Daily exercise is important for everyone, especially as we are aging. If your career and and other familial commitments put your fitness regimen on hold for several yearsm it is important for you to know that it’s never too late to get serious about fitness. Think about these tips before starting.
Focus on the “Why”
Exercising may seem like a battle to begin with, but if you spend most of your time relaxing, and age can bring some mobility limitations; however, the benefits from working out is worth the challenges. Constant exercise will help fight problems like heart conditions, high blood pressure, diabetes, and arthritis. Aging causes our bodies to naturally lose muscle mass, however, with fitness training our muscles can be maintained and rebuilt. Exercise will also help improve your mood, enrich sleep, and help to reduce stress.
Take Precautions
Speaking with your doctor to make sure you’re healthy is vital, before you start exercising. Once you get the Doctors approval, be sure to start slow. You need to allow time for your body to adjust, low-intensity activities such as walking every other day are great for starters. Eventually you will be able to build up to stronger resistance-training for your muscles. For an better way to start, use resistance bands or start going for swims. Lower level activities are less strenuous on the joints and will help get you a productive workout while lessening the chance of injury.
Work on Your Balance
Gaining more knowledge in your balance and posture is a necessity now than ever. According to the CDC, 2.5 million if the elderly are seen by Doctors for injuries related to a fall each year. Try to attend either a Tai Chi or Qi Gong class. These programs are inspired by martial arts and they try to focus on movements to increase your balance and strength. Tai Chi has been proven to ease pain and stiffness from arthritis, and it has the added benefit of maybe helping you sleep better. You can search on the internet or try to reach out at a local fitness center to find a class in your area.
