Exercise for Older Adult: It's Never too late to Get Started

Exercise for older adult?

Is it possible?

If you think you're too old to start exercising or maybe saying:

"Why should I start now when I never have before?" and "Besides it won't do me any good anyway."

Change that stop light thinking to a BIG green go light!

No matter what age or level, or even if you've never exercised before you can benefit from the many positive effects of exercise for older adult if done properly and consistently.

Just look at some of the many benefits of exercise for older adult you may experience:

• More energy
• Improved digestion and metabolism
• Decreased risk of falling due to better balance and posture
• Improved attitude and ability to cope with stress
• Improved appearance
• ncreased circulation
• More restful sleep
• Increased mobility
• Decreased pain and inflammation from arthritis
• Improved joint flexibility
• Improved bone mass and strength
• Improved endurance and capacity for work
• Lowers LDL cholesterol; substance that clogs arteries and causes stroke and heart attack

I know these things happen because I have seen the positive results in my own clients aged 46 - 92 years! The results may not be as dramatic as breaking the 4 minute mile barrier.

Just think if you were not strong enough to get in and out of bed or a chair or to make yourself dinner.

What if you couldn't get in and out of your car and didn't have the flexibility to turn and see who's coming up behind you or have the reaction time to stop quickly?

These are all things we take for granted until we start to lose our abilitiy to do them. These are also simple things that we can continue doing successfully throughout our lives if we take care of our bodies.

If you don't use it you lose it!

After the age of 30 we start to lose some of the key components of our fitness (endurance, muscle strength, flexibility, and coordination). We start to gain weight because our metabolism slows down and our bone density starts to decline.

You don't have to give in to these changes though, you can fight back with regular exercise. The key is to adapt your exercise for older adult to suit your capabilities at any age.

Outlined below are some helpful exercise for the older adult who is looking to improve function in activities of daily living:

Exercises that improve the ability to push (shopping cart, lawn mower, vacuum cleaner, pushing doors):

Doing push ups on the floor(only if you don't have high blood pressure) or against the wall.

Senior Exercises that improve the ability to pull (gardening, opening doors):

Lat rows, bicep curls, any rowing type exercise pulling the elbows back and hands to waist.

Exercises that improve the ability to carry things (groceries, boxes, laundry, grandkids):

Bicep curls, internal and external shoulder rotation, shoulder shrugs, abdominal and back exercises to stabilize the spine such as abdominal curls.

Exercises that improve the ability to lift (lifting boxes, putting groceries and dishes away, lifting pots off the stove, lifting grandkids):

Bicep curls, Legs - wall slides and leg press, shoulder presses, front and side raises.

Exercises that improve grip strength (opening lids, using hammers and screwdrivers):

Squeezing balls, hand grips, crinkle newspapers with your fingers.

Exercise for elderly adults that improve the ability to maintain a neutral pelvis (helps you to walk better and takes wear and tear off joints in the spine, hips, and knees):

Sitting tall and straight on the edge of a chair or a ball doing knee lifts or marches.

Exercises that improve the ability to get up from and down onto (climbing stairs, getting in and out of chairs, out of car, and off the toilet):

Step ups onto a 6 inch box, wall squats or slides.

Exercise for elderly adults that improve mobility (walking, gait, balance, coordination):

Walking a straight line, heel - toe forward and backward.

Leave Exercise for Older Adult and check out all the great core strengthening and stretching exercises in the new Pilates ebook!

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