Guest post by Ben Stanford from the Integrated Health Centre 

 

Fitness Tips for Seniors

Along with putting the proper fuel into our bodies, the other half is taking proper care of our bodies through exercise. Here we need to look at motivation, how do we get motivated to exercise? The secret is to make exercise fun. Exercise is a powerful therapy that can also be a cure for obesity.

Are you in that 60+ age range and looking for a senior fitness regime? Fitness is something we should all strive to maximize and it is even more important for us as seniors. A fit body gives us a higher quality of life, increased energy and leaves us feeling vibrant.

1. You need to exercise with some components in mind

Physical activity is any activity that moves the body, like gardening, walking to the shops, and taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

There are four components to fitness, cardiovascular, muscular, flexibility and core strength. Muscular fitness helps with the development of strong muscles, cardiovascular helps with our heart and circulatory system.

What is the best kind of fitness? Lifting weights is a great way to develop and maintain muscle fitness, to increase strength you should start with a weight that is comfortable enough that you can lift it eight to twelve times feeling a mild fatigue at the end.

2. Choose low-impact activities such as walking

Waking is probably the simplest form of exercise, anyone can do it at any time and it only requires the minimum fitness level. When starting off you should start with a small goal like walking one block, then increase this when you know from your reaction how far you can walk without feeling to fatigued.

3. Starting an exercise program

In starting any exercise program, you should be enthusiastic about your plans without overdoing what you are capable of.  Once you are aware for the needs to exercise you can see all kinds of opportunities in your daily life where you can start to exercise. You can carry groceries home from the supermarket or choose the stairs instead of an elevator when there is a choice. Exercise gives us more energy it keeps our joints mobile and helps us sleep better. You can look at exercise routines and remember to start at your own level. You should set a goal of moving up to the next level as you progress, then you will find yourself pleased with the progress your body is capable of.

4. Motivation how to get it and how to keep it

Motivation is important for us as seniors and the first thing you need to do is set a goal, this is a mindset to ensure you won’t quite your fitness program. Here are some tips to help you:

• If your goal is to be fit, develop a clear vision of what you want your body to look like, for example, you may want to look more trim and lean. Be more specific with what you want for yourself instead of something vague like “loosing weight”
• Emphasize on the positive, list the rewards you will get from exercise such as increased energy while feeling and looking fantastic. Rewards yourself by making a date each month where you can treat yourself to something special for all of your hard work
• Make specific plans on the calendar, such as “lift weights on Wednesday at 9 am”. Your goals should be specific, measurable and attainable.

Tags: excersize fitness motivation seniors walking