4 Safe Exercises for Seniors

You may feel less motivated to exercise during your retirement years, but staying active is one of the most important aspects of healthy ageing. There are many forms of safe exercise that are both highly beneficial to your wellbeing and enjoyable to participate in. Some of the benefits of maintaining a workout routine are as follows:

• Your energy levels will increase, helping you feel stronger and more motivated to achieve your goals throughout the day.
• Risk of age-related health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, depression and certain forms of cancer is significantly decreased.
• Your balance, flexibility and endurance will also increase substantially.

You don't need to invest in an expensive gym membership, equipment or special clothing either. You can choose just how much you want to exercise every day, too. It doesn't have to take hours out of your schedule, but at the same time you can spend as long as you want doing something fun and beneficial.

Cycling

Studies have shown that elderly persons who participate in frequent, low-intensity exercise such as cycling live much longer than those who don't. Benefits include preserved strength, stabilized body fat levels and a strengthened immune system. Men will also benefit from stabilized testosterone levels.

Improved brain function is another surprising benefit of cycling. Mental operations such as memory, reasoning and vocabulary decrease as you age. Physical activity prevents this deterioration and helps maintain the gray and white matter in your brain, which is responsible for cognitive function.

Yoga

You may be wondering how on earth you'll be able to pull off all those advanced stretches that yogis seem to somehow accomplish. Fortunately, yoga is filled with plenty of safe, simple exercises that have countless benefits for your health. The combination of physical postures, breathing exercises and meditation is great for your body and mind.

Yoga reduces lower back pain, heart rate, blood pressure and risk of bone disease. You'll feel stronger and more flexible. All you need is some form-fitting clothing, a yoga mat and 15-30 minutes of spare time. Yoga is a popular sport with communities and groups around every corner, making it a great social activity for seniors to enjoy.

Swimming

There's nothing better than cooling off from a hot day in a relaxing swimming pool. What's great about this sport is that you don't need to power through endless lengths of butterfly in order to achieve the health benefits that come with swimming. There are three types of senior-friendly exercises that you can do in the pool.

Water aerobics incorporates walking, dancing and other land-based activities into water. Resistance exercise utilizes activities such as leg swings, calf raises and arm curls, using water instead of equipment for resistance. There's also water relaxation, which uses similar concepts to Pilates and yoga. This helps lower heart rate and blood pressure.

Low-Impact Exercise

If you prefer something simpler, you can always opt for the countless number of low-impact workouts that require little more than your body and an empty space. This includes stretching, chair stands, leg raises and upper body workouts such as arm raises.

Staying Safe While Exercising

It's important to remember that your body becomes more fragile as you age. This can make something as simple as a fall a medical emergency. Having a medical alert system on hand may save your life, especially if you exercise at home alone. This website compares the best medical alert systems you can buy.

Always be sure to consult your doctor before venturing into any new type of exercise. By analyzing your current physical health, they can recommend the best way forward for you. Exercise is always more enjoyable with friends, so try to keep it social and you'll feel more motivated to keep it up.