If you’re an older adult looking to establish an exercise routine, you should, ideally, be able to incorporate 150 minutes of moderate endurance activity into your week. This can include walking, swimming, cycling, and a little bit of time every day to improve strength, flexibility, and balance.
In a study done at Tufts University in Massachusetts more than eight years ago… researchers found that the sitting down that all workers do during the day makes them lose muscle mass and energy for the day and has an effect on mental health as they get older….Muscles are 80% of our energy requirement at rest so the more muscle you have the more energy you have 24 hours a day! And Muscle mass increases your energy requirement for exercise as well by as much as forty percent by the late age of your life (65+) So exercising to build muscle not only keeps you healthier it also increases your lifespan and improves quality of life as older adults have a habit of becoming ill more frequently than younger adults as they have poor body balance due to their diminished muscle tone resulting from disuse of muscles over the years; and all due to poor blood circulation from sedentary lifestyles. There is a severe lack of studies on the subject as it is rather difficult to undertake a study using healthy sedentary / inactive people and then reverse that situation after several years in a very healthy energetic active elderly population, that live in senior homes online, and you can visit Carlton Senior Living to find out more about this. If needed, they can also opt for physical therapy in Cary, NC and other areas.
I will further elaborate on the benefits of low impact aerobic exercises such as stretching in my next newsletter as its benefit is well known amongst physiotherapists and practicing Yoga practitioners alike especially since its practice can do so much more for the elderly than any other form of physical or manual therapy and its risk is very low with none of the negative effects that excessive isometric strength training may have in the long term because as we age our tendons become weaker due to oxidative stress caused by free radicals and reduced ability to repair and regenerate damaged cells so the elasticity required to maintain well stretched and healthy muscles and joints is severely limited reducing over time the body’s ability to remain supple and flexible and retain a good range of motion and strength to support the aging process as well as maintain and support the normal functions of the body such as breathing proper digestion sleeping standing and walking properly, etc.
Another benefit of low-impact exercises is the improvement in circulation which in turn helps to cool off the entire body keeping seniors much more alert and active throughout the day for much longer periods of time reducing the need to take too many breaks to replenish energy levels again possibly leading to dangerous situations if the senior is unable to get up from their own bed too quickly out of concern that they might fall and have even more difficulty recovering if they hit the floor too hard when doing something as simple as getting up out of bed due to the weakened state of the hips knees and other weight bearing structures in the body usually suffering most severely during this process due to the high impact on them over the decades as a result of prolonged periods of sitting at desks for work at home on the couch watching TV lying down in bed all day etc etc affecting all these and many other bodily functions!! It is vital for seniors in their golden years to take things slowly and carefully in order to get the most benefit from their physical activities and lifestyle choices in the later years of their life not over exert themselves too often in the beginning unless they already are in good physical condition. e able to incorporate 150 minutes of moderate endurance activity into your week. This can include walking, swimming, cycling, and a little bit of time every day to improve strength, flexibility, and balance.
In a study done at Tufts University in Massachusetts more than eight years ago… researchers found that the sitting down that all workers do during the day makes them lose muscle mass and energy for the day and has an effect on mental health as they get older….Muscles are 80% of our energy requirement at rest so the more muscle you have the more energy you have 24 hours a day! And Muscle mass increases your energy requirement for exercise as well by as much as forty percent by the late age of your life (65+) So exercising to build muscle not only keeps you healthier it also increases your lifespan and improves quality of life as older adults have a habit of becoming ill more frequently than younger adults as they have poor body balance due to their diminished muscle tone resulting from disuse of muscles over the years; and all due to poor blood circulation from sedentary lifestyles.. There is a severe lack of studies on the subject as it is rather difficult to undertake a study using healthy sedentary / inactive people and then reverse that situation after several years in a very healthy energetic active elderly population! I will further elaborate on the benefits of low impact aerobic exercises such as stretching in my next newsletter as its benefit is well known amongst physiotherapists and practicing Yoga practitioners alike especially since its practice can do so much more for the elderly than any other form of physical or manual therapy and its risk is very low with none of the negative effects that excessive isometric strength training may have in the long term because as we age our tendons become weaker due to oxidative stress caused by free radicals and reduced ability to repair and regenerate damaged cells so the elasticity required to maintain well stretched and healthy muscles and joints is severely limited reducing over time the body’s ability to remain supple and flexible and retain a good range of motion and strength to support the aging process as well as maintain and support the normal functions of the body such as breathing proper digestion sleeping standing and walking properly etc etc. Another benefit of low-impact exercises is the improvement in circulation which in turn helps to cool off the entire body keeping seniors much more alert and active throughout the day for much longer periods of time reducing the need to take too many breaks to replenish energy levels again possibly leading to dangerous situations if the senior is unable to get up from their own bed too quickly out of concern that they might fall and have even more difficulty recovering if they hit the floor too hard when doing something as simple as getting up out of bed due to the weakened state of the hips knees and other weight bearing structures in the body usually suffering most severely during this process due to the high impact on them over the decades as a result of prolonged periods of sitting at desks for work at home on the couch watching TV lying down in bed all day etc etc affecting all these and many other bodily functions!! It is vital for seniors in their golden years to take things slowly and carefully in order to get the most benefit from their physical activities and lifestyle choices in the later years of their life not over exert themselves too often in the beginning unless they already are in good physical condition.