Fitness is something we tend to associate with youth. However, it’s just as important for older adults to focus on their fitness levels. The fitter you are as you age, the fewer health ailments you’ll suffer. Staying active can also keep you happier, as well as boost your independence.
If you are thinking of getting fitter in older age, there are a few factors you’ll need to consider. Within this report, you’ll discover what a fitness program for older adults might look like, alongside key things you need to know when creating one.
What a Fitness Program for Older Adults Might Look Like
One of the main questions older adults have when trying to get fit, is what type of exercises they should be doing. Do you need to do different exercises to what you did when you were younger?
While a fitness program for older adults will differ depending upon the individual, there are some general guidelines you can follow. Here, we’ll look at what a fitness program for older adults might look like to help give you an idea of what to include.
How Much Exercise Should It Include?
The general advice for how much exercise older adults should get is 150 minutes per week. This should include a variety of cardio, balance, and strength and flexibility exercises.
The good news is that these 150 minutes a week can be broken down into short exercise sessions. For example, you could split your daily exercise down to two 15-minute sessions, rather than one 30-minute session.
This advice is catered to adults over 65 who are generally fit and healthy. If you have a chronic health condition or you cannot complete 150 hours of exercise per week, you should modify the routine to factor in your own abilities. You could ask for advice from your doctor to see how much exercise they recommend you do each week.
Generally speaking, the more exercise you do, the more health benefits you’ll experience.
What Types of Exercise are Best?
Now you know roughly how much exercise you should be doing, the question is, what types of exercise are best? There are four types to focus on and these include:
- Strength
- Flexibility
- Cardio
- Balance
It’s important to build up your strength and flexibility as you get older. The joints and muscles naturally lose strength and flexibility as they age, increasing the risk of falls and injury. Strength-building exercises will help you to reduce the risk of slips and falls, in turn preventing injury.
Building up flexibility will also help to avoid injury. You can add stretching, head tilts and arm swings into your workout to slowly build it up. You can stretch every day, with many seniors preferring to stretch as soon as they wake up. This prepares the body for the day ahead and helps you to be more active.
The main bulk of your fitness program should consist of light cardio exercise. Anything that gets the heart pumping is going to help keep you fit. The great thing about cardio exercise is that it lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease. This greatly reduces the risk of a stroke or heart attack. Remember to focus on gradual, light cardio activity. This includes exercises such as walking, aqua aerobics and cycling.
Finally, including some balance-related exercises into your routine is recommended. These include things like calf raises and standing on one leg. The more you improve your balance, the better your mobility will be.
Which Exercises Should You Avoid?
Now you know what types of exercises to include in your routine, what about the ones to avoid? While everyone has their own level of fitness and ability, there are certain exercises that seniors should avoid.
Squats with dumbbells are the first type of activity to avoid. These, alongside exercises such as bench presses and deadlifts can place too much pressure on the joints. Heavy lifting should be avoided too, replaced by low-resistance workouts.
You’ll also want to avoid high intensity interval training. One of the current fitness trends, it isn’t well suited to older adults due to its high intensity.
The above gives you a general idea of what a fitness program for older adults might look like. Remember, it’s important to talk to a doctor or physician before starting any workout program to ensure it is suitable for you.
Factors to Consider When Creating a Fitness Program
When you’re creating a fitness program, there are a number of factors to consider. Older adults face unique challenges when working out that need to be factored in.
If you’re looking to create an effective workout routine, below you’ll discover some of the key factors to consider.
Know Your Limitations
You need to put together a program that caters to your strengths. Understanding your limitations is key to ensuring you don’t overdo it. Think about the weakest areas of your body and any mobility issues you might have. Then, work out the best exercises to gradually improve these areas.
Whatever limitations you have, you’ll be able to find exercises to match them. You can also talk to your physician or doctor to see what exercises they recommend in accordance to your limitations.
Ensure You Start Out Gradually
It is equally important to ensure you start out gradually. Trying to do too much too soon will ultimately lead to injury. You’ll have to do a warm-up and a cool-down in your workout to help reduce the risk of injury.
In the beginning, you might not be able to do a lot of exercise. This is especially true if you haven’t exercised in a long time. However, as you start to make the fitness program a part of your daily routine, you’ll slowly start to see your endurance and ability increasing.
These are the main factors to think about when creating a routine. You don’t have to do it all on your own either. There are great sources of inspiration out there to aid you through your senior fitness journey.
Tips on Getting Started
So, now you know the benefits and where to get fitness program help and inspiration, how can you get started?
Before you dive into your new workout routine, there’s a few things to consider.
Start Off Slowly
One of the most important tips you should follow is to start slowly. The longer you have been away from exercise, the more slowly you should start. This is because if you suddenly go from doing very little to exercising heavily, you’re much more likely to suffer an injury.
So, start by working out for 5-10 minutes at a time. Remember to focus on low-impact exercises too in order to build up your strength and endurance.
Make It Enjoyable
Exercising as an older adult takes a lot more motivation. It’s much easier to sit back and relax when you don’t have the same level of energy as you used to. This means you’re going to need to create a workout that’s enjoyable.
So, look for activities you like doing. You can also make exercise routines more fun by listening to music, for example. Another option is to turn your workout into a game. You can look online for creative ways to do this if you need a little inspiration.
Keep Your Health Concerns in Mind
When creating a fitness program, it’s important to keep your health issues in mind. Think about how they might impact your workout and anything you may need to adjust. For example, do you need to take medications or eat at certain times? If so, factor this in when deciding when to work out.
Warm Up and Cool Down to Prevent Injury
Now that you are older, warming up and cooling down are more important than ever. You need to prepare the body for exercise by warming up and help it to recover by cooling down afterwards.
If you don’t warm up or cool down properly, you increase the risk of an injury. So, make sure the exercise program you are following contains good warm-up and cool-down routines you can follow.
Try to Carry Out Mindful Exercise
When it comes to actually working out, try to focus on mindful exercising – that is, being aware of the moves you are making and how your body feels. Too often, we exercise blindly, not really paying attention to how we feel.
The reason this matters is because mindful exercising can actually help you to improve your fitness faster. As you are more aware of the moves you are making, you take more care to ensure you are carrying them out correctly. It also really helps to ease anxiety and stress.
These are some of the best tips to follow before getting started. If you don’t adequately prepare, you run the risk of suffering an injury.
To Sum Up
Overall, putting together fitness programs for older adults isn’t as difficult as you might think. Whether you are in your 60s, 70s or 80s, there are lots of ways you can stay fit in older age. The above is a comprehensive look at what you need to develop your own fitness program. Remember to seek advice from your doctor before you begin to ensure you will be working out safely.
