Exercise

Staying active as a senior citizen can have many benefits including:

• Maintaining and improving physical strength to help you keep your independence
• Increasing energy so you can do the things you want to do
• Improving balance
• Preventing diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer
• Enhancing your mood and reducing feelings of depression

You do not need to invest in special clothes or join a gym to become more active. Make physical activity a part of your daily life. Go on walks, ride a bike, or garden. Try dancing or swimming, or simply stay active by doing work around the house. Try different activities and look for ways to increase physical activity in your everyday life.

Four Types of Exercise

Try all four types of exercise: strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance. This will help you gain the most benefit from your physical activity.

• Use your muscles and build strength. This will help you get up from sitting, go on walks, and even lift your grandchildren.
• Maintaining strong muscles also helps to prevent falls and fractures.
• Getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity (the kind that makes you breathe harder) will increase your endurance. Thistype of exercise will help boost your energy. If you are just beginning to exercise, start with 10 minutes of physical activitya day and increase the amount every week.
• Stretching can help to increase flexibility. Moving more freely will help you do tasks like tying your shoes and washing yourhair. Also, it is important to stretch before doing other types of physical activity, this well help prevent pulled muscles.
• Work on your balance. Activities like standing on one foot or walking heel-to-toe can help. Yoga especially for senior citizens is another positive way to improve balance.

Who Should Exercise

Almost everyone should do some type of physical activity, regardless of age. For most senior citizens, swimming, brisk walking, and lifting light weights is safe although it may be necessary to start slowly and build up. If you are unsure of whether you should exercise or you have not exercised in a long time, ask your doctor before you start. You should also check with your doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• Chest pain
• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• Unplanned weight loss
• Foot or ankle sores
• Joint swelling
• Eye problems
• A hernia
• Blood clots
• A recent surgery

Safety Tips

Below is a list of tips especially for senior citizens that will ensure you are exercising safely.

• If you have not exercised or been active in a long time, begin slowly. Build up the amount and intensity of your activities little by little.
• Be sure not to hold your breath while doing strength exercises. Holding your breath could cause changes in blood pressure. Teach yourself to exhale as you lift weights and inhale as you relax.
• Use the appropriate safety equipment, like the right kind of shoes for jogging and a helmet when riding a bike.
• Do not bend at the waist, rather keep your back straight and bend forward from the hips.
• Warm up before you begin with walking or pumping your arms. It is important that your muscles are warmed up before you stretch.

Exercise should not be painful or make you really tired. It is okay to feel sore, but exercise should not hurt. Rather, being physically active should make you healthier and is especially important for senior citizens.