Trying to figure out which exercise is best for seniors or the elderly can sometimes be confusing. Older folks generally will have pre-existing conditions that may give some pause before starting out with an exercise program.
Then again, with our modern obsession with fitness and efficiency, we generally have a view of exercise that one, our aging parents may not be of the same mind, and two, most people pursue fitness for reasons that aren’t really an incentive to those more “seasoned”.
What’s needed to get elders moving with a physical activity program is a reason that makes sense to them. Their motivation will be totally different than their children’s and especially their grand children’s.
And although some healthcare professionals may understand this, it’s a frequent thing for a therapist to provide an outline of a home exercise program that is abandoned as soon as the therapy stops.
Seniors need to know what’s in it for them and this article from Barron’s touches on some things that might just be important to those more up in age.
Imagine a medicine that reduced the death rate of breast cancer and risk of recurrent breast cancer by 50%, lowered the risks of colon cancer and type 2 diabetes by two-thirds, and those of heart disease, hypertension and Alzheimer’s disease by 40%. On top of that it can be as effective as antidepressants or cognitive behavioral therapy in countering depression.
https://www.barrons.com/articles/seniors-exercise-reduce-health-risks-51656731368
That medicine exists, says Dr. Edward Laskowski of the Mayo Clinic: It’s called exercise.
One thing that affects seniors more than their younger counterparts is their sense of loss and their sense of their own mortality. Older folks have a better understanding of what’s important in life than those that are coming after them. Regular exercise can improve their quality of life and also reduce the need for support and assistance from others.
Introducing a regular activity program may be challenging at first, but the goal is to form the habit, not necessarily lose weight or look a certain way. Getting started could be as simple as a daily walking program or seated exercise activity. Once the habit is started. It’s a lot easier to keep it going.
Read the full article here