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As we get older, our lifestyle changes. Not just in terms of what we can and can’t do, but in terms of what we want to do. And as we round out 2020, that is even more true.

We know many seniors will be unable to get out and utilize their regular exercise clubs or activities, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice what you enjoy!

It just means it’s time to find some new exercise routines to build into your daily routine. Here are a few ways to keep healthy in-home. 

The Benefits Of Exercise

Across all ages, a regular exercise routine will prove beneficial — but it’s especially important as we get older.

Regular exercise has a wide range of health benefits for seniors, including:

• Helps to improve balance — which in turn lessens the risk of falling down and injuring yourself
• Promotes the release of endorphins, which will help to alleviate stress, make it easier to sleep, and help you feel more energetic throughout the day
• Reduce the risk of a number of common diseases, such as heart disease and osteoporosis
• Our mind and our bodies are intrinsically linked, and therefore regular exercise is a key part of improving your cognitive well-being and can reduce the risk of developing dementia

On top of these health benefits, exercise is a great way to build a sense of independence and promote self-reliance, something that is vitally important both emotionally and physically.

Chair Yoga

Yoga: it’s one of the hottest exercise trends of the last few years, but it can get a little intensive, to put it mildly.

Thankfully, there are some creative approaches that can make this tremendously beneficial exercise more accessible for seniors, and we’re highlighting one of our favourites here — chair yoga.

Chair yoga is as simple as it sounds, utilizing a chair you can do a number of low impact stretches, such as:

• Overhead stretch
• Seated cow stretch
• Seated cat stretch
• Seated mountain pose
• Seated twist

For a video demonstration, check out this video from the immensely popular Yoga with Adrienne.

Resistance Bands

Resistance bands have become one of the most popular exercise choices for seniors in recent times, and it’s easy to see why!

Cheap, with the bands themselves rarely costing more than $15, easy to use no matter what your skill level or experience, and simple to pick up and use, meaning you can fit them into even the busiest of days.

A resistance band workout is ideal for working on core strength — which will help improve posture, mobility, and balance.

One of the keys to an effective (and safe) resistance band workout, is to make sure you’re using the proper posture.

You can achieve this by:

• Sitting up straight with your feet on the floor
• Squeezing your shoulder blades down and back
• Tucking your chin slightly and looking straight ahead

Pilates

First things first — let’s clear up a question that was bugging even us, what exactly is the difference between pilates and yoga?

Well, to put it simply, it’s a point of emphasis. Pilates focuses on strengthening core muscles through breathing exercise and movements, while yoga is all about flexibility and centering yourself.

And now you know that, you can also understand why pilates is proving so popular as an exercise for seniors, because of its low impact nature and ability to improve both balance and core strength.

There are a wide range of pilates exercises for you to try out, but why not begin with these:

• Kneeling rear leg raise
• Mermaid
• Side Circles

Walking

This was already one of our go-to suggestions for exercises for seniors before the Coronavirus totally upended all of our schedules — but now we feel that getting out there and enjoying the fresh Vancouver Island air has never been more important than ever.

Walking is a brilliant exercise because you can literally do it at your own pace! But it still provides a number of tangible benefits, promoting a healthy lifestyle, and lowering your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other illnesses.

If you need assistance with walking, view our walking aids here.

Even if walking isn’t an option due to mobility issues — there’s still plenty of physical and emotional benefits to be found from getting outside however you can. 

After all, exercise isn’t just about looking after your body, equally important is making sure you keep your mind active and your spirits raised!

Here at Island Mediquip our business is looking after people, whether that’s giving you tips to keeping fit, healthy, and happy, or providing access to the very best in mobility aids, home care, and other medical assistance equipment.

To find out more, or to locate what you need, check out our range of products today.