One of the most important factors to keeping seniors healthy is exercise in an assisted living community. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends four types of exercises: strength, balance, stretching and endurance for optimum senior health and well being.
The key to staying strong when life slows down is to keep doing strength exercises. They build muscles and keep seniors independent. When they have strong muscles, seniors can lift grandchildren, get up from a chair by themselves and take walks. For best results, they should start slow, working up to exercising twice a week. Some examples of good strength exercises are:
As we age, muscles become shorter and lose their elasticity, along with decreased range of motion in the shoulders, spine and hips. Stretching exercises give seniors more freedom of movement and help keep them flexible. Keeping up with these exercises will help your loved one move more freely and make it easier for them to reach down to pick up items off the floor or tie their shoes.
The National Institute on Aging recommends regularly stretching the neck, shoulders, upper arms, upper body, chest, back, ankles, legs, hips and calves. They can start with a few stretching exercises each day, building up to all the areas.
Seniors need to build up endurance gradually, starting with as little as 5 minutes of endurance activities at a time. They should work towards getting at least 30 minutes of activity that makes them breathe hard on most or all days of the week. In an assisted living community, walking the grounds is a good start.
A dedicated, vibrant exercise program is one of the keys to senior health in any assisted living community. Learn more about our communities, resident life or schedule a tour today. We are dedicated to serving the senior community.
What kinds of exercises are you or your beloved seniors doing now?