Exercise is important for seniors to maintain their health and wellness, but it can be difficult to motivate yourself to keep an active lifestyle. Luckily, there are ways you can make exercise fun and easy for seniors! Here are nine tips that will help you stay active as you grow older:
Keep it simple.
When working with seniors, you must keep things simple and focus on what they can do. If your client has limited mobility or strength, there's no point in pushing them into an activity that will cause pain or injury. Instead, choose exercises that involve gentle movements with minimal impact on their joints--for example:
- Walking (outside or in the gym)
- Water aerobics (in a pool)
Don't overdo it.
When you're a senior, you must be careful about pushing yourself hard. If you haven't been exercising for a while or haven't exercised at all, start slowly and build up gradually. Don't overdo it! Remember that exercising is not just about having fun; it's also about staying healthy and feeling good about yourself.
If at any time during an exercise session, your body starts to hurt--or even if it doesn't hurt but feels uncomfortable--stop what you're doing and take a break until the discomfort disappears before continuing with another activity (or perhaps even stopping altogether). If an exercise partner pushes too hard for too long without taking breaks themselves, they may end up hurting themselves more than helping their friend by ensuring that everything goes smoothly and safely throughout each session together.
Exercise with a friend.
Exercise is more fun when you have someone to share it with, and having another person around can help keep you motivated during those tough times. You can encourage others to push through tough times and celebrate when things go well.
Make sure they know what they are doing before they start working out with you!
Try something new.
Trying something new is one of the best ways to make exercise fun. Try a new class, type of exercise, location, and time of day.
- New classes: Many types of activities are available for seniors at gyms and community centers. You can try yoga or tai chi classes that are specifically designed for older adults; water aerobics classes where you swim laps in an indoor pool; low-impact strength training classes such as Pilates or chair-based resistance training; dance fitness programs like belly dancing; martial arts such as karate or taekwondo--and many more options!
- Different types of exercises: Whether you're already working out regularly but want something different than what your current routine offers (i.e., running), looking into other types of workouts can help keep things interesting while improving overall fitness levels in other areas besides cardiovascular health (like muscle tone). Examples include hiking/biking trails nearby parks within walking distance from home; swimming at local pools instead swimming laps indoors at community facilities.
Break up exercise time into short, manageable chunks.
Breaking up exercise time into shorter chunks can be beneficial for seniors. It's important to set realistic goals and make sure that you break up exercise time into manageable pieces so that it doesn't feel like a huge commitment. If the client exercises at home, they should consider using a step counter or pedometer to track their progress.
The benefits of breaking up exercise time include:
- Achieving small victories every day or week that help build confidence in doing more physical activity
- Feeling more energized throughout the day because you're getting regular movement breaks in addition to a more restful sleep at night (however many hours are needed)
Work out in the morning to get going.
The morning is a great time to get in a workout because it can help you feel more focused and energized for the rest of your day. If you're not used to morning exercise, it may take some adjusting. But once you start waking up earlier and getting your workout out of the way early on in your day, your body will become accustomed to this routine.
Turn on some music that makes you smile and dance!
- Music can help you get in the mood.
- It can make you feel happy, motivated, and energized.
- It can help you stay focused on your workout.
- Music also helps to keep a steady pace so that you don't slow down at any point during your workout session and allows for proper form while exercising, as well as keeping track of how long each exercise lasts so that it feels like less time has passed than it has! This way, there is no wondering if I should stop now or keep going--the music tells me!
Improve sleep habits (sleep better, feel better).
Improving sleep habits is an important part of staying healthy. Sleep is when the body heals itself, and it's also when your brain processes information from the day. A regular sleep schedule helps you feel more energized during the day, which makes exercise more enjoyable.
Here are some ways you can improve your sleep habits:
- Ensure that there are no distractions in your bedroom at night, such as lights or noise from other rooms or pets running outside. If needed, try using earplugs or a white noise machine (or both!) to block out distracting sounds while trying to fall asleep. If possible, keep electronics out of the bedroom so they don't distract from getting restful shut-eye!
- Try going to bed earlier than usual--the hour before midnight tends to be best for most people because it allows time for all systems (digestive system included) within our bodies/minds/spirits, etcetera, et cetera...
Stretch first and then exercise (improve flexibility while warming up).
Stretching before and after exercise is important for your client's overall health and ability to work out.
- Stretching can help prevent injuries by improving flexibility, blood circulation, and posture.
- Stretching enhances flexibility in muscles and joints, which helps prevent them from being injured during exercise or daily activities that use these areas of the body. This can reduce pain caused by muscle tension or stiffness in a person's back or neck area as well as improve posture over time due to increased mobility throughout the entire range of motion (ROM).
There are many ways we can make exercise fun and easy for seniors!
There are many ways we can make exercise fun and easy for seniors!
- Keep it simple.
- Don't overdo it.
- Exercise with a friend, try something new or break up your workout time into manageable chunks that fit into your daily routine.
- Work out in the morning to get going on a good day, and turn on music that makes you smile and dance!
Conclusion
With these tips, you can help your senior clients get the most out of their exercise routine while making it fun and enjoyable. Remember that any activity is better than none at all! So if you find yourself in a rut with an older client who might have less time or energy than they used to, try one of these simple strategies--they could make all the difference in keeping them motivated throughout their journey towards improved health.
