It can be challenging for many seniors to stay active. Some may have health conditions that prevent them from engaging in physical exertion, while others may feel less energized or motivated to exercise. Given these reasons, their support group needs to encourage them to take care of their health and fitness through regular exercise.
Exercising is vital for aging people as it keeps the body strong and energized. In effect, working out helps the elderly remain independent and able to care for their daily needs. Aside from this, regular physical activity helps seniors retain their flexibility and balance. All these are essential to living a comfortable and healthy life.
If you’re caring for aging parents and you want to help them stay fit and active, here are some tips you may find helpful:
- Encourage Your Parents To Join An Exercise Class
To help them get more physically active, you can encourage your parents to join online exercise classes for seniors. Joining an online course will help them feel more motivated to work out since they’ll have an instructor who can guide them and other seniors they can interact with virtually. It’s also a convenient option since they won’t have to leave home to exercise.
To help them adjust to this new activity, you can consider joining them for the first few sessions or having someone in the family participate in your place. This way, they’ll feel more comfortable as they have someone familiar to interact with as they work out.
- Take Them Outdoors
Spending time outdoors may also help incorporate more physical activities into your parents’ routine. They can do various activities that include movement, such as walking the dogs, visiting a public park or a garden, or taking a stroll along the beach. Aside from enjoying the health benefits of spending time with nature, the added physical activity will also be helpful for their fitness.
- Help Them Get Together With Friends And Loved Ones
It’s essential for the elderly to feel supported and loved, especially those who cannot visit friends and family often due to mobility issues. At the same time, being isolated may be detrimental to their physical and mental health. Thus, having more time spent with their loved ones could benefit your parents’ overall well-being.
Aside from having company, your parents can also engage in physical activities while spending time with family. For instance, you can encourage them to participate in games or dances or interact with everyone to get them moving. This way, they’re able to have fun while staying active.
- Incorporate More Physical Activity In Their Routine
According to their movement capabilities, there are various ways for your parents to stay physically active in their daily routine. For instance, you can encourage them to use the stairs as often as possible to strengthen their cardiovascular system. They can also walk around the neighborhood, take out the trash, do basic chores, and do any other tasks that they feel comfortable doing.
This way, they can develop healthy habits regarding physical activity and avoid living a sedentary lifestyle. Aside from this, they’ll also feel more independent and capable of tending to their basic needs.
- Gift Them Exercise Equipment
Having new exercise equipment that they can enjoy using is also an effective way to encourage your parents to stay fit and active. Depending on their strength, endurance, flexibility, and movement capabilities, you can select gym equipment that would help encourage them to exercise regularly.
Here is some workout equipment that may be beneficial for the elderly:
- Dumbbells or kettlebells
- Resistance bands
- Stability balls
- Yoga mat
- Stationary bike
- Elliptical machine
You can also consider giving your parents a gym membership, provided that the facility has the equipment and trainers that allow them to accommodate the elderly. While it may require more effort to visit the gym regularly, it’s a great way to encourage them to go out and get moving. Also, they can receive support from trainers, which can help ensure their safety while working out.
Conclusion
Engaging in regular physical activity can help protect your parents’ health and wellness. It allows them to stay fit and healthy, ideal for fighting against ailments and age-related degeneration. Aside from this, many physical activities encourage interaction and socialization, which are essential in caring for one’s mental and emotional health.
With these benefits in mind, selecting the right exercises and activities in the elderly’s routine is essential. These activities shouldn’t be too rigorous but should also be sufficiently challenging to encourage enough physical exertion to make a substantial impact. Furthermore, it would help if you also considered the activities your parents would enjoy. This way, it’ll be easier for them to adapt these activities to their lifestyle.
