The Importance of Staying Active for Seniors

By Shanele Healy | September 20, 2021 | Comments Off on The Importance of Staying Active for Seniors

Aging is a part of life, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be a good time in a person’s life. In fact, with the right attitude, a little bit of planning, senior home care, and a few helpful tips, an older citizen can live a full and active life.

One of the most important things a senior can do is stay physically active. This helps a senior maintain a healthy weight and helps to prevent a number of diseases. It also helps a senior to stay in shape, so they can still do the activities they love.

Benefits of Staying Active

Take a look at these three reasons why your senior should stay active in their later years:

1. It Strengthens Their Immune System

Senior Home Care in Monroe, NC: Staying Active

Everyone knows that exercise helps fight off colds and other illnesses. And, it’s true! By staying active, your senior is strengthening their immune system, which in turn helps them fight off colds, infections, and other illnesses.

2. It Promotes Weight Loss

According to Harvard Medical School, walking can help your senior lose weight faster than other forms of exercise. Harvard also recommends walking every day for at least 30 minutes.

3. It Helps to Live Longer

As your senior gets older, the risk of developing certain illnesses increases. However, these illnesses can be avoided by staying active.

In addition, staying active helps to prevent high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.

Exercise

As with any age group, exercise helps a senior to maintain a healthy weight, lower their risk of heart disease, and improve their general health.

Walking and doing light exercises around the house is great, but a senior needs to be sure to get out and do a more strenuous activity every day. Even if it is just walking on a treadmill or doing some lightweight training, a senior needs to be sure that they are getting their heart rate up on a daily basis. This keeps their muscles and joints strong and healthy.

Strength Training

Another great way for a senior to stay in shape is to work on their strength. A senior can do this in a number of different ways. They can lift weights, do push-ups, or do other exercises that will work out their muscles. These exercises keep them strong, help them to maintain their weight, and help them to stay active.

However, it is important to be careful when doing these exercises. Older joints are much more prone to injury than younger joints. This is especially true for people who are over the age of 50. Seniors need to be sure that they are doing lightweight training or are doing exercises that are easy on their joints.

Sports

If a senior is looking for something that is more social, they might want to consider joining a bowling league or a softball league. These are great ways for a senior to stay in shape and enjoy the company of their friends. Walking or hiking is a great way to get some exercise and to get outside at the same time.

A senior who is looking for something that is a little bit more competitive might want to consider joining a running team. Running is a great way for a senior to stay in shape and still be able to compete with others.

Contact Us

We’ll help you find the perfect solution for your loved one’s needs and the best senior care available to them. Give us a call today!

If you or an aging loved one are considering in Senior Home Care in Monroe, NC, please call the professional staff at Caring at Heart today at (704) 379-7510. Serving Charlotte, Statesville, Ballantyne, Mooresville, Huntersville, Matthews, Concord, Gastonia, Pineville and Indian Trail

Sources

https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/step-up-your-walking-game

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2825216/

Shanele Healy
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