Maintaining health is a very important part of being an adult. As we grow older, exercising becomes a task that is completely necessary for us to do in our daily lives. The practice of daily walks in the park is a good way for elderly in homecare to stay healthy. Here are a few tips on some of the basic exercises that elderly can certainly perform with their peers or with a personal trainer.
BALANCE AND FLEXIBILITY
Balance and flexibility is important in order to ensure that the muscles in your body function well for performing basic tasks. One way to learn balance and flexibility is through the practice of yoga. Yoga is a spiritual Hindu discipline that is widely practiced today all over the world. Yoga is great practice for the elderly as it involves breath control, meditation, and relaxation. Besides yoga, simple balance exercises like back leg raises, side leg raises, walking heel to toe, or even just standing on one foot are great exercises that can certainly be incorporated into your daily routine. For flexibility, stretching exercises like neck stretch, shoulder stretch, back stretch, hip stretch, thigh stretch, lower back stretch, or any other body stretching exercises can be performed slowly and in repetition.
ENDURANCE
As we age, it’s important that we maintain our body’s capacity to sustain or withstand a certain amount of stress over a prolonged period of time. Practices like jogging, running, or brisk walking can even be a social affair that the elderly can do with their peers or loved ones without having to use special equipment or a personal trainer. Swimming is also a good exercise that the elderly can practice that will help with their body’s endurance.
STRENGTH TRAINING
Strength training is perhaps the most difficult exercise on this list, and should be performed with supervision for the elderly. It’s important to note that strengthening exercises are performed in repetitions. Resistance and strength exercises will help in maintaining a healthy bone mass. Strengthening exercises are also a great practice for the elderly to prevent age-related muscle loss. Knee extension exercises are a good start to strength training. Simply sit on a chair with your back straight and your knees bent. Slowly raise and extend your right leg forward and hold the position for a few seconds before lowering and come back to your first position. Repeat these steps for both legs for sets of 10 each, for a minimum of one set. There are a lot of strengthening exercises that the elderly can do, such as the aided squat against the wall, bicep curls with support, toe stands, and elbow extensions. They can be performed as a group, or by yourself, but make sure that these exercises are performed with supervision.
All of the exercises listed here aids the elderly in homecare in performing everyday activities with ease. Daily activities like climbing the stairs or standing from a seated position with less risk of falling will greatly improve your quality of life. Each exercise can be performed by an elderly with great determination and the drive to accomplish them. Just make sure that these exercises are performed in moderation.
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