Introduction
A human has to go through four significant phases of life: childhood, teenage, adulthood, and old age. All four stages have their perks and are beautiful in their way. Most people spend the first three phases of life working and learning through life lessons. On the other hand, the later stage of life is the reflection phase, where you spend time remembering your former life, enjoying the beautiful memories, and relaxing as the past life is strenuous.
However, old age can only be relaxing if the elderly are cared for and provided with the love and attention they require. Due to their busy life schedules, family members cannot give a good amount of attention to the elderly; as a result, they are left depressed and affected by multiple diseases. In this case, the in-home care centers are a blessing for the elderly. The senior in-home care Whittier takes exceptional care of the elderly, where they are provided physical care, and their mental health is maintained through therapy-related activities.
Whether physically or mentally, staying fit is essential in old age. Without this, the elderly can have a very stressful life with multiple opportunist diseases. This article will discuss some low-impact ways to stay healthy and fit when aging.
5 Low-impact Ways To Stay Healthy and Fit When Aging
1) Swimming and other Pool Activities
For every individual above the age of 50, swimming is the best option for you to stay fit. Swimming is low impact, as it is okay for your joints, like most sports and exercises. You can quickly burn off the calories and keep your muscles intact without hurting your joints and bones. You can practice swimming three times a week to maintain your health.
However, if you start getting bored of swimming, there are other activities you can do in the pool to stay fit. One such activity is Aqua Aerobics. It is an excellent option that uses your body weight and natural water resistance to build and maintain your strength.
2) Tai Chi
Tai Chi is ideal for the elderly who want to exercise while not exiting their comfort zone. This ancient Chinese martial art comprises slow and rhythmic movements. The low-impact, careful, and steady moves make it soft on the joints and easy to do in your living room with an instructional video or a class as a group activity.
As mentioned by the National Association of Orthopedic Nurses, Tai Chi has been proven to help seniors regain hand-eye coordination and balance.
3) Powerwalking
Running or jogging can be challenging for your knees and ankles as you age, but running around your block would not harm you. The activity can be as simple as just putting on your shoes and power walking around the neighborhood. It helps keep your joints and muscles in action, or they might lose proper functionality.
4) Yoga
Yoga, like Tai Chai, is a great activity for those looking for a less intense but physically demanding excursion. If you have entered your exiting adulthood and making your way into old age, you may have witnessed over the last few years that you’ve lost mobility and flexibility; most probably, you are not able to pick things up from the floor without getting on your knees, or maybe you find yourself sore for a week whenever you are asked to get out of the house.
The reality about this is that your body needs to be more flexible. You cannot continue to function correctly in daily life (if you are not taking care of yourself) without experiencing the consequences. Yoga helps you rejuvenate the lost flexibility in your body so that you can once again perform your basic movements without feeling punished every time.
5) Dancing
Swinging to the beat and lyrics, who does not like to dance? Dance is an excellent cardio that keeps your heart strong and burns calories as it forces you to do movements that you would not normally do in your routine. It boosts your energy, blood pressure, and heart activity and is also great for your memory and mood.
If you are new to dance, you can start with a ballroom, tap, jazz, low-impact aerobics, or salsa. It is always preferred to start with a dance class and a trainer instead of being your teacher alone while taking inspiration from YouTube videos, which might lead to hurting yourself.
