Everyone knows that physical fitness is important. Relating this to senior care makes sense, but it is much more difficult than applying fitness to a younger population. Senior citizens have different fitness needs than a bunch of twenty somethings do, and if this isn’t taken into account, people can get injured. This completely defeats the point of using fitness to help improve the quality of our lives, of course.
There are a number of products out there that are designed to make getting fitter and healthier a much simpler process for the elderly. Some are great, while others are seriously lacking. Just remember before you start any sort of workout or fitness routine to check with a doctor in order to double check that you won’t be making things worse for yourself instead of better.
Fighting Arthritis: One thing that seniors should be focusing on is reducing the impact that arthritis has on their lives. Sitting still all day will only make this joint disease worse. Moving around is a must if you want to feel better, although it can be quite painful at first. The more you do it, the better it will get, but it can be difficult. There are things that you can do to help, and they don’t have to be big things, either. If you have a tennis ball or a stress relief ball, squeezing that for a little bit every day can help reduce symptoms in your hands. Simple resistance exercises can help with other joints, too. If you have access to a gym or weights, using very light weights to help strengthen knees, elbows, and other vital joints will have big payoffs over the years, too. At the very least, they will help you to keep more usage of your joints for longer.
Fighting Diabetes: Heart and circulatory health can help you to prevent diabetes. If you already have diabetes, it can make your quality of life better. Exercise is not easy if you are overweight, but cardio activities will help a lot here. And the more you do them, the easier they become. Start out by walking a little bit every day. As you’re able to, try to increase the intensity or distance, but don’t try doing both at once. Too much too soon can lead to injury or illness, both of which are counterproductive.
Fighting Osteoporosis: Experts used to believe that exercise only strengthened muscles, but current research shows that it also strengthens your bones. If you or an elderly loved one have osteoporosis, the bones will be weaker and more likely to break. This can lead to a permanent disability and it’s something you will want to avoid. Exercising will help to strengthen bones, especially if resistance exercises, like weights, are used. Be sure to start with very light weights if you are not active often.
Every little bit helps, but do check with a medical professional before you start anything. You don’t want to make things worse while trying to better your life or the life of a loved one.
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