Exercise for the elderly

Is exercise safe for most adults older than 65 years of age? Patience with chronic illness such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and arthritis can exercise safely. Many of these conditions are improved with exercise. If you are not sure whether exercise is safe for you or you are currently inactive, ask your doctor about it.

However, if you want to get start with exercise, it is important to wear loose, comfortable clothing and well fitting, sturdy shoes. Your shoes should have a good arch support, and elevated and cushioned heel to absorb shock.

If you are not already active, you should start slowly. Start with exercises that are very simple and comfortable.  Starting slowly makes it less likely that you will injure yourself. Starting slowly also helps prevent soreness from overdoing it. The saying “no pain, no gain” is not true for older or elderly adults. You do not have at a high intensity to get most health benefits of exercising.

Walking for example is an excellent activity to start with. As you become uses to exercising or if you are already active you can slowly increase the intensity of your exercise program.

What type of exercise for the adult?

There are several types of exercise that you should do. You will want to do some type of aerobic activity for like 30 minutes on most or preferably all days of the week.  Examples are walking, swimming and bicycling. You should also do resistance or strength training 2 days per week.

Warm up for five minutes before each exercise session. Walking slowly and stretching are good warm up activities. You should also cool down with more stretching for five minutes when you finish exercising. Cool down longer in warmer weather.  Exercise is only good for you if you are feeling well. Wait to exercise until you are feeling better if you have a cold, flu or other illness. If you miss exercise for more than 2 weeks, be sure to start slowly again.

You should try to call your doctor if your muscles or joints are sore the day after exercising, because you may have done too much. Next time exercise at a lower intensity. If the pain or discomfort persists, you should talk to your doctor.

You should also talk to your doctor if you have any of the following symptoms while exercising:

·        Chest pain or pressure

·        Trouble breathing or excessive shortness of breath

·        Light – headedness or dizziness

·        Difficulty with balance

·        Nausea

SPECIFIC EXERCISES TO DO

The following are the simple strength exercises that you can do at home. Each exercise should be done 8 to 10 times for two sets and always remember that:

·        Complete all movement in a slow control fashion

·        Don’t hold your breath

·        Stop if you feel pain

·        Stretch each muscle after your workout

Step 1: Wall push – ups

You will achieve this by placing your hands flat against the wall. Slowly lower the body to the wall and push body away from wall to return to starting position.

Step 2: Chair squats

Begin by sitting in the chair.  Lean slightly forward and stand up from the chair. Try not to favour one side or use your hands to help you.

Step 3: Biceps curl

Hold a weight in each hand with your arms at your sides. Bending your arms at the elbows, lift the weight to your shoulders and then lower them to your sides.

Step 4: Shoulder shrugs

Hold a weight in each hand with your arms at your side. Shrug your shoulders up toward your ears then lower them back down.