Exercise for Seniors Over 75 That Blends Movement and Mindfulness

The most effective exercise for seniors over 75 is low-impact aerobic exercise. These exercises, such as walking, swimming, and meditation, are perfect for improving your balance and flexibility without straining your body.

Do you get all of the exercise you need every week? The CDC claims that seniors need at least 2-3 hours of exercise during the week. Squeezing in the right amount of exercise while balancing your other responsibilities can be tough!

Bellefontaine is a beautiful city to call home during your golden years. Coveted for our historical richness, we have something for enthusiasts of all sorts. Whether you're here to visit Holland Theatre or to enjoy our lovely downtown district, we're proud to have you!

What sort of gentle aging workouts will help encourage senior flexibility? Read on for a brief overview of low-impact exercise.

Mindful Movement and Aerobic Exercise

When you begin looking into gentle aging workouts, aerobic exercise is bound to come up. But what is aerobic exercise, and how does it impact senior flexibility?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, aerobic exercises use your large muscle groups in repetitive motions. In doing so, it utilizes continuous, rhythmic movements to keep your body active.

This form of low-impact workout for seniors is popular at all age ranges, from the newly senior to entering your 9th decade. As a low-impact exercise, it's ideal for keeping the strain and weight off of your joints and bones.

What is Low-Impact?

During your research, you'll likely find many articles referring to the impact of an exercise. Impact is not the effectiveness or intensity of a workout.

Rather, the impact is how intense it is on your body. For example, a high-impact workout such as strength training puts extra strain on your bones, joints, and muscles. As such, it's typically seen as unfit for a senior exercise.

Low-impact exercise keeps the strain and weight off your joints. Instead, you get the health benefits of exercise without most of the pain or risk. Some common low-impact exercises include:

• Most forms of cardio, such as walking and running
• Water-focused workouts like swimming or treading water
• Meditative stretches and movements
• In-place movements and exercises

In short, aerobic exercises are low-impact cardio-focused exercises. These workouts help keep seniors moving and active without straining their bodies.

Common Gentle Aging Workouts

Now that we know more about mindful movement, what exercises work best? To start, you should look into your community's amenities to see what they support.

It's also important to know that exercise for seniors over 75 often occurs in a class-focused setting. These settings help to keep seniors motivated, but they also help to enrich your social life.

According to Michigan Medicine, about 1 in every 3 seniors aged 50 to 80 deal with feelings of isolation and loneliness. Your community's workout classes are a perfect way to defeat these feelings!

Here are some of the most common gentle aging workouts.

Gentle Strength Training

When you think of strength training, you may think of weights. However, there are plenty of other workouts that build your strength without the extra strain.

A great example is resistance bands. These are commonly used for strength training without straining your joints.

Resistance bands are effectively large rubber bands that you pull against. Different strengths will have stronger resistance, which helps you build muscle.

Some other exercises include:

• Body-weight squats
• Lightweight weightlifting
• Chair exercises

Looking for a class on strength training? Keep an eye on your community's activity calendar to see what's coming up next!

Yoga and Chair Yoga

Yoga is half meditation, half exercise, making it great for anyone aging with calm as a main mental health focus. These workouts are also great for anyone dealing with mobility limitations.

Mostly, this is because the positions are extremely flexible and variable. That means you can find something that matches your needs with relative ease.

Yoga is also a perfect fit for the class atmosphere. If you're looking to socialize, that makes yoga an excellent choice.

Yoga is, however, often done on the floor. Many seniors find this more challenging than they wish, especially as a fall risk. 

Instead, you may find yourself aiming for Chair Yoga. These seated exercises are often done for strength and balance routines.

As the name suggests, Chair Yoga makes use of a chair to help seniors with their balance and stability. It also means you won't have to lower yourself to the ground.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Safe to Exercise Alone?

That depends on a variety of factors, with the most important factor being what sort of exercise you're doing. There are many gentle aerobic exercises, such as Yoga and Tai Chi, that are generally safe to do alone.

Still, even a safe low-impact exercise can pose a threat. Tai Chi can lead to a fall, and a Yoga position done incorrectly can often lead to an injury.

The incorrectly done exercises are a nefarious threat to remember as well. When you exercise in a group, you're able to receive correction and guidance if you make a mistake. But if you're exercising alone, nobody can help you catch your errors.

Speak to your doctor about exercises you can safely do alone. Otherwise, we strongly recommend sticking to exercise classes in your assisted living community.

How Often Should I Rest?

In our golden years, we need more time to rest after a workout. That's mostly because our bodies repair themselves more slowly than in our youth.

It's generally recommended to take about 48 hours of rest before you work out the same muscle group. Or, to be more broad, you should take about 3 rest days in your average week.

Understanding Exercise for Seniors Over 75

Getting the most out of exercise for seniors over 75 means knowing which gentle aging workouts will help the most. Focus on mindful movement to enhance your senior flexibility, and do your best to always exercise in a group.

Here at Campbell Place Assisted Living, we know there's more to your health and happiness than a day of exercise. Our quaint town is great for hiking and relaxing, and our residents make the most of their days through regular events and activities to keep us all living in the moment. Schedule a tour today to see your new home!