Seniors - exercise is important
Whether you are a young child or well into your nineties it is a fact that to live an active healthy lifestyle you need to get proper exercise.
It is very unfortunate that many seniors stop exercising due to various physical constraints, because is actually more important for older people to get regular workouts. It’s also important that these workouts embrace the 4 different types of exercise seniors need. These are: strength training, endurance exercises, flexibility exercises, and balance exercises.
Strength training
As we age, our bodies begin to lose bone and muscle mass. Loss of bone mass increases the risk for osteoporosis and larger, more serious breaks. Loss of muscles mass makes us weaker, slower, and less able to do things. A great way to prevent and perhaps even reverse some of the damage is to do regular strength training exercises. This doesn’t mean that you have to use big fancy and expensive equipment; you can use resistance bands or things you have around the house. Just be sure to follow proper form to prevent injury.
Tips For Stretching Exercises
10 Things You Should Know About Stretching
Before starting fitness training it is essential to do warm-up or stretching exercises to prevent accidents. There are also a number of precautionary measures and tips to serve as guidelines when doing fitness exercises. Here are some of them.
1. To increase your flexibility and to avoid injuries, stretch before and after workout. Almost everyone knows that stretching before workout prevents injuries during the exercises, but comparatively few people know that stretching after workout, when the muscles are still warm, can increase flexibility.
2. Hold your stretching position for more than 60 seconds to increase flexibility. While holding your position for 20 seconds is enough for warm ups, holding each position for at least 60 seconds will develop the body’s flexibility.
3. Do not go into a stretching position then immediately return to the relaxed position, and do it repeatedly. This is more appropriately termed as bouncing while in a position. When stretching, hold that position for several seconds, and then slowly relax. You may do this exercise repeatedly this way. Bouncing or forcing yourself into a position during stretching can strain or damage some joints or muscles.
Jump Rope Skipping Exercises
According to the US Olympic Committee Sports Medicine Council, jump rope skipping is an excellent cardiovascular exercise . It is also among the exercises recommended for conditioning by the American College of Sports Medicine. There is much less damage done to your joints and it isn’t as hard on the muscles as some other exercises like jogging and running.
During running and jogging the foot absorbs up to five times your body weight from the force of the impact against the ground. During jump rope exercises the shock of hitting the ground is absorbed by both feet, allowing the calf muscles to control and absorb the impact.
It is important to start with the right equipment – even though there are few pieces. Shoes should be supportive with good lateral stability; they will prevent ankle injuries and save wear and tear on the joints. Cross training shoes, tennis shoes and basketball shoes have great lateral stability built into the shoe.