased risk of developing diabetes

• Lower risk of developing hypertension

• Increased muscle strength, flexibility and sense of balance, all of which reduce the risk of falls

• Help in controlling weight

By far the biggest difference regular exercise can make in senior citizen’s life, however, is by increasing their chances of remaining independent and able to care for themselves. Exercise seems to be at the heart of maintaining functional mobility and independence and that's critical for an older person. Regular exercise can mean the difference between a continual fulfilled life or the beginning of their demise.

It might also be of interest for senior citizens to know that it's never too late to begin exercising, said Dr. Pratt, a member of the "Partnership for a Walkable America" -- a coalition of private, state and federal organizations united with the common cause of increasing public awareness about the benefits of walking.

"One of the issues with older adults, particularly with women, is that many have grown up thinking that exercise is not for them," he said. "They think if they're not athletes, they shouldn't be active."

"To this, I would like to say that it's never too late to start. Most of the benefits of exercise that accrue for younger adults also apply to older adults, no matter when they begin exercising," he said.

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**This site is designed for education and information purposes only and is not engaged in rendering medical advice, professional services, or treatment of illness or disease. If you feel that you have a health problem, you should seek the advice of your Physician or health care Practitioner before pursuing an alternative health method.**