When you hear the term “exercise”, do you cringe a little? There’s no need to fear because there are fun ways to exercise that won’t give you joint pain or other health issues that come with age. Idaho Falls Assisted Living is committed to the health of seniors who live at their facility and wants the best for each individual’s overall well being. Below is a list of exercises and with a description of what they are and benefits that come with each type of exercise.

Exercises for seniors

Water aerobics helps you to increase in strength, flexibility and balance with hardly any other force on your body. This form of exercise is ideal for seniors with arthritis or any other body pain.

Chair yoga involves stretching and chairs which is helpful to have less stress on joints and muscles. Yoga is good for the body and the mind which has been proven to improve mental health in seniors. Other benefits are improved well-being, sleep and mental health.

Resistance band workouts use bands that add resistance to yoru workout. This type of exercise can be done in a group with others or from the comfort of your own home. These workouts can add strength to your core and improve your posture.

Pilates is also low-impact and has many components such as core strength, breathing techniques and concentration. Accessories that are used during pilates workouts are pilates balls and yoga mats. This type of exercise helps to build core stretch and flexibility.

Walking strengthens muscles and lowers the chances of developing heart problems, diabetes, colon cancer and stroke. It is advised to take 10,000 steps in a day because it can increase your mortality by 46%. It’s very easy to walk and invite a few friends to do it with you.

Body weight workouts don’t include using weights to exercise. You rely on using your own body weight while doing different exercises to strengthen your body, increase flexibility and improve overall health. You don’t need to use weights to help you achieve your health goals. Affordability is another factor that makes body weight workouts more appealing to seniors. Muscle atrophy is common in older adults and body weight workouts help to prevent this issue.

Dumbbell strength training allows individuals to isolate muscle groups while exercising. Strength training has countless benefits like weight management, alleviating back pain and increased metabolism. Using lighter weights for strength training is also much safer and can be very effective for muscle growth.

Exercises to avoid if you’re over 65 years old

• Squats with weight
• Bench or leg press
• Long-distance running
• Ab crunches
• Deadlift
• HIIT (high intensity interval training)
• Rock climbing

Seniors are cautioned from doing the exercises listed above because they increase the chance of doing the exercise incorrectly with potentially hurting the joints or other muscles. High intensity interval training (HIIT) can potentially cause falls and affect a person’s balance after completing a workout. This can be a danger to someone older than 65 years old because their bones are more fragile and recovery can take longer.